Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-05-21
mAHoNssm IN TENNESSEE.
The Dilemma OF AntI-Repudiation
Republicans.
at Washfnufnn Post. i4

Washington Post. ltii8s
The repetition of the Virginia pol
icy in Tennessee is out of the ques
ton. 1t is out of the question il
any of the southern states. Public
sentiment Is against it, ls a means
not justified by the end. 1t is only
potent to disorganiZe.
The Memphis Avalanche, Il news
paper Of the soft-shclI persuasion
suggests unwittingly a point in il.
lustrati0n, by inquiring what is tC
become of those republicans, Oh
what they have gained, who went
in With straight democrats to pass
the refunding act and take the state
| debt out of politics.
The tendency Of things, ii says, is
the same there as in Virginia-tO
unite the opposition under the pat
ronage of the federal administration
with "readjusterism" as the nucleus
of the new party.
The republicans, therefore, who
take no stock in any form of repudi.
alton, are left in something of a dill
emma. They must either act inde-
pendently of the administration and
take the chances of being ruled out
of its patronage, or coalesce with the
democrats, of whom they havenoth-
ing to expect, or accept the still
more doubtful chances o" Malone
ism, - with all the ignominy that
the term implies.
Tennessee is undoubtedly one of
the states which the republicans
counted on to compensate for the
possible loss of several close north
ern states, but the outlook for any
such calculation is far less favorable
now than it was last fall, when the
divisions of the democratic party
enabled them to elect Hawkins gov
ernor.
The course of republican senators
during the present executive session
SO called, instead of threatening rout
and dispersion to the "bourbons"
has rather had the effect of driving
the honest men of both parties into
relations of closer sympathy, if not
of alliance, while in the north it has
succeeded in producing general re-
publican discomfort, to the serious
detriment of the party and the ad-
ministration both. 6f,lf..,t...
In Tennessee, even in the ring of
political and financial 'shorts" that
was formed for the purpose Of get
ting the state into chancery, after
the passage of the refunding act,
has gone hopelessly to grass. In
Virginia, the democracy were never
in better condition-the republicans
never in worse.
The south-thanks most of all to
the blunders and bargains of the re-
publican senate-iS solid still.
The means that might have been
used with some effect TO break the
democratic line have been thrown
away with a recklessness amounting
almost to faulty. 1t has been as
sailed with the shot and shell of
rhetoric to no purpose 1t has been
taunted with high crimes against
the liberties of the people. 1t has
been chafed and exasperated with
calumny and malediction. 1t has
had the "bloody shirt" repeatedly
fiaunted in its face, with all the i'm
of sectional hatred.
The only feast which the south |
ern democracy have been asked is |
a feast of dishoner. They have been
Offered way ofaccess to republican |
fellowship, but it is path of shame. |
They have been invited to embark |
upon sea of political regeneration,
bat it is under piratieal flag, and
upon the plank of reputation. The
only terms that in all the plentItude
of republican wisdom, have been
suggested as a basis of reorganiza-
tion are terms that none but corrupt |
and intriguing adventures can ac-
cept. m a
1t is no wonder the tsolid south"
to, be solid.