Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-05-10
THE CROP OF CANDIDATES.


THE CROP OF CANDIDATES.
While the fields and meadows are
growing verdant with the promise
of bOunteOus crops in autumn, the
political field also shows rich
promise of productiveness as to its
peculiar crop for the summer and
fall-its crop of Presidential candi-
dates. Alas! that so many seed
lings of this sort at present luxuri-
ant and vigorous should De destined
to whitening blight within a little
month or two. The signs of this
political spring time are becoming
more conspicuous every day; can
didates who have long been declar-
ing that they are no candidates and
that they will under no circumstan-
ces consent, &C., are slowly relent-
ing, following the example of the
lady fair but fraiI, who
Swearing she would meier cousent-con-
Conspicuous political leaders are
suddenly, of course to their own as
tonishment, finding themselves the
subjects of biographical literature of
the eulOgistic school, while the
omissions in works of this class are
supplied by biOgraphers of quite an
other school. Bob Lincoln suddenly
remembers that he is the son Of
Abraham the first, and that heredi-
tary succession is not without pre-
cedent in the persons of the Adams
family.
In the Democratic acreage the
crops are equally abundant and
each has its special cultivatOrs who
think that the only possible chance
of successful harvest depends upon
the exclusive culture of its favorIte
crop. Indeed, so striking is this
feature that many democratic hus-
bandmen treat all but their favor
ties as weeds 10 be ruthlessly exter-
minated-a poor prospect for the
general harvest.
To drop the metaphor and be in
earnest, this devotion to individual
leaders so far transceDding that rem
dered to the interests of the party is
showing itself as a very ugly feat
ure in the councils of Democracy.
The supporters OF the several politi-
clans are buster in blocking off COM
peting candidates than i'm advOca-
ting the claims of their own favor
ties, so that greater hostility is
shown to rival democrats than to
avowed hostile republicans.
Fas est ct alb hoste doceri.
Let us learn little from the ex-
perience OF our enemies. At the
National Convention of the Repub.
lican party which preceded the last
presidential election, one hundred
delegates went to Chicago with no
purpose of Joining in the delibera-
lions, or taking counsel with their
brother republicans, but with the
avowed purpose of nominating
Gen. Grant or doing nothing, the
competing claims OF other candi-
dates were nothing in their eyes
the general interest of the party or
the nation were beside the question
with them, they went there to vote
for Grant, and vote for Grant they
did from beginning to end, taking
no interest in anything else that
came before the convention.
Now what was the result? First
of all, Grant was not nominated and
it soon became manifest that ma
jority of delegates went to that con-
vention with resolve that he never
should be. But contemplate the
effect of all this upon the political
standing of those who were concern
ed in it. Where now is Grant HIM
self? 1t is pitiable to notice the
universal neglect with which his
name Is treated in his party's coun-
sells. Compare the boom which
doomed for him four years ago with
his present status; at that time a
gathering murmur had gone up for
him from London TO Japan and
from Japan to California, crowned
heads and Hind0o Zemindars and
japanese mikadors had all been So
Iicited to boom for him and they
doomed. From California to Louis
Vile and from Louisville to New
York and Boston the boom grew
louder and louder, aud it seemed as
II he was to march into the conven-
ton as a triumphant conqueror
rather than as candidate soliciting
suffrage.
Now mark the contrast. No
word is said by any one of Grant,
whether they be friend or foe; in
his own party his nomination
be looked upon as calamity
Iatal to all their hopes, in OURS It y
not deemed worth while to assail |
hin, he Is dead lion and it would
be the part Of an ignoble brute 10
kick him.
But the leaders of the boom In the
convention, where are theys The