Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-10-22
Beware of Repudintors.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
The recent visit of Boss Malone.
with Wise and other of his Lieu
tenants, to this city, is understood
to have been for the purpose of
raising money to help the repudia-
tors in Virginia. The managers of
the corrupt coalition in that state
have openly assessed the office-hol-
ders two per cent. on their salaries,
in defiance of the law and of the
civil service. regulations, with the
approval of the treasury.
| Mr.. Raum, Commissioner of In
{ ternal Revenue, recently published
letter declaring in the strongest
terms for the repudiation ticket
and his superior, Mr.. Window, sane
toned that flagrant violation of of
ficial propriety. Thus protected,
Mr.. Brady, the Collector of Internal
Revenue at Petersburg, and chair
man of the executive coalition COM
mittee, issued the circular, lately
printed in the Sun, demanding two
per cent. from the mechanics and
laborers of the Norfork Navy Yard,
as voluntary contribution" to
aid the election next month.
We learn that the response to
these urgent and menacing appeals
has been less effective than was an
ticipated. A Virginia office-holder
regards himself as superior to any
cause. He parts with his money
reluctantly outside of his own wants
and pleasures. He thinks the rich
republicans of the north ought to
furnish the sineWs of war for all
the party campaigns, and under that
conviction he buttons his pocket
and pleads poverty.
The repudiators rely upon the
most ignorant voters as their only
hope Of success. The capitation or
poll tax applies to white and black
alike, and the fund if thus furnish
ed from it is turned over to the pub
lie schools, without regard to race.
Outside of the political class, the
negroes care very little about the
privilege of voting in the abstract,
and they care still less for it when
that privilege costs $1.50 head.
Boss Malone proposes to get this
vote by paying the tax, and he pre-
fers to do that business at the eX-
pense of northern republicans The
real author and the recognized lead
er of a movement to repudiate a
debt which he himself acknowledge
ed to be just and lawfully due to the
extent OF thirty-two millions, he
has the eifrontery to ask business
men in this and IN other CONNER.
cial communities to contribute of
their means to carry through
scheme which would lead to bank
ruptcy and the ruin of public credit
if it is adopted as a policy.
His candidate for attorney gener-
al publicly proclaimed that the
principle Of the Riddleberger bill,
which struck off one third of the au-
dited state debt, and made no sure
provision for the remainder or for
the interest upon it, should be ap-
piled to the national debt. Or, in
other words, that between seven
and eight hundred millions of it
should be "eliminated." to use Ma
homes language, and that the cred
itorS for the remaining part might
get their interest if they could ex-
tort it from repudiators.
The only living question before
the people of Virginia to day Is
whether an honest debt, contracted
before the civil war and expended
in improvements, shall be paid in
good faith, or whether it shall be
disgracefully repudiated. The dem
ocrats contend that it shall be paid
to the satisfaction of the creditors.
The rotten coalitionists. headed by
Malone, say it must be converted |
into a job, by which a ring of spec
ulators shall put several millions in
their pockets, through a corrupt |
legislature and courts made to or
der.
Every dollar contributed here or
elsewhere for this Virginia cam
paign in MahOne's interest will be |
no matter what plausible preteXt |
may be urged, SO much aid and |
comfort for reputation. Business
men have the first interest to reject |
artful appeals in behalf of this |
scheme, which, should it succeed,
would strike fatal blow at credit,
and derange those relations of trade |
which the returning prosperity of
the South has put on the best foot
ing. Beware of the repudiatOrs, in
whatever disguise they may appear. |
They are enemies of good govern
ment.