Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-09-15
ITS OLD Tricks AGAIN.

AT IFS OH TRICKS AGAIN.
The editorial in the Democrat of
last week headed "Some Facts" was
another weak attempt to misrepresent
the position of the CHRONICLE ON the
tariff question and to assume it's favor
lite attitude of posing before the pub
lie AS the champion OF the people. Our
position in regard to the tariff has been
plain and consistent from the first and
our original attitude was that after
wards taken by the Democrats of
North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and
Pennsylvania, and has every promise
OF becoming that OF the Democratic
party in the ensuing presidential con-
test Some weeks ago we corrected
the Democrat in its intimations that
the CHRONICLE was defender OF the
tariff laws now in force At the same
time we laid down our position on the
revenue system of the country, in
Guiding the tariff, in concise but ex-
plicit language, and asked that paper
to quote it and state its objections to
the same IL it had any. It was in our
issue of July l4th that this proposition
was made, and If the Democrat re-
sponded at all, il was in an editorial
of the following week, in which, while
speaking of the unification of the par
ty, it said: Nov all gather under the
ample wording of the Ohio platform,
We stand ON that platform The
Ohio platform is explicit and it seems
we all endorse it." We took this to
be a concurrence in our position, at
least so far as the tariff was concerned,
because we had said that we endorsed
the Ohio tariff plank fully and with
out reservation. After this the Demo
crat remained as mute as mouse on
this especial point until recently, when
it returned to its old trick and en-
deavored by shuffling and stumbling
to again misrepresent the CHRONICLE.
In replying to what we said of the
number of people who derive their
living from manufacturing, mining
and mechanical industries, and the
result that would follow from break
ing up or impeding those industries,
the Democrat says:
"But we do not believe the manu-
factories of the country would all be
stopped by reducing the tariff a rev.
10. al of
fleets to believe and this is the differ
ence between revenue reformers and
protectiOnists, the difference between
Democrats and Republicans"
The assertion herein made is totally
untrue, and everybody who has read
the CHRONICLE knows it to be untrue.
How could we affect TO believe" that
reducing the tariff to a revenue ba-
sis" would produce such disaster when
we have kept standing at the head CT
our columns for more than two
months this sentance, ave favor
tariff for revenue limited to the ne
ccssities of the government economic
ally administered ?" How could the
Democrat believe such was our posi-
ton when we have expressed to it
directly our endorsement of the Ohio
tariff plank and it has replied, Now
all gather under the ample wording
of the Ohio platform" We did say
that free trade would produce this re-
suit and we are prepared to argue
that point if any one disputes it. We
have declared again and again that
the present tariff laws are partial and
unjust and wholly wrong. We de-
clared for revenue reform before the
Democrat did and in fact that has
always been our watchwOrd.
The following is another choice ex-
tract from the editorial already men,
toned:
ave do not care to argue its (the
CHRoSICLEs) assertion that l2OOOOOO
are dependent upon the 100000 actu-
ally employed in the manufactures
for support neither its bold assertion
of some weeks back that 20,OOOOC0
were employed in manufactures be- |
sides the large number dependent on |
these 20000OO0 for their daily bread. |
The assertion was false and that is |
all there is in il. The present asser-
ton of 100000 may he equally so,
but it admits of speculation because
there is no way OF deciding the mat
ter, hence we let it pass"
This is illustrative of some of the
heightened journalism in which the
Democrat engages. We had stated
that the assertion in regard to twenty |
millions was mistake and should |
have been twelve millions. The DEM
o rat, of all papers in the world. can
least afford to speak of mistakes in a
newspaper as simply false and moth
ing more" 1t has made numerous
incorrect assertions which we (and we
suppose the public) have kindly at
tributed to ignorance and careless
ness, but we have no objection 10 the
Democrats Gscribing them to another
cause. Now we are prepared to say
that there are at least two things in
the above quoted paragraph that are
false and We will leave it to an impair
tial committee TO decide if they are
not. First, we never said that there
arc twelve millions dependent on three
millions, but twelve millions in all.
Second, we never said that there were
20OOOOO0 employed in manufactures
&c, but twenty milliOng dependant on
such industries for a living, As to
whether there are twelve million peO-
pile in the United States dependent
on manufacturing, mechanical and
mining industries for living, we will
submit that there were in 1880, only
I7,392,O9S people employed in all occu-
nations, and that nearly % per cent.
OF these were employed in manufac-
turing, mechanical and mining in
dustries. The total population OF this
country was 5O,1557S0 The people de-
pendent on, these industries for a
living, then, were in 1880 little less
than % per cent of the total popula-
1000 .I,o Of !