Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-11-23
Radicalism in the South. !"
m the Louisville Courier. !


"Radicalism in the South"
From the Louisville Courior.l
Under the above caption Hilton Rowan
Helper, of North Carolina, has written
to the National Intelligencer q letter
filling over five columns Of that paper.
1t will be remembered that he was the
author of the book called "The I'm
pending Crisis of the South, which gave
80 much satisfaction to the abolitonists
Of the North, and especially OF Congress,
some years ago. Perhaps that work had
more to do with giving form and purpose
to the anti-slavery fnnaticism which cul-
minated in the late disastrous war than
any other one agency. Mr.. Helper is now
heartily sick of the fruits of his labors.
He sees slavery abolished at the South
and the old anti.slavery party in posses
sion Of the Government, and he pro.
nounces the freedmen worthless and
demoralizing, and speaks of the Radicals
in anything but complimentary terms
The letter to the Intetiigencer is in fact
a queer medley, in which the attempt is
made TO reconcile his old fashioned
abolition notions with the just iudigua-
ton he feels at the ruin and degradation
brought upon the country by Radicalism.
Emanatingfrom such source, statements
like the following concerning the condi-
ton of things at the South will not be
without their effect upon "the good peo-
pie of the free States" to whom Helper
inscribes his address:
Under the wrougfully discriminating,
negro favoring enactments of this uncon.
stitutional and unprincipled Congress,
not only are white emigranis from the
North and from Europe now coming
hither in less numbers than they came
under the old condition of things, but
many of the whites who are already here
are every day becoming more and more
anxious to abandon their homes and
emigrate to distant and foreign lands,
rather than remain the victims of that
terrible thraldom of negro supremacy,
which O most mean and malignant as.
semblage of heartless Radicals are now
fastening upon them.
Almost every day, for several months
past-ever since / last returned to the
State-have l seen whole families, and
sometimes two or three together, leaving
North Carolina, some going in the di-
rection of Illinois, some travelling toward
Indiana, and others of the more able and
venturesone sort, bound for Brazil and
elsewhere, far beyond the utmost limits
of their own native soil. While thus,
under the oppressive and tyrannical
operations of Radical military despot-
isms, our own native white people are
robbed of their natural freedom, and
forced to flee to foreign lands, European
emigrants and emigrants from the North
are restrained almost entirely from com.
ing to the South And thus swiftly and
UNANIMOUSLY are the narrow minded and
revengeful Radicals converting all the
States of the South into one vast Hayti,
or Jamaica, or MeXico-driving from the
country the white people who are, whether
here or elsewhere, the only worthy and
saving elements Of population, and sur
it completely to the pollution,
devastation and ruin of stupid and beast
like hordes of black barbarians.
OF the extreme poverty and distress of
many of the poor whites who are now
emigrating from the State, and Of still
larger number who, rather than submit
to the further danger and disgrace of
Radicsl-negro and negro Radical DOM
nation, are anxious to leave, but are
destitute even of the scanty means neces.
sary to take them away, have scarcely
the heart to speak. TO enter adequately
into details or particulars upon this sub
ject in mere newspaper article is quite
out Of the question, and so | will only
remark here, in a general way, but with
all the emphasis of earnestness aud
ruth, that do not believe any people in |
any part of America were ever subjected |
10 such unjust and oppressive straits,
such miserable and wretched shifts, as |
he poorer classes of white people of |
North Carolina aud of the South gen,
orally are now having to struggle
against; and all this mainly in conse.
luence of the blundering and uuconsti
.utional ensctments, the unstatesman.
ike and infamous legislation of that
of sectional demagogues known
Is the rump Congress.
Because ofits gross excesses, its short
,omings and its corruptions, the first
md most important thing necessary TO
,e done, in order to remedy existing
wills, is to utterly break down and de-
troy the Radical party-a party which in
is monstrous aiiiiation with negroes, is
ringing utter sbjectness and ruin upon
t least ten States of the Union, and