Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-09-23
"A SHoRT LESSON IN PRACTICAL DEM0c-
RACY.
Rampant Readjuster, to quiet cit

Rampant Readjuster, to quiet cit
izen:
"Say, they tell me you're Fus-.
sellite, how's that ?"
"All a mistake. my friend, am
not Fussellite."
"Glad to hear it; then you're
Bate man"
"No, sir, Pm not Bate man."
What, you're not going to vote
for Hawkins, after being in the
Rebel army four years, certainly?"
mo. sir, I'm not going to vote
for Hawkins"
"Well, then, you must be for
Beasley ?''
ono, sir, Pm not for Beasley."
"What in the mischief are you,
then ?''
81 am Democrat"
"Oh, yes, see what you mean,
you are going to vote for RUSSELL af-
ter all 2"
Correct; / am happy to know
that, with all your prejudices, you
still recognize which is the true
Democratic party. l am not Fus-
sellite, Bateite, Hawkinsite, or
Beasleyite, pin my political
faith to no mans coat-tall; / pro-
pose to vote my sentiments, what
believe to be right, just and proper,
and what / know to be Democratic
and for the welfare of my State;
and as Mr.. RUSSELL happens to be
the man chosen to represent the
platform of July 18th, which re-
fleets my sentiments exactly, | shall
most assuredly vote for him, and
shall do so with great pleasure,
knowing that he is an honest ear
nest, heightened Christian gentle
man, who feels the justice of his
cause and is in full accord with his
party and the true Democracy else
where"
"But RUSSELL stands no chance of
being elected"
"rhat Is the cry you Readjusters
have raised. but that does not
make it so by a long shot, and even
if it were true, that does not alter
the principle one particle; If ] were
satisfied that Mr.. RUSSELL would get
no other vote i'm the State, should
still vote for him all the same"
"Why not vote for Bate, the gal
liant soldier and great statesman, to
beat the damradikils?p
"Simply because Bate is running
on platform which l consider
fraud; it is unjust, impracticable
and utterly subversive of every
Democratic principle, which if it
could be carried out, repeats many
of the best laws on our statute
books, he says he endorses it from
center to circumference, and /
would not vote Tor any man that
ever breathed who pledges himself
to that platform"
"Well you might as we'll vote for
Hawkins at once, for that's what
it amounts to-"
"Hold up right there, my friend,
it comes with very bad grace from
you who were never in the army,
to charge an old Confederate sol
dier who split his blood for his
cause, with being a Radical simply
because he votes for Russell, who
was as gallant a soldier as your gal
liant Bate or gallant anybody else,
especially when he is running ON a
square, clear-cut Democratic plat
form, about which there is no mis-
take, against a mongrel combine
ton of regulators, half-breeds, self
Stulad State Trndit ,>Ae-A who oa$
that their only excuse for deserving
Democratic principles is to keep
the party together, as they say, and
get the offices. This crowd is led
by Savage, Wilson, Snodgrass, Yam
cey and Others of that ilk, and you
fellows have the impotence to
whine out to us that we are 'help-
ing to elect Hawkins when you
very we'll know that there's not a
bOlter or repudiatOr of 1880 who is
not yelling Rah for Bate except
few of the most honest and sensi-
BILE ones who are for Beasley, while
not one is for Russell. Who elected
Hawkins? Why, your brightest
and most shining lights, and now
you accuse me, who fought the Re-
publican party with bullets during
the war, and who never cast any
other than straight Democratic
vote In my life, with being Radi-
cal because refuse to go back on
my honest convictions and the prin-
ciples and pledges of the Democrat
ic party and vote for Bate, who is
the candidate of the whiskey ring
and those willing to stultify them=
selves (Utde Harris speeches) and |
their party merely for the sake of
office. IF your man Bate Is such a
great statesman, why don't he come
out and discuss his platform with
his opponents? Why is he lodging
the fight, fiocking off in a gang by
himself? Is he afraid he will meet
the ghost of Foote, or that Petit
bones castigations will be repeat
ed3r
"But the majority OF the people
are against the settlement and
won't vote your ticket on that &C.
count" ..e3
"Are you against the settlement?
DON'T you think it is best for all
parties to let il stand ?" H..
."Qh! as for me, Pm perfectly
for it to stand, and there's
no denying that the best thing for
our State and party is to get rid Of
the internal question"
"Just go my friend, and that is
just what nineteen out of twenty
say when asked; Isham