Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-01-18
OUR ATHENS LETTER.
A Democrat on the ssnatoria, Race.


ATHENS, Tenn, Jan. Is, 1881. 4
Mr.. EDITOR: Pursuing the line
of thought suggested in my com-
munication of the Sth inst, ! desire
to remark that hundreds of Demos
Gratis all over our section have an in
finite preference for Hon. Horace
Maynard for United States Senator
over any other man in Tennessee.
We all know that our interests in
the South depend for proction in a
large degree upon amicable relations
on the part of the Southern people
with the admission of the General
Government. If we satisfy the Adj
ministration that we are determined
local agairs strict construction and
rigid execution of existing laws,
and that all men of whate yer race or
color are to be protected in the equal
enjoyment of their rights of citizen
ship, their property and their lives,
we may expect the friendly hand of
recognition and reconciliation to be
| extended to us, and a material better
ment thereby of our condition in
every desirable way. o9
If we come up to the support of
Gen. Garfield, and help to hold up
his hands. in every good work he
may undertake, laying aside our po-
itical predictions, is It not reasona--
BILE to expect that we shall by that
course be substantially benefited ?
Every sensible man knows that the
South has been losing constantly by
bad leadership since the war, which
bad leadership has as constantly
Il sought TO misguide the people. As
said before, this has been realized in
two of the strongest Democratic
States of the South, and the people
J of those States have determined or
/, and secured change. Progress il
: the word that has begun to write
= itself all over the South impelleo
4 by the force of changed conditions
8 and circumstances. Men of adj
q yanced thought and ideas are nov
looked to-, rather than the leader
. who have heretofore accomplishet
J. nothing but what has proven detri
Is mental. 81 Ha-revs g
It is pueri1e to cry, 1--WE mus
stick to- the party. That is tn
devils suggestion. Parties are goo
: only so long as they are beneficial
lel No party can be considered bene
IL fetal that year after year brings onl
absolute loss to its adherents. An
y when the people of the South recko1
ct correctly about these things we shal
le see Southern institutions, fields an
= workshops wearing a different aspet
= to that we see to-day. If we woul
lie do ourselves service, we must la
E. aside all political prejudices, and sen
ID men to represent US in the counci
=, of the nation who have the command
10 ing influence and wisdom to gras
ur and secure for us those things fl
ne which the South is now, in absolu'
\ want. Our section is rich beyon
~ computation, and yet we do M
o. IctaliAO lt.- IeCfsoOAlAA6 aiLOAA ~ oSeSAA
e. point of independent thought an
a. CO .n,non sense, this failure to reali;
y the full fruition our natural adya
=, tages entitle us to, must be a
re tribnted, in large measure, to bs
be nonas ement on the part OF tho
= commissioned to act for the Soul
y and her interests at Washington. s
re We hare been sending men the
ee to wrang lelover immaterial I matte q
,ns and pipe, lay for party supremac
looking ahead to succeeding Pres
=, Dental and Congressional election
n Legislation, the object Of their s.
us lection, has been the secondary col
Z sideratioa, while the airing of inc
70 vidual political sentiment has bee
ct made to outweigh all else, and thu
IL considered of primary moyenen
J. We may phope for. nothing 1bett
ne ,' until we retire these, men and SCI
'ss those of our fellow citizens to repr,
sent us who can rise above par