Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-08-23
Noftheris Reaction.

under the Military Bills, are bringing the
thinking portions of the Northern people
to serious and grave consideration OF the
impending evil to the whole country OF the
negro population taking control OF large
majority of the excluded States. We have
published several articles upon this subject
from Northern papers, which eVlnce the
interest felt in that quarter upon the SUD-
iect. Even that very Radical paper, the
New York Herald, is most outspoken IN Its
fears of the danger resulting from the
startling facts connected with Southern re-
construction. Looking upon that paper
merely a., a sensitive and truthful barome-
ter of political feeling at the North, we can
imagine something of the interest felt In
the issue by the earnestness with WHICH II
urges the consideration of the subject.
Last week, threatening the South with
all the terrors of "mild contiscation Ii
it did not swallow the Sherman bill and
its double supplement, without the time
allowed O. child to take nauseatln2 dose OF
medicine. and even without the inevitable
something" to take the taste out OF ones
mouth, and to-day advising the delay OF
Southern reconstruction, even Tor ten years
rather than Africanize these states, means
something more than sudden CONVICTION
of the errors and injustice of the Congress
sional plan of adjustment. This summer
sault is made to conform to the wishes OF
the people. They first began to be alarmed
and become aware of the dangers attend
ing the division of parties in the South
upon the basis of color, making the whites,
though superior in numbers, intelligence
and property, inferior in their power to
control the State governments. Its laoors
now are as earnestly devoted to defeating
the policy of the Radicals, as 1t has hereto
fore been to aid it. In its last issue, anl-
madyertine upon the dismissal of Stanton,
it says:
$50 far, then, the President has prop,
erly met the issue raised by II defiant sub
ordinate in his refusal to resign when po'
htely requested to leave. But Mr.. johnson
must not stop here. He has only crosse
the Rubicon the great fight is still befoI'
him, and he must fight it out. ] he bro"C
and general issue between him and the
rampant Radicals is still between his pollc,
and their policy, although reduced to, th'
application of the reconstruction laws o
Congress. He proposes il liberal lrterpre
,tion, whereby the Southern whites WI
ha e chance III this business of the re"l
gaaIzafion of tie ten outside Souther
States. The Radicals propose and haV
inaugurated rigid and infexible enforce
ment of the laws against the Southern
whites, and have shown iberality only t
the blacks, whereby the political destinie
of the several States concerned may IA
into their hands. The question thus pre-
scented is, whether the ten excluded SOItt
ern States, as a national political balanc
of power, shall be controlled hereafter, TO
tep, twenty, or fifty years, by their tiv
b inbred thousand niger voters. Is th
country at large prepared and read
for the transfer of the political powe
of the South from the late oligarch
of shareholders to their emancipate
negro slaves Is there no half-wa
house of safety between the one e1trem
and the other ? President Johnson think
there is, while Stanton and his Radical SUI
porters hold that there is not, and are It
solved that there shall not be.
"Upon this broad and general issue Stan
ton has been displaced, and Gen. Gran
in stepping into the vacancy, takes his pol
ular influence with him from Stanton an
his Radical faction over to the side of tn
administration. This is an important poir
gained But it is only the beginning
the work required of Mr.. johnson to clea
the track of Radical distractions. "
have heard enough within the last few day
of the want of backbone and harmony
his Cabinet to satisfy us that the suspel
sion of Stanton will only weaken the a.
ministration if not followed up by 9TH
suspensions. In for a penny, in for
pound
"Next, in regard to the five commando
of the five Southern military district
We have renewed guarantees that Shel
dams head will soon be brought to tt
block-a necessary proceeding, perhaps,
defeat the game of Stanton. But is n
the programme of reconstruction adopts
and pursued by the other four comma
ders substantially the same as that of She
idan, and equally, or to greater or lie
extent, in disregard of the president
wishes and suggestions Why, then, MAJ
fish of one and flesh of another To me
the case fairly and fully, Mr.. Johnst
must have new set of military comma
ders, from first to last. Otherwise he VI
fail to touch the Radical reconstracti'
combinations which run from MIR. Schencl
Congressional Executive Committee TIN
oil the military and Freedmen's Bure,
machinery of the South, in behalf of n
gro supremacy. a new Cabinet and a ne
set of military commanders under Gener
Grant, who is generously inclined towar
the Southern whites, will enable Mr. job
son to turn the tables upon Stanton, st
7ens, and Sumner in the interval to t