The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-06-12
The New Programme.

We yesterday made some remarks en- the recent
address Of the Republican congressional committees,
showing that the Republican party is Becoming dis
satisfied with its own work, and that it IS preparing to
repudiate the implied pledges offered to the South
when the Reconstruction passtd. The taaisa
point of the address as we have suggested the at
tempt to impose the Southern people, as an addi-
tona condition Of rehabilitation, the acceptance OF
the principles and policy OF the Republican party.
And this acceptance is to be demonstrated not alone
by adhesion the expressed terms OF the law but by
voting the Republican ticket and thereby giving some
sort Of guarantee that the party supremacy of the
Republicans will not be jeoparded by restoration OF
these States to their rights in the Union.
But even this is not all. Other conditions are re-
qured as evidence Of the fitness Of the South to enter
iuto this new political alliance These are, first the
establishment of general system of common school
education and the division Of the lands among the la
boring class The address declares that, IN the
South there is land enough for all and all who desire
should be permitted to obtain homes. This, con-
tinues the address, lisa common human right, which
cannot be denied with safety to society
Now the peculiar ideas which the radicals enter
tain for the safety Of society," constitute the basis OF
radical party policy and the peculiar logic Of the
radicals leads them to insist that their ideas OF party
policy be incorporated into the legislation OF the
country, it is reasonable to infer that if they mean
anything by this declarations they mean that, unless
the Southern people agree to general partition of
else of political rights and privileges.
If there certainty that the radicals would al
ways command majority in the governing section,
would be entirely useless to argue that the PROPOSE
ton laid down in the address, is ridiculous falacy
and absurdity But it is plain from the anxiety dis
played in regard to the future political complexion OF
the South that the radicals seriously fear political
revolution at the North 1t is then not superhuous
to enter gentle protest against the extraordinary
doctrine that the common human right to obtain
home involves the obligation on the part OF society TO
provide men with homes; or that the "common hui
man right to land, if il can be purchased, in
piles the duty the part Of the land owners to be-
portion of their estates the andiess. 1t IS
a g common human right acquire property of all
kinds, but it is not common human duty to divide
the property of class among those OF another class
who think that they entitled to possess it without
labor and without price. Nor is it a denial at the
common human right" to obtain home, that those
who own lands do not fit to bestow them on those
who do not any than it is denial OF the " COM
mon human right" to acquire property, man who
may happen to possess dozen shirts to divide with
his neighbor who may own only one. The right to
eat lisa " common human right" perhaps more i'm
porant than the right to own house and lot or
farm but we do hear that the radicals insist that
the Western farmers should divide out their corn and
wheat among the suffering poor of the Eastern cities
The right to clothes is a common human
right :" but we do not observe any radical movement
to compel the manufacturers of New England to be-
stow gratutous rament the hafclad operatives of
the factories, or the naked savages of Nebraska
Bat above ALL the right to dispose of the product OF
ones labor to the best advantage and according to
the Judgment of The laborer, is ga common human
right which cannot be denied without violating the
laws of political economy of morals justice, and OF
freedom. And yet the Republican party has organised
system Of taxation which vtiaes this right and forces
the laborer dispose of the products of his labor to
suit the wishes and subserve the interest of others
Thus it appears that "the common human right
which cannot be denied with safety to society, sim
ply the right which the radicals claim to force the peo
pie of the South to adopt whatever theories the Re
publican party may offer to them, and above all to
vote the Republican ticket, and thus assure the per-
manency OF Republican domination.