Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-10-01
al uNwErTINe rRormEoY


Under the head of "A Hypothetical
Change the CHRoNIcLE, in its issue
Of the 18th Of June, had the following
editorial, which, in the light OF the sad
fulhllment Of the supposition therein
made, in regard to the late Chief Mag
istrate, and the changes hypothetical-
" contemplated, which are not as yet
at all improbable, does seem as a sort
Of strange prophecy, unwittingly
made. We said:
Suppose the President OF the United
States should die, what "a lively COM
motion there would be in the ranks Of
our republican brethren. With Ches-
ter A. Arthur, Of New York, the vice
president, duly installed rs President
of the United States, and Roscoe
Conkling, secretary OF state, and the
old commander, Gen. Grant, secretary
OF war, and so on, down to the end of
the long stalwart line, what chance
would there be for the lowliest post
master in the most obscure village in
sides with Lord Roscoe in his present
great struggle with the administers
ton.
Arthur is the creature of Conkling,
and, of course, warmly sympathizes
with his boss in this imbroglio with
the President If he should ever, by
any misfortune, such as the death OF
the PRESIDENT (for Gariield's death
wOulCl&be a great misfortune indeed,
if he is to be succeeded by such man
rs Arthur, become President of the
republic, he would, under the lash of
Lord Roscoe, straightway proceed to
bounce all of Garfield's recent APP
polntments and place the entire Fed
eral patronage in the hands of the
stalwarts. 1t is to be hoped this may
never occur. Strange things happen,
however, and republican office-hold-
ers, great and small, had better go
slow, and not be too warm in their
advocacyo of the present administra-
ton. 1t would be ludicrous to see
their somersaults in such an emer-
gency. a
OF course, at the time, we had not
the faintest dream that such a sad call
amity as has befallen the nation would
occur, but we believed, even then, that
the fierce struggle which was going on
between the administration and Conk-
ling, backed by the stalwarts, over the
New York collectorship and other
spoils, might not improbably lead to
dark plots and crimes among the
rougher elements of the two contend
| ing factions. We do not believe for
one moment that any other man than
Guiteau, in the whole republican
party, had anything to do with the
heinous murder of our honored Presi-
dent, but no one, who has given the
subject moments thought, or read
the declaration of the william at the
time the dastardly deed was done, will
doubt for a moment that the act was
the legitimate offspring and base-born
progeny of the nefarious spoils system
of which the republican party was the
foster-mother. Guiteau, disappoint-
ed and maddened office-seeker, who,
under a correct civil service system
would never have dreamed of office,
had been taught by the tenets of his
party to expect an office, and being
baflled in this expectation, foully
murdered the man whom he thought
most stood in his way.
1t is unpleasant, at this hour, to lay
the cause for such a damnable act at
the door of any party or set of men,
but history, in its honest impartial
search for some motive for the base
crime, will be forced to lay it at the
door OF the supporters of the unhal-
lowed spoils system. We will say
nothing now of the changes which
we thought would follow III case of
the Presidents death. Arthur is Pres
ident now, and we hope our prognos-
tication in regard to the changes in
the administration will prove errone-
Gus. He promises to carry out the
policy of his lamented predecessor,
and, as in duty bound as lawful citi-
zens of the United States, we will give
him all due allegiance and support
until he proves himself unworthy.