Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-09-20
The Triumph of Radicalism.

The Triumph of Radicalism.
The more conservative papers OF the
North are making many efforts to explain
the terrible defeat of the Administration
candidates in Maine These explanations
may be very satisfactory to themselves, but
generally they are not calculated to warrant
much hope with the Southern people as to
the ultimate success of the Presidents gen.
erous and conciliatory policy of restoration,
or are they of character to strengthen the
confidence and good feeling we had hoped
was successfully inaugurated at Philadel-
phia last month. It is alleged that this re-
markable election turned more upon the
exciting political events of the day than
upon the exact political issues presented
between the Southern restoration policy of
President Johnson and the reconstruction
policy of Congress. The deplorable TRACE
dy recently enacted at New New Orleans is
held out as the most prominent of the ex-
citing causes which have resulted in the I'M
precedented defeat of the democrats and
conservative republicans in Maine.
While they justly hold the abolition rad
icals of that city as guilty of foment-
ing the New Orleans riots, the fact that
Southern whites and negroes sympathizing
with the Northern radical party were killed
by municipal officers and other citizens
who happened to have been Confederate
soldiers or CONSPICUOUS in their sympathies
for Confederate success, in an honest dis
charge of some duties or obeying the
promptings of natures first law of self-de-
fence, is eagerly seized upon as furnishing
indubitable evidence that what they are
pleased to term the ruffianly elements"
which had so much to do in precipitating
the Southern States into the abyss of the
late war, are again at their diabolical work;
and that the generous and acceptable res
toration policy of the President in being
turned into contempt by Southern despera-
does and vagabonds, here and there, play
ing into the hands of Northern radicals and
fanatics.
Such ridiculous twaddle may do well
enough to bolster up the courage of the
Western States, but we cannot believe that
even those who give them utterance believe
what they say, or that the reconciliation
necessary to re-unite this country again |
into great, prosperous and common gov
eminent is based'upon foundations SO I'M
reliable and uncertain, as to be destroyed,
or even checked by such er pa,fe statements
of the results of disturbance as unfortu-
nate as its occurrence is regretted by the
good people of New Orleans. .. .....
A body of men assembling at an unneces-
sary time, and in revolutionary manner,
claiming to be legally constituted, with the
highest functions, with power to change
the organic laws of the State, meet in the
city of New Orleans, and before any at
tempt is made to interfere with them they,
fortify themselves behind large force of
organized and armed negroes, who parade
the streets of the city with insulting jes-
lures and impudent speech, made more in
sulting and impudent by the excitement of
the occasion and embohened by armed Or
ganization. When the riot was immipsnt,
but before any disturbance had actually oc-
Cured, Lieutenant Governor VOORHEES, and
Mayor Monroe appealed to General Baird,
the Federal commander, for troops to sup
press the impending riot, but without sue
cess. s.t
There was NO question of the right OF
these men to assemble together TO tdItscnss
political matters, but the fundamental law
of the State was involved. When Louisi-
ana, through the action of this illegal and
revolutionary body, found herself bound
hand and foot by such political appliances
as have destroyed republican governments
in Maryland and Tennessee, and to this
day makes murder and arson an every
day occurrence in Missouri, and converts |
her temples of religion into theatres of po-
litical tyranies, and the Gourts of Justice |
into instruments OF party hate and pros
cription, it would then be too late to talk
of appealing to higher authority, and be-
fore such power their illegal acts would fall
to the ground. The examples ere too nu-
merous during the stirring events through
which we have been passing during the
last few years and are still passing, of law
and constitutions giving away before the
plea OF necessity, backed by thel