Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-08-19
OF the great seal Of the State. 1t was

now being executed, more than ST.
0O0, 900 having been funded. What
are we going to do about it? He
believed the people of Tennessee
would do right, unless misled by
false leaders and by passion. He
spoke to the intelligence and con-
science of his hearers. After ten
years of agitation and strife over
the question we had drawn upon
ourselves the suspicion and the con-
tumely of all. Tennessee was lag
ging behind her sister States in all
development and advancement be-
cause she had listened to the advice
of those who declared she was too
poor to pay the debt. For this she
had suffered severely, but she now
had an opportunity to redeem her.
self. Her creditors recognized her
equities and remitted more than
Sl1 ,000, 900 of her Indebtedness and
proposed on the payment of the
remainder to defend her at the bar
of public opinion against the as
persions of the world. The State
had accepted the tender but the
same bad advisers, joined with 9TH
ers, had commenced to cry char
mony" and proposed to drag
her back into the vortex and
again put in motion the strife and
disagreement for the sake of char
mony."
Certainly it was new era in pol
itics when men could spit upon
and "scratch" platform while
they voted for that candidate who
stood upon and was pledged to sup
port and carry out the platform.
There could be no unity and har-
mony, in such a course. Principles
were the adhesive force, the power,
that held parties together, and
when these principles were disre-
garded and the issues were made
upon men there could be no unity,
no harmony, in the party men OF
every vocation would become dis
satisfied with such course, and
many of these would leave such a
party. How can State Credit men
the. platform and vote for
its representative? What infiu-
ence has a Governor? No
more than the mayor of
city. Win you sacrifice the princi-
piles of your party to elect a govern
or, and in doing it annul law that
will have matured before the Leg
islature meets? When the plat
form of June Goth was adopted
thousands of true, staunch Demo-
Gratis were driven from it, and Gen.
Bates defeat was sealed as soon as
he got on it. He spoke of the ef-
forts of State-credit men to get this
question pretermitted and the scorn
with which the proposition was
met. There was nothing left for
them but to go out and hold up the
old flag of Democracy and stand up
for the principles that the party had
always advocated. We are not
boilers, we stand where we have
always stood, and those who were
not with us had gone off after the
boilers of two years ago. We
fight undeY the same banner that
we have borne for ten years, upon
it are inscribed the same notices
that have tloated over us in the past.
We are for public credit State and
National. We are fighting to up
hold Democracy and put it in
line with National Democracy
for the contest of 1884. The
OF Tennessee cannot
disregard the pleadings OF Pat
tersOn, the standard bearer of Penn
sylvania, Bayard, and other true
and tried leaders, who asked us to
stand up for the credit of the State,
for the sake of National Democra-
cy, if for no better reason. All that
had been accomplished by the par
ty would be lost if Tennessee per-
sisted in this downward course.
The belief that the South would re-
pudiate so tinctured Democracy that
it undoubtedly was the cause of
Gen. Hanc0ck's defeat two years
ago, Notwithstanding the platform
at Cincinnati gave forth no uncer-
tain sound on this question. Will
you give the color of truth to these
rumors which caused our defeat by
a fair and honorable
already made, and give
the sanction of your voice, your
vote and your influence to this mis-
srabia platform 1t was his delib-
crate Judgment that II tennessee
adopted this repIdiatian policy that
the Democratic party would be kept
from power twenty years,
Politicians were one thing and
the people another. He was poor
or otherwise he would
be in the United States Senate to-
day. Two years ago he appre-
his advocacy OF this ques-
ton would probably secure his
defeat. 1t had done SO, but he
preferred to know that he had
lone his duty and had the es-
5eS,m and respect of those who knew
aim 70 seat in the Senate. Many
Of the s2eople of the North were dis
ylith the Republican party.
1t had ngsF grown corrupt and they
wanted 1t .tpfped out, but the faint
Of repudiatier fnd other political
heresies in some Democratic States
prolonged its LIE. He believed if
this settlement is overthrOwn the
will not carry a single
Northern State in 1884. IN IA she
lrried majority of those States,
again in '76 she carried them. The