Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-14
PERSONS AND PRINCIPLES

lUtn DiSLrlct-IL. j. Oh Shelby
PERSONS AND PRINCIPLES.
"Let us have no personal conflict
this time, no fiinging of dirt" say
the republicans and it is certainly
not wonderful, considering whoitis
that they have nominated, and who
1t is that bears the democratic stand
ard, that they should wish to avert
attention from the personal qualifi-
cations of the candidates. They
even 90 SO far as to say that we are
discussing the personal record of
Messrs. Garfield and Arthur because
we desire to divert mems attention
from the principles at issue in the
contest. The truth is exactly the
reverse of this. We are compelled
to the rather ungelcome task of
attacking the record of the repubi-
car nominees by the fact that the
very nomination of such men by
our antagonists and the resistance
to their election on our part involves
the very principle which is the bone
of contention between us.
They have nominated representa-
tive men and so have we; their
nominees are typical of the prlnci-
pie they are contending for, and so
are ours. Their principle is perpe-
tuity of tenure for the party in Office,
to be attained by the INSCRIPTIONS
use of official means; ours is the re-
moval of that party by righteous
popular condemnation expressed at
the ballOt-bOx; their reliance is on
the machine, ours on the will of the
people. The public patronage, the
supervision of elections by partisan
supervisors, the presence of troops
at the capital, the superseding the
regular mode of appointing electors
by unwOnted methOds-these are
the means by which a renewed lease
of power is hoped for in opposition
to the popular vote. We know of
only one method of opposing them,
and that is the will of the people
made potent through the only mech
anism by which it can be either
lawfully or efficiently put in opera
ton, the mechanism of the cOnstitu-
ton. The cOntrasted principles,
then, are the subversion of the will
of the people on one side by corrupt
and dishonest methods, the vindi-
cation of that will on the other side
by tho methods of constitutional
liberty; the machine tending to-
wards despOtism on the one side,
the constitution tending to freedom
on the other.
Those are our principles; now see
how they are represented by the
men of the present contest. The
machine, worked in the interests of |
party for the sordid emOlument of |
the members of that party, where |
could that principle be more typi-
cally represented than in the person
of James A. Garfield? The consti-
tuition, as the bulwark of republican |
government, where could il find so
appropriate a champion as Winfield
Scott Hancock "a man marked /
out for that Office by every word
and act of his public life.
No! we cannot neglect the per-
sOnal features of the present contest,
for they are of its very essence. This
is no time for men to be fastidious;
the objects we are now contending
for are matters of stern moral prin-
ciple, not questions of taste, and as
involving the very principle we are
contending for, we now attack the
public record Of James A. Garfield.
At the same time we shall throw no
dirt. The judgments that have been
recorded against him are no fictiOns
of the democratic party got up for
their effect on the present contest;
they have been pronounced upon
him by officially appointed republic
can committees and stand in plain
terms upon the records of congress.
We have already spoken of Mr..
Garfield's credit mObilier transae-
tions. and the only thing necessary
in addition Is to account for Gar
fields conscience selling so cheap.
Three hundred and twenty-nine dol
lars seems a very small sum for the {
honor of an M. c.; but it is to be
remembered that this was not the
worth of the shares he held, but /
simply the balance of dividend due (
to him after the stock had been paid
for out of the first years dividend
$50 lucrative did the stock turn outl.
The stock still remained on hand {
the 1929 was an egg of the golden ]
goose, which was still alive, and if I
the exposure and public scandal
had not compelled him to turn the ]
goose out of doors when she cackled {
too loud she would have laid him 8
many another golden egg.
Next comes the De Golyer pave I
ment business. A. contracting firm
has n patent pavement which it
wants 20 lay down In Washington {
CITY at an ENORMOUS profit, but the {
anntract cannot be completed unless c