Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-07
DEMOCRACY's DANGER.
How an EYasfve State Policy Will
Handicap Hancock
Cot A. 8. OoIyar mt Beech Grove,
Coffee Comfy.

Mr.. Colyar made a speech al
Beech Grove, Coffee county, July
24th, on the state debt, in which he
said:
/ think the democratic party
ought, at the approaching conven-
ton, to plainly and distinctly de-
clare its policy. I have the highest
regard for gentlemen who believe
in deferring it, but cannot agree
with them. The reasons offered
were, that it might endanger the
presidential and congressional cleo
tions. The nominations, and the
support which the people are giving
the nominees, shows that the ques-
tion could not affect them; but to
postpone the question on that ac-
count is to postpone for a cause
whose periodical return comes with
the state elections every time.
AS to the presidential election, it
is a fixed fact that Hancock will
carry Tennessee and no local ques-
tion can prevent it. This is a fixed
fact and / will not debate it. itii
/ agree with other gentlemen In
one thing, that it is a matter of the
greatest moment that Gen. Hancock
shall be elected. / say of the great
est moment, because the decisions
of the supreme court of the United
States show that the tendency to
Capitalization in the republican
party has at last ripened iuto bitter
fruit in the supreme court, and this
cannot be corrected by legislation
until the executive, as well as con-
gress, is changed. The decision in
the marshal case has justly alarmed
the country; but the decision in the
Haynes murder case, holding against
all precedent, that when one citizen
of the state kills another citizen of
the state, and the slayer is indicted
in a state court, he can, by his own
affidavit, show that he was in the
employ of the United States, and
did the deed in discharge of his duty,
and so deprive the state court
of Jurisdiction, is the elimination
of all that anybody ever surinised.
The republican party sustains this
mighty stretch of federal power.
The democratic party does not.
Looking at this question as / do, /
am intensely interested in the sue
cess of Gen. Hancock, and would
do nothing to endanger his election.
How can we help or hurt Gen. Han
cock? Certainly we cannot help,
but may seriously hurt him, by
making an evasive platform on the
state debt.
Gen. Garfield stated the question
correctly to his committee the other
day when he said New York would
decide who should be president. Do
we want to help Gen. Hancock,
then let Us make platform right in
itself and that will not hurt Gen.
Hancock in New York. What will
hurt Gen. Hancock i'm New Y YOrl5 ?
An equivOeal4 or evasiye platform
on the state debt. The republicans
have but one chance to carry New
York and elect Garfield, and that Is
by making the business men of New
York believe that the democratic
party is affiliating with repudiatiCn-
lists. All thinking men must have
seen from the time OF these nomina-
tiOns, that this was TO the democra-
cy, the dangerous question, as by
common consent the republican
party put forward their ablest man,
Carl Schurz, to sound the keynote
of the campaign. This he did in an
elaborate speech at indianapolis,
last Monday night. e,,r
1t is best not to underrate this
speech. All who heard it, and un-
derstood the sensitiveness of New
York democrats as well as repHbh-
cans, on the questions discussed,
will at once see what a bearing the
arguments, so thoroughly presented,
may have, If pushed to the close,
with show of evidences. fiH q
Mr., Schurz, understanding we'll
that no party can carry New York,
who is affiliating with, or profiting
by, spirit of repudiation, brought
to bear his wonderful ingenuity to
prove that the democratic party in
the south is drifting into repudia-
tion, first of fthestated debt obligations,
then of the national debt.
Here are a few of his points, and
showing how much stress he lays
upon it, he has made it the burden
of his speech. With Mr.. Schurz,
the bloody shirt won't win, but
democracy's bad faith will. First
he says;
HWe find men who would scorn
the idea of faithlessness in our ma
tional obligations in the closest alli
ance and cooperation with those
who repudiated their debts i'm their
own states, and who would not hes
itate a moment to repudiate the
debts Of the republic"
And again he says:
ssWhile they declare for an OBJ
servance of our national obligations,
that does not hinder the democracy
in many of the southern states from
going on in their work of local re-
pudiation and declaring that local
Reputation is such a good thing
that it ought to be made general.n
Here is an extract from another
part of the speech which / call spe-
cial attention to. III we give encour-
agement to this argument by our
course In Tennessee, what may 1t
do in New York; $3.50 fgt8
"Iet us see now what, in view of
all this, we have a right to expect
from q democratic victory. Is IL