Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-06-03
THE DEBT QUESTION.

briefly TO the action OF the Demo-
cratic party, since 1870, in regard
to the State debt. That action can
not be contemplated without regret.
We cannot avoid the conclusion
that we have failed to do our whole
duty. In order TO prevent divis-
ions among ourselves, we have
tritied with the good name of the
State, and suffered its "faith and
credit" to become by-word and
reproach. 1t is not too late to re-
cover what we have lost; but we
cannot do so by Sinking the per-
Torrance of the duty that now
presses upon us. The way is plain,
no one can go ignorantly astray;
the direct and horiest course
is the right one. Do we owe the
money? Let every man answer
the question to himself. If we do
owe it, should we not say so, and
meet our creditors in the same
spirit of fairness and frank dealing
they have shown in making the
offer so recently adopted by tine Leg
islature. Let us acquiesce in the
settlement made by the regular and
legally constituted authorities OF
the State. If we shall do this, then
and not until then will we have
peace within our political organiza-
tion-then and not until then can
Democrats say they have done
their whole duty.
But suppose instead of this we
shall undertake, by partizan action,
to readjust the settlement? What
excuse can we offer? One will say,
we thereby will harmonic the
party and save it from defeat. Is
this excuse sufficient? Will it bear
examination? Who will be the
parties TO this readjustment, the
debtors and the debtors only.
Does any man believe our
creditors will agree to what
the harmOnized Democracy will
propose? Does not every man
know they will not? If they shall
refuse to accept the offer to unsettle
what has already been settled, will
we not be left, after eight years OF
wrangling and discord, just where
we begun, and will not the people,
tired of the protracted struggle, end
it by embracing Reputation?
To us this course seems a dishOn-
est one. 1t is simplya proposition
to secure unity and harmony in the
party by taking from our creditors
money that we owe them. 1t is
refusal 10 pay a valid debt, because
its payment will hurt our party.
Can the party stand this? Can il
publicly and in the face of civiliza-
ton, morality and Christianity
proclaim that it will do a deliberate
act of injustice-aye, more than
that, a dishonest actin order to
few sore headed men who have been
neglected by the people in the distri
button of offices. We are convinced
the whole scheme will prove mis-
cradle failure. Men cannot at this
day outrage decency; they cannot
defy the commonly accepted rules
of honest life, and publish their
shame to the world without paying
the penalty that moral and social
laws intiict for disobedience. The
party will lose two men and two
voters where il gains one. 1t will
force from its membership fop Il
time, thousands of intelligent, good
men whom it cannot afford to lose,
and will gather to itself Il few hun
dreds-thousands if you will have
it so-who were never at home in
our family, and will be ready at
the earliest opportunity to go out
from us forever. We have just
such an example in Virginia.
What has become of the readjusters
there? With whom do they affili-
ate, and what is to be their future
political action? Every body
knows the story; it will be repeat
ell sooner or later in Tennessee.
For we lay down as Il political
truth, that a true Democrat cannot
be a repudiator. a true Democrat
must everywhere and under all cir
cumstances recognize, nay more,
be ever ready 10 defend every man
in his property rights of every kind,
in his lands, his goods, his money,
his bonds. Without this protection
government is farce; without it
no man will make the efforts neces-
sary to the growth and advance
ment of society.
With the growth of Democratic !
opinions all over the civilized
world, there is corresponding i'm
provement of public credit. Eng |
land and the United States fore
most in credit are foremost in adj
vanced Democratic ideas. The
French Republic found no difficulty |
in borrowing the milliard of dollars !
eXacted by the Emperor mt the close
of the German war. The secret of |
this, the most successful financial |
stroke in the history of mankind is |
to he found in the fact, that the |
French Democracy implicitly be-
lieved in the good faith of its Dem
ocratir government. We might |
illustrate what we mean by other |
examples, but these are sufficient.
Tennessee Democrats now have |
IN opportunity to place themselves
abreast with the Democracy of |
other. countries; they have it in their
power to place their State side by |
side with other intelligent and pro-
grCssive States, and they may if
they choose to disregard the Obliga-
tons resting upon them, remand
the State 10 the condition of the
bastard Spanish American repub-
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