Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-09-06
Beast Buffers Speech.

| fuller of alarming sounds to the friends
'of republican government than that
which is found in the speeches of the rep
resentative Radicals of the day We
present to our readers too day portions of
Buffers speech at Gloucester, wherein
areivividly disclosed the workings Of the
Radical mind, and the yearnings of the
Radical heart.
A great many honest and patriotic men
who would have died for the Constitution
of our fathers and to perpetuate the
Union established by it, were opposed to
war as a means to that end, and have
incurred the suspicion, and, in many
cases, the penalties of disloyalty, because
they feared that war, in any possible
event, would superinduce a stale of af-
fairs which our Constitution aud form
of government could not survive. They
believed that deeper purpose than that
of forcing the Southern States to main
tain their old relations TO the Union,
animated the chief agitators of that war,
and they opposed it, aud many of them
Joined the Southern armies, because they
believed that it would be so managed,
and the victory so used, as to gain the
ends of men who are dissatisfied with
republican ideas of government
Z The fears of this class of men will be
realized if the Radical programme shall
be carried out 1t will be seen by refer
ence to Butler speech that the keystone
and foundation of local representative
selfgovernment are to be discarded from
our system or frittered away to nothing
A dominant sectional party in Con
gress is to be empowered to perpetuate
its power by excluding all representa-
tives of the people, whenever said repre-
sentatives are themselves disloyal," or
being loyal are sent up by dis
loyal" constituency And of the 10y
ally Of constituents and representatives.
the said dominant majority is to be sole
judge, guided only by its fierce and in
tolerant passions
What test of loyalty will be adopted,
is boldly proclaimed The Northern
Democracy is dsloyal and everybody is
disloyal who refuses to applaud Ben.
Butler and indorse the views of his party
respecting the superiority OF the South
erh white population,
1t is boldly proclaimed that govern
ments exist not for the benefit of the |
governed, but of the governors. 1t is
claimed that the people of the Southern
States who cannot indorse the opinions
of the Radical party, are not fit 10 gDt-
ern themselves; but that on the contra
ry, it is competent for any len men of |
the Radical persuasion to rule in any /
State as they please backed as u vicere-
gal oligarchy, by the whole power of the
Federal Government, over the interests
of voiceless and enslayed millions.
And how long is this degrading tyranny
to be continued ? Unul the Southern
people are willing to sue for suffrage on
terms of perfect equality with the negro
aye, and until their hearts are so
that they can pretend to APP
plaud when Butler boasts, as he did in
This speech, of the Internal cruelty which
enabled him, at the head of an army, to
bring the defenseless and heart-broken
women OF the South ON their knees be-
fore him as sutors for his mercy.
These are the positions Of the Radical
party Strip them of their yerbiage you
need not; for, though they are worded
so as to palliate some Of the most often
live features, there is no attempt to dis
ruise them. The issue is fairly made up
We are TO have government on Neros 5
platform, with only slight variations as
% forms and modes of administration, or
We are to rally to the support of the
President and put down forever this
Radical party The question is before
he people of the North, as one in which
hey will only decide the fate of the
~ :. -. s-ha. ~ az Aao,Ia Il a. sbav |
soon must, they will decide their own
ate also Ii the people of this great
country, in any portion Of it, are willing
o be used as tools and bribed by the
prospect of sectional advantages TO de-
troy the liberty of either section, their
,wn downfall is near at hand, or there is
10 truth in the teachings of common
ense and history. Louisville Courier