Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-06-03
The Tennessee Democracy.
Courier.Iournal.

Our Nashville letter yesterday in-
Dictated a split in the approaching
Democratic convention. A divided
party means the complete success
of the Republicans, the election of
Republican State officers, gain of
Republican congressman, and Re-
publican successor to Senator Har-
ris.
These disasters can be prevented,
and ought to be prevented, by the
union of all the factions of the DEM
ocratic party in support of the new
compromise bill to settle the debt
at sixty cents.
We take it that there is only Il
small body of Tennesseans who
openly and avowedly favor the re-
pudiation of the entire debt. A
large majority insist that they desire
to compromise and be done with it.
1t is then only difference as to the
amount, some wishing to pay 100
cents on the dollar and others only
% cents. To compromise the debt
at all it is necessary to obtain the
consent of the creditors; a compro-
mise which the creditors refuse
"OuAd OO III tlO lnC
people adopt it unanimously.
The proposition to settle at 60-3-4-
So comes from those representing
the bondholders, and will give sat
isfaction in that quarter; nothing
less will do this. The bondholderS
have plainly refused to accept 50-4 +,
and those who contend for such fig
ures are either doing it as blinii,
or are entirely ignorant of the his
tory of the question.
1t is absolutely necessary, there
fore, to bring the people up TO the
point of paying 60 cents, with inter
est at 3, 4, and 6 per cent. Moth
ing less will accomplish Il settle
ment.
The bill passed at the recent ses.
sion of the Legislature is quite GER
tain to receive the popular indorse-
ment at the polls, whatever course
the Democratic party may pursue.
1t would be the height OF folly,
therefore, to divide the party into
factions, one contending for fifty
cents, the other for sixty. The bill
is now law; it will stand, and it
ought to stand, and the. Democratic
party, in order to maintain its unity
and regain it's ascendency, must
give it hearty support. 1t is shut
up to this course.
Some opponents of the measure
contend that one bill passed by the
Legislature in 1880 having been
declared unconstitutional, the mat
ter ought to have been referred to
the people, or to Democratic con-
vention, and that the Legislature
should have refu sed further action.
Such an objection springs from an
entire misconception of the charac-
ter of our Government. The LegiS-
lature, and not a party convention,
represents the people. 1t is an
abrogatiOn Of its rights and privi-
leges and duties for the legislative
body to submit the laws it passes to
popular judgement expressed at the
polls. AT the Democratic conven-
ton in Nashville in 1880 the Low
tax men insisted that any bill set
Ting the debt must be voted on by
the people before it became a law.
This proposition was rejected by a
large majority and the power of the
Legislature Vindicated. Such must
be the course of every truly Demo-
cratic convention. Ours is repre-
sentative government and not a
cOmmunlstic society. The demand
that the recent Legislature do moth
ing sprang from the same misappre-
hension. 1t was body expressly
selected to settle the debt; it has
settled il on terms which should
meet with the sincere support of the
united democratic party. Men
who insist on rejecting this settle
ment should make up their minds
to repudiate all the debt.
We trust higher wisdom will
prevail within the party councils
than has distinguished them during
the past few years; that the real
leaders-tke man who by their POI
sition and character should control
the OrganiZation-will rescue it
from those who invite disaster, and,
on a platform which appeals to the
intelligence of the people, will place
a man who commands popular con-
fidence.