Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-02-12
When the Romans, flushed with coma

famous Caledonian captive according 10 Tacitus)
replied "ubi solitudinem feccrunt paccm appel
lunt."
And so with the conquerors of the Southern
Confoderacy. Not content with tho resultsf an
internecine war, disastrous almost beyond par
allel in history, war which drenched the South
with blood, destroyed her best and bravest sons,
devastated her folds, and consumed her wealth,
her Northern conqucrorsr Unsuitable still, oven
with words of peace upon their lips, are co1fple-
ting, as exclaimed the British chief, tho work Of
solitude and desolation. :,
The Republican party, perhaps not worse or
moro selfish than any other party would be under
like circumstances, imbued with Radical princi-
pies and mad with ambition of place and power,
has Installed itself into despotic unconstitutional
sway and absolute control, while e1tolling tho
virtue and purity of ronl republican principles.
Insomuch that while insisting in Congress, with
words Of pseudo patriotism, that tho Southern
States shall havo n republican form of govern.
ment, they aro actually investing the General Of
the Army with the power of Dictator, and quar-
trring upon those very States for which they urge
republican government, Generals in command
of "Milita.y Departments" invested with snlimi-
tod control and surrounded with all the para
phernalia Of martial law.
We say this Party is perhaps not worse tban
any other would be, similarly situated, not by
way of extenuation, but because history is full
of such instances of purity Of expression coupled
with peridy Of action. The famous boast Of
Cornelia, "I am the mother Of the Graochi," has
found responsive o.ho in tho heart of untold
generations; and yet tho unfortunate sons who
inspired this misplaced pride, reckless with debt
and devoured with ambition, were the originatorS
of that worry agrarianism aad overthrow. of oil
aocisl ordor which eliminated in the Imperial Of
Caesar, who, though at first espousing the cause
os the Plcbcian, and sympathisins, in words, even
with the reckless democracy of Cataline, ultimate
ly succeeded in placing tho crown upon his brow.
And Notwithstanding this, his friend Antony be-
gued tho Roman people with such fstteripg
JUNCTION as "whon tho poor have cried Caesar
hath wept" and "did you not see that upon the
Lupercnl ho did thrice refuse the kingly crown 2"
And thus too the Corsican s- altern while follow
ing the r ';n" of ,espierrs and causing
himself to be elected simply Consul of the people,
was preparing to wear the crown which he After
wards wore as no despot ever wore it before or
since.
EvSn in our own day, tho present Napoleon
wears the purple by tho mockcry Of popular
democratic election. Let my people 60 to the
ballot box and elect the emperor Of their choice
was hi, insinuating public cry, whilst his private
orders to his generals were to place bayonsts at
every poll and SEQ that the ballots were for him
solf
And Victor Emanuel also de.udcd tho bandit of
the Abruzxi with the fros suffrage, as the latter
came down from his mountain fastnesS and placed
his vote in tho royal ballot box at Florence.
And who can deny that the late elections in
the Southern States for Republican form Of
government" were not presided over BY The epaulet
and bayonct? The truth is the present degrada-
ton Of the South and selfish power of tho North
is but human nature repeating itself in history.
It is the identical "vae, victis" of tho ancient
Roman, and the corresponding Roma superba."
With ono exception. That as our despotsm is
the despotism Of Democracy it is only the more
cruel and relentless. The cruelty springng from
the offended despotsm of a'Sovsreign is limited
in its effects to few; but who can assign any
limit to the avonging fury of a mass of demo-
cratic sorer0igns? According to the theory Of
republican democracy, all a.e sovereigns; and
therefore when offended, every sovereign must
have victim with which to appease his outraged
majesty. ~
The Radical Republican Party is in fn,sgpos-
session OF the Government, and its popular lead
ers are Installed in all the offices OF powor and
profit. The public Treasury and the patronage
Of office, amounting TO overs 400 O0OO 600 annually,
passed from the old Democratic party in tho per-
son Of Mr.. Buchanan to tho Radical party in the
person of Mr.. Lincoln. With Mr.. Lincoln came
that most dangerous Of all political heresies'
ty and fraternity. And as matter of course
party imbued with such principles sro to farm out
the places of prCfsrment and dispense the millions
Of revenue.
The country groans under burden of debt.
The cry Of "down with the Bank" which already
on one ocsasion destroyed half Of Americas COM
mercial prosperity, and which was only M echo
of the English ago for gold in ordor to stop the
Duke" resounds through the Union. There is n
universal distrust between labor and capital
D.
influence the lower or rather humble classes of
society So also does President JOHNSON. The
one, us s said, was rail-splitter, and the other
n tailor; and therefore thoir sympathies and ten
dencica have been naturally of the ultra demo-
cratic order. They have arrayed in fearful strug
go labor against capital, and taught the masses
to regard property with jealousy. Particularly
can this be said of Mr.. Johnson, who struck ut
the wenlhier classes in his amnesty proclamation,
by the 1000 clause, and caused it to be pub
lshed and proclaimed to tao country.
And thus that security of property which is the
bulwark of all stability, has been publicly dig.
countcnnnced and species of agrariansm,
similar to that of tho French Revolution, which
SuOulFlueu luc osLAte VI CEhuco lutO Utmost
portions, has been encouraged.
Heretofore the Southern people, rich and pros
porous, possessed of largo lnndsd estates, natu-
rally opposed this tendency to equality and agra
but now that they are poor and their
lnnds threatened with such coufscston as would
parcel out their territory, like that of Franco,
into over 10000, 900 separate landed estates, they
can afford to regard tho innovation more philoso-
phcally, sntisdsd-that for them tho worst is oven
that after all this spui bs dono, Tho preservation
of freedom in the North as well az in the South,
will be impracticahle, because the Government
nas passed into tho control of Despotic Central
Authority, sitting in tho high places at Washing
on and resting alone on the armed force of
victorious soldiery.
A Highly Interesting Work.