Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-09-16

vote for me, Isham q. Harris, and
get rid of the tariff and the $27 900, :
600 year you pay on it, and never
mind such trihes as your obligations
to your creditors.
Great practical questions, alas,
cannot be disposed of quite so easily
as that. The Senator's argument
would not go step towards setting
aside the indisputable fact that the
debt is legally and morally due, and
we are bound to pay it whether it
costs one million year or twenty
seven indeed more natural APP
plication Of the facts and, TO say the
least, a more honest one, would be,
if the State debt is indeed such a
mere fiea-bite in comparison with
the burdens of the tariff, pay it all
at full interest and then go to work
and repeal the tariff.
But the whole Of the Senator's
argument proceeds on the ground
less assumption that the Democratic
party is free trade party aud that
we have nothing To do but to elect
Democratic Senators and Congress
men in order to get the existing
tariff repealed: would that it were
50. We elected Senator Harris on
the assumption that it was so, and
with him we elected House aud
Atkins and Democratic Congress-
men enough 60 make majority In
the House of Representatives; with
what result? Was il touched 2 No;
the Democrats i'm Congress treated
the tariff question exactly rs Sena-
tor Harris desires to trea. the debt
question in our State Legislature;
they found that 1t would 02iUide the
party il brought up for discussion
and action, 50 they took measures
/ to prevent its being even heard of
in Congress. They first elected an
Interpretations Speaker and he
appointed a protectionist committee
of ways and means with an ultra
! protectionist chairman to il, and
| that committee took care that no
measures so much as touching on
the tariff should come before Con-
gress even for discussion. So that
no Democrat could be reported in
Pennsylvania as having voted for a
repeal of the tariff or any from
Tennessee as voting against tt
everybody's record was safe: !"you
mustn't divide the party'hwas the
cry which shelved the tariff ques-
tion in Democratic Congress, and
the same cry is used to shelve the
debt question in Tennessee.
The truth is that the Democratic
party as at present constituted is
not, and cannot be made a free
trade party. Those members OF it
who were in public life before the
war were as many of them Wings
rs Democrats, nearly all of those
residing here were Wings and by
party profession prOtectiOnists; in
Georgia the protective policy is
urged and supported at this time
by Democrats; in Illinois an elO-
quent Democratic Senator is de-
clared protectionist; in Pennsylva-
MIA no Democrat dare lift a finger
against protection.
If therefore the political elements
that are favorable to a repeal or re-
ductiOn of the tariff are to act in
combination for that purpose, it
will have to be under some other
organization than that of the pres
ent Democracy.
What then becomes OF Senator
Harris argument that we are to
shelve the debt question and con-
sent to reputation for fear of fail
ing to repeal the tariff, when it is
evident that il we could get a DEM
'ocratic majority in both houses aud
"A Democratic President besides,
that would give no assurance OF its
repeal? Our Senator will have to
find some other Scare-crow before
he can drive men by such consider
ations into a position that would
violate every principle they have
maintained throughout their lives.
Alas, ii is letting it alone that
has brought us to the condition
which we now so helplessly deplore.
While those OF our public men who
favored an honest meeting of our
contracts were silent, with very
rare exceptions, while those who
did speak did so at distant intervals,
the demagogues who advocated de-
linquency and Reputation were ag-
gressive, incisive, and incessant in
their harangues; forever the pub
lie creditor was treated as public
enemy, the politician who advoca-
ted payment as paid agent of the
bondholder: the press was denOun-
ced as subsidized except the dirty
sheets which pandered to the DEM
agogues and slandered all others
and no answer! even the State cred
il organs were held back by the
politicians so far rs they could be
held, and what wonder, when mis-
representation, and detractiOn, and
falsehood were forever unanswered |
that they should have been held
unanswerable. We are now reap !
ing the bitter fruits of IaiSsez .tdire |
inaction was enjoined for fear OF
dividing the Democracy and now |
irreparahle disruption has been the
fate of the party; reputation was
a small and disreputable minority
in the party and now it requires no
little moral courage for a Democrat
to say a word for honest payment;
the State credit element six years !
ago constituted the great body |
of the Democracy, and now the few
who still hold up Its banner are
fighting almost hOpelessly though
manfIIIlV apainst a handed horde |