Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-04-26
TILDEN'S LETTER.

New YORK, April IL, 1854 Gen
tLenlen: l have had the honor to
receive your invitation to the third
annual banquet of the Iroquois
Club to. respond to the sentiment,
1.-THE Federal Constitution" / have
also received private letters asking
written response to the sentiment
in case am prevented from attend
ing. l have been for some time,
and am still, exceptionally engrOss-
ed with business which / have no
power to defer or abandon, and /
must therefore communicate with
you in writing, and my answer
must be brief. On the formation of
the Federal Constitution, Governor
Morris, who had been a conspicu-
Gus member of the convention,
being asked what he thought of the
Constitution, replied "That de-
ponds upon how it is construed"
The Democratic party originated
in resistance by the more advanced
patriots of the revolution to the eff
forts which were made to change
the character of our Government
by a false construction of the Con-
stitution, imposing on the new sys-
tenn a mOnarchial basis. Mr.. JEFF
ferson's election in 1900 rescued our
free institutions from the perils
which surrounded them and secur-
ed sixty years administration
mainly in harmony with their de-
sign and true character. When the
attempt was made to break up the
Union and dismember the territori-
al integrity of the country, the peo-
pie were compelled to make man.
Iy choice between these calamities
and dangerous influences of civil
war upon the character of the
Government. They periodically
and wisely resolved to save the
Union first, and to repair the dam
age which our political system
might sustain when the more i'm
mInent dangers had been provided
against. The first work was sue
cessfully accomplished. Twenty
years have since elapsed, and the
work of restoring the Government
to its original character is not yet
accomplished.
Our wise ancestors had warned
us that if we fell into civil discOrds
in the struggle by an insensible
change of its character. Not only
have the best traditions of the pa
triOts who won independence and
established freedom lost their au-
thority, but our cherished political
system is slowly losing its hold
upon life under the fungus growth
of false constructions and corrupt
practices. The Government itself
has become a menacing factor in
elections AS long ago as 1876 L
expressed the opinion that the OPP
position must embrace at the be-
ginning of the canvass two-thirds
of the voters to maintain MAORI
ty at an election. In this history
repeats itself. In most countries
the Government maintains itself by
force or fraud. Even in the COM
paratively popular system of Eng
land the monarch has, until lately,
controlled the majority of Parlia-
ment, and frequently decided cleo
tiOns by court favors, jobs and
money taken from the public treas
ury. This is a hard saying, but the
recent publication of the papers of
her deceased statesmen leave no
doub upon the subject,
In our own country the Govern
ment, instead of standing as an
impartial arbiter amid the conflicts
of maturing opinion and contend
ing interests, has itself descended
into the arena equipped. with all
the weapons of partisanship. Its
myriads of Office holders, its ALI
ance with or against vast pecuniary
interests, its unlimited command of
money levied from it's dependents
and contractors, have sufficed to
determine the majority in every
case but one. In that case it collec-
ted military forces around the cap
ital, and by this and other meanes
intimidated the Congressional rep
resentatives of the majority of the |
people to relinquish the fruits of
their victory and to surrender the |
Government to the control of the |
minority.
No reform of administration is
possible so long as the Government |
Is directed by a party which is I'M
der the dominion of false doctrines |
and animated by enormous pecuni- |
airy interests in the perpetuation of |
the existing abuses. The first ef- |
fectual step in the reform of our
Government must be fundamen- |
tai change in the policy of its adj
ministration. The work of reform |
will be difficult enough with the
whole power of the Government |
exerted in accomplishing it. 1
have such faith in the Denignant
which has presided
over the destiny of our country in
every great trial hitherto, that /
do not despair of our ultimate de-
lIverance. Though can no longer
aspire to be one of the leaders in
this great work, 1 bid those upon
whom this august mission may fall
God speed. S. J. TILDEN,
To S. Corning Judd, Chairman of
the Political Committees of the Iro-
quois Club.