Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-08-12

hip and we will win in our STATE
and put National Democracy In tn
line of succession in 1884" We hav,
an obligation to National Democ
racy, which is pledged to sustain
public faith. Are we going to han
dicap it? Ifso, it is useless for i
to enter the next presidential race
The northern Republicans hat
claimed that the Democrats of th'
south would shape the policy of th'
National Democracy, that the ten
dency of the South was towards re
pudiation, and that this sentimen
would pervade and control Nationa
Democracy, and this fact had time
and again brought defeat upon the
party. He then referred to the co
allition of the Republicans will
Malone in Virginia, and that they
had thereby done exactly what they
charged on the Democrats of the
South, and caused the conservative
sentiment of the North to look up
ON Republicans with distrust, anC
they were disposed to favor De
mocracy. Would the Democrats o
Tennessee commit the same errol
that had been committed by theil
adversaries in Virginia and thu:
throw away all hope of securing th'
cooperation of this large and re
spectacle element in the North
He referred to the speeches o
Stanley Mathews and Roscoe COnk'
ling in 1880, that the tendency o.
the South was toward Reputation
The cry was taken up in New York
and that State was lost to Democra-
cy and our Presidential candidate
defeated. If, as my colleague says,
it is just to scale a States indebted
ness without the consent of the
creditors, why will not the same
apply to the National debt
Such a course would keep us out OF
power for so years.
He said that the cry of striplings
that we were trying to aid the Re,
publican party was the merest bosh.
There had never been a more cor
rupt party than that, and he eX-
coriated it for its corruption and
venality. He said it would be a
woeful day when any great political
party perverted its principles and
usages for the spoils of Office-that
there was something higher than
party-that this Unsuitable desire
Tor office had been the curse of mod
ern politics. He never intended to
give up his country for his party.
He did not love office so well that
he was willing to do as politician
what he would scorn to do as a
man.
The first utterance5 of the party
after the war were that it would
not signalize its return to power by
reputation. Governor Brown said
in 1871 that no distinction could be
made in the debt, and the party
have so stated in every platform
since, and now self-respect, if no
higher motives requires that we adj
here to those declarations. The plat
form of July Il is full of interest, full
OF veal to the country. Shall we
make this settlement tinality and
thus bring peace and prosperity to
the State and power to the party,
or shall we reopen it for further
disSeRtions and divisions and bring
poverty and reputation on the
State? The law providing for a
settlement will have spent its force
before the next Legislature will
meet. Under is operation the debt
will be funded. 1t is the law Of the
land, based upon principles sane
toned by the wisdom of sages and
the blood of heroes, and all the peO-
pie of the State cannot lawfully
annul it. 1t is protected by the
peoples bill of rights, which declares
that no man shall be depriv ed
of his property rights. The
June convention pledged itself to
do what cannot legally be done.
The law of the United States and of
the State declares against the inval-
idation of a contract. That conven-
tion sends out a candidate who de
clares to do an illegal act, and the
who attempts to nullify
that settlement will violate his
oath. The 20th June convention
proceeds upon the assumption that
the Democratic party alone is the
guardian of this question. This is
a false assumption and snare.
Who owes the debt? The demo-
cratic party? No! the people of
Tennessee owe it. Mr.. Webster
was asked years ago by the Bar
ring Brothers, bankers of London,
if the States had power to issue these
bonds and what security was given
them. He replied that it had the
right to issue them,- and that the
security offered was the plighted
faith of the State as a political COM
and its good faith and
ability to carry out this contract
were the only security given for the
of its obligations. The
people may change every day, but
this political community owes the
debt, and it is a fundamental error
TO claim that the Democratic
party alone owes it. Mr..
Webster had said that there could
be bat one penalty following & fail
are to pay, and would invoke the
spirit and meaning of this penalty.
disgrace, for when a party or Il peo-
pie reach this point, all is gone that
3 worth living for. But there is
penalty-it is loss of credit,
lamage to business and the draw
pack to every commercial interest
Of the State. Credit is the poor
mans capital. Only five per cent.