Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-24
The Cost TO the Country Of Radical Policy

The fruits OF radical folly are beginning 10
show themselves in the large Northern Mar
kets. The newspapers speak gloomily OF the
dullness that prevails. The Spring trade is
languid and dull. Every department Of bust
ness is at stand-stiu. Large stocks Of goods
have been purchased in anticipation Of heavy
orders and rapid sales. But the best custom
ers of the North-the Southern dealerS-are
absent from the market, and the goods import
ed to supply those customers are lying, and
likely to lie, unopened. The tale is told brief
ly but torcibly in the following extract from
the New York Herald;
81 A crash IS impending Imported goods, ordered
long ago in anticipation Of an immense spring trade
are pouring IN upon our merchants; but no good,
are sold. What IS the reason Of this stoppage IN
business IL is the radicalism OF Congress. Our
chants counted upon a large influx oil buyers
from the South a. soon the war was over and the
Union restored The war Is over; hut Congress per-
sists in keeping the south out Of the Caion. Con
seuuently there is no southern trade. The Western
merchants arrive here look about see no business
doing, no rivalry, no competition, aud conclude that
they will wait a while before purchasing unt'l
thugs Get settled There is now no sale for the
goods produced by our manufactures. Presently
the manufactures will have to stop work. Then We
shall see thousands Of people thrown ont OF employ
ment starvation staring them IN the lace. their
children crying for food Riots viii follow, aud
perhaps revolution. Why is all this ? Not be
cause of the high price of gold for gold Is lower
than al any time during the war. Not because OF
the tariff for that has not been changed since the
war No: il is because few dozen radicals IN
CONGRESS have made up their minds To ruin the
country or carry the next Presidential election oy
negro votes or by the exclusion OF all votes from the
South IL is because another rebellion, more wicked
than the last is Juggling NJ the yittls OF the nation
IL is because few men at Washington prefer their
party 70 their country. Let the people mark them
we'll and remember them in future
Neither individuals nor parties can long eS-
cape the consequences Of folly and wrong-do-
ing. Their sin will, sooner or later, surely find
them out.
A great diplomatist was accustomed to say
that, in politics, blunder was worse than
crime. No greater blunder was ever commit
ted than that committed by the Radical party
in its treatment ofthe South. In Furnishing the
South they punished the North. The whole
country is now suffering, and likely, for long
time. to suffer from the mischieyous effects OF
this capital blunder. With an immense war
debt to pay, that would have weighed down al
most any other nation, it was the part oftrue
wisdom to place the South on its feet to slim
ulate its enterprise encourage its industry ;
furnish it with capital assist in developing its
productions, and, in word, to make its vast
productive wealth available TO the Government
and to the whole people. Instead OF doing this
Radical policy has aimed at the complete pros
tration ofclcycn great States and, in 50 doing,
has deprived the Government of those vast
revenues that should have been yielded by
them, aud the business men of the North ofall
the advantages of that trade. This wretchcd
blunder has certainly punished ;he South, but
it will almost equally punish the North. We
have already experienced that punishment IN
all its vindictiye bitterness the North is just
beginning to experience it. Eleven months
we may say a year-has been lost a years in
dustry and profit a whole crop OF those yalua-
bic Southern staples that are equivalent to
gold, and that count up by hundreds of millions
OF dollars. This is Radical policy and yet it
prevails in Congress, and is still sweeping over
the North. There have been periods in history
when rulers and people seemed To be struck 10y
what is called judicial blindness. The present
is one OF those periods. How long it will last
will depend upon the endurance Of the North
ern people Radical policy is costing the couu-
try, IN the expenses and the losses it entails,
as much as a great war.