Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-12-01

tFrom Our Regular Correspondent

certain extent Oracular and author
alive, for the takers are political
priests and leaders very few lay
men are among them. The SUBJ
jects of conversation are the late
elections the coming Presidential
election ; the Speakership /; the or
ganization of the next House, and
political issues yet i'm a somewhat
amorphous shape. The Republi-
cans, however, have evolved one
political issue out of the chaos of
the late elections. 1t is their old
familiar friend-the bloody shirt.
After much longing and strainlng
some wild eyed fanatics have sue
ceeded in making believe the phan-
tom garment has been seen in Vir-
GINA and millions of hackneyed
lies and other musty campaign lit
erature have been reproduced. The
country showed itself tired of this
stuff 8 years ago when Tilden was
elected after the bloodiest of bloody
shirt campaigns, when, according
to the lurId literature of the Repub-
lican press, tue rivers of the South
were literally crimsOned with the
gore of slaughtered negroes. When
the Republican party is seen re-
turning to this vomit, who can
doubt that it is hungry for an issue?
There is this difference, however,
between the bloody shirt phantom
now and then. Now it is said to
wave in Virginia under the shadow
of the Capitol of the United States,
and not as then in the swamps OF
Louisiana, and the everglades of
Florida. Now it has appeared, ac-
cording the Republican fiction, af-
ter years of enfranchisemet and ed
ucation of the colored voter. 1t is
the miserable whine of the party
who has been fairly beaten at the
polls, beaten in spite of their brib-
cry, and In spite of the fact that
they had every vantage of Office
and control of the places of election,
and were known to be favored and
encouraged by the President of the
United States.
1t is true there was street fight
at Danville between the blacks and
whites, provoked by the former.
The blacks were worsted, and ran
AS they always have done, and al
ways will do, and as every race has
done and will do when faced by
Caucasion blood. But have
learned by inquiry from a large
number of Virginians representing
different parts of the State that
there was no intimidation, and that
the election was as fair as the beau
tiful day upon which it was held.
Nevertheless Malone will move a
Senate investigation into the man.
ner of the election, and a Senate
committee of three Republicans
and two Democrats will go through
the old routine of alledged inVesti-
cation, and furnish a majority and
minority report.
There is no doubt that President
Arthur is having the best of Repub
lican Presidential booming just
now. Who could have believed,
four years ago, that Blaine and
Grant and Sherman would be over
Swallowed by the obscure collector
of customs whom Sherman remOv-
ed as unfit for the trust. "Verily
the stone which the builders re-
jected hath become the head of the
corner" Arthur is working for
himselfin very noiseless, but very
effective way, but alas /! where is
Dorsey the soap man? One blast
from his silvery horn would be
worth ten thousand men. One
thing is certain, or rather two
things, fraudulent election like
that of Hayes, and bought cleo
ton like that of Garfield cannot be
repeated. But the fact that the
election must be fair and unintiuI-
enced by money wrung from Gov
eminent employees may not inure to
the injury of the Republican cause.
corruption wins not more than
honesty" 1t is true their honesty
will be enforced by the civil service
law. The veriest thief is clean
handed under the eye OF big po-
liceman, and the great mass of the
Republican party is so blinded with
fanaticism- that it cannot distin-
guish between the honesty which is
enforced and that which is sponta-
neOu5.
All the candidates for the Speak
ership are here and are working, as
beseems politicians, every man for
himself. l shall not predict who
will be elected. l prefer to have a
sure thing of it when l prophesy.
The city is ready for the influx,
the Onlniltna gdtheruna of politicians,
adventures, cranks, and reIgning
bellies. The hotels and boarding
houses expect to be filled to the
attic. The cost of living to the So
journer will depend upon his taste.
If he prefers to taste canvass back
duck, terrapin stew, and Johannes
berger, his living will cost him from
SIS to $25 per day. But if he is not
gOurmand, and bent on having
the govt he can live very well on
from one to three dollars a day. If
he is a tramp he can have lodging
with bed-bugs gratis at fifteen cents
per night. 1t all depends upon
whether his purse is obese or slen-
der.
No intelligent reader can fail to
be interested in the contents of the
North American Review for De-