The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-22

80 nearly established, and appears so certain,
that some who are more anxious to he radical
than to be right are already casting about for
some new demand for the benefit of those who
were lately oppressed. But who cannot see
That there are many other great questions
which have been lying in abeyance during this
great struggle, and which will give ample
scope to the powers Of the most radical re-
lormer Let no man be impatient for CON
tict. He will soon have quite enough in the
legitimate path of duty. With a system of
taxation which demoralzes large part of the
community, with rotten legislatures, munich
palltles, ana judges, with systems of education
grossly detective, with extravaganza and inefi-
cheney the rule in government rather than the
exception, it is clear that no one need fear that
the work of reform is at an end.
In the next place, genuine radioalsm aims
only to uproot evil, and to plant in its place
that which promises good fruit. Having done
this thoroughly, the wise radical is content TO
wait for final results, and slowly to build up
when the work of pulling down is properly
over. If we can never reach state in which
growth rather than destruction is desirable,
then all destruction is useless, and the radical
is the most unwise of men. But such is not
the fact. We have already, in respect of many
things, reached the stage in which develop
ment, and not simple uprooting is the duty of
the race. The Christian religion, the educa-
tion of the young, the republican system of
government, the family state, the liberty of
commerce, and many other instances, might
be given as illustrations of institutions or doc
trines which need no change at the root, but
have yet vast room for development and
progress.
The practical application of these remarks at
the present time relates chiefly to those per-
sons who are uneasy lest by opposing confsoa-
tion and other punitory schemes they should
cease to be radical. The party which claims
to be conservative is SO amazingly stupid that
we cannot blame any one for doubling his own
sagaoity when he finds himself agreeing with
it upon any point. But it should be borne in
mind that like man who sings on one note
the whole time, a party that persists in one
line of conduct must be right occasionally and
may happen to be right frequently. Let no
one fear TO act upon his own convictions of
duty even if he does find himself sometimes in
strange company.
All the propositions which are made by
demagogues, looking towards special favors for
special classes of people, are simply schemes
OF robbery which WILL if carried out, despoil
the majority of the very classes intended to
he favored. Suppose the land of the South
should be confscated and divided among the
negroes, as some advise. Not one-fourth of
the negroes would get any land which they
could live upon, while the other three -fourths
would be deprived of large part of their
wages by the universal disorganization of the
employing class. Suppose the eight-hour law
should be made compulsory, as its friends
insist. Who would suffer so much as the
workmen, whose wages would be cut down,
and whose employers would largely abandon
enterprises undertaken under different expec-
tations
1t is not the mission of true radicalism to
enter upon such schemes as these. In the
sphere of politics it has long been the maxim
OF radicals that nothing can or should be done
except to secure to every man the free use of
his powers, and a fair and equal opportunity
for his development. In other spheres of
action there is abundance of work for the
most Jealous reformer. Nay, in political
affairs, as we have already intimated, there
will always be enough to do. While the ma
ton has been crushing one evil, others have
sprung up which in their turn demand atten-
ton. Let us be content with securing equal
justice at the South, and then combine to
alta ok corruptions nearer home.