The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-01
The Reaction Against RadIcalism-Th'
Position Ofthe New ROrk COnservatlves


From the ". Y. Herald.
The political reaction apparent at the
extremes of the country-in Maine and Cali
fornia-will be felt with much greater force at
the next elections in the interior and central
States and will assuredly turn Pennsylvania,
New York. New Jersey, and probably Ohio,
over from the Republican party to the opposi-
tion. The radicals are endeavoring to per-
suade themselves that their recent disasters in
the East and the West are attributable to local
causes; but they will soon discover their error.
The people were well satisfied with the Consti-
tutional amendment as settlement of the ques-
tion of reconstruction. That amendment gave
to the Southern States the same constitu-
tional rights enjoyed by New York, Penn
sylyania. Ohio, and all the other States
of the Union, leaving to each the control
over the elective franchise within its own
borders, but providing that wherever the
negroes were denied the ballot they should not
be reokoned in calculating the basis of repre-
sentation of the State Withholding from them
the privilege of voters. This was the issue
upon which the last general elections were
fought and it secured to the Republicans the
control of nearly every State not embraced in
the Southern COnfederacy, and unprecedented
majorities in the United States Senate and
House of Representatives. The subsequent
legislation of Congress and the action of Presi-
dent Johnson disturbed the settlement agreed
ON by the people, and threw the question of
reconstruction again open to agitation. The
consequence is that to-day the country is as
far from a solution Of the difficulties arising
out of the Rebellion as when the soldiers of
the Confederacy first laid down their arms.
1t is idle to pretend that the Republican
partv ia not responsible for this state of affairs.
The Republicans have had the sole control of
the Government in all its branches ever since
Grant put an end to the war. They elected all
the present national administration, and have
held constant possession of nearly all the loyal
States as we'll President Johnson, Congress,
the United States Supreme Court, Fenton and
the New York Legislature, are all their own
A family quarrel broke out among them soon
after President Lincolns death, arising partly
out of the dispensation OF the Federal patron
age by his successor, and partly out OF the
conflict of schemes for the successiOn; but that
does not alter the fact that Johnson, Seward,
McCulloch, Welles, Browning, Stanbery, and
all in the Executive branch OF the Government
are as much Republican as are the Congress
sional majority Chase, Stanton, Fenton, and
the rest of the radicals. The people, there
fore, have right to hold the Republican
party responsible for the nOn-settlement of
the country and for all the agitation and
dangers which now surround us. 1t Is the
knowledge of this fact that has Oecasioned the
present reaction against that party. All who
are desirous OF seeing the country once more
settled and at peace, are arraying themselves
against the men who have shown their incom-
potency or unwillingness to accomplish such
result. rFl lI III. U'rHnr fIf srII 4.
In our own State, however, there will be
some peculiar distinctive features about the