Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-05-26
IN THE FIELD.

their election in November next. upon the
success of the ticket nominated at Chicago
last week, depends the future existence OF an
organization that has been more pcstllentlal
in its reign, more destructive to the real IN
terests of the country, and more blightinS to
the peace and prosperity Of civil government,
than any other body Of conspirators that has
disGraced the earth since the world COM
mcnced its existence.
The infamy Of this party is written in its
legislation, State and National, and he who
has been careful to observe its course, is ia
miliar with the crimes of which it is guilty,
and for which its leaders will yet be arraigned
at the bar os public opinion, to be pilloried
b. posterity Cor their iniamies. With these
crimes fresh in the memories of the people,
and whilst sorrow is yet broodng over the
land because of their iniquties, this party Of
plundercrs and oppressors, faunt their flag
in the face of frcemen, and with an effrontery
that only has its counterpart in their own
wickcdncss, ask the American people to con-
inuc the rcins of government in their hands.
GRANT, the infantile mule rider of the cir
Gus ring, the subsequent "Butchcr of the
Wilderness" and bluuderer from the Rappa-
hammock to Cold Harbor, and whose sun
reached its meridian at Appomattox, is given
the first place on the ticket, whilst tied to
the tail Of this military kite, is the name ola
western demagogue, upon whom comblna-
ton of fortuitous circumstances has hereto
fore conferred the once honorable position Of
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Grant and Colfax, are the parties upon whom
the affections of radicalism are now to centre,
aud for whom the negroes of the South and
the blood hounds of the North, are to cast
their suI,ragcs in November.
y greater cheat than even the ticket, is
the platform upon which the party goes into
the struggle for the retention Of power, and
we may well believe that the leaders are lost
to shame, to decency, to honor. OF this plat
form, the Baltimore G0zctte says if the
American people are merely set of simple
tons, then the Chicago Convention must be
regarded as having done its work very skillful-
ly Read in the light of common sense, the
resolutions are ridiculously puerile. The
Radicals affect to congratulate the country
con the assured success Of the Reconstruction
project Of Congress, as cvinccd by the adop
ton in a majority of the States, lately in
rebellion of Constitutions approved by Con-
gross. Considering the facts that every
material interest in the South is languiShing,
if not pcrishing-that capital is leaving that
section-that the State governments are in
the hands of a set Of political sluatters and
the most ignorant aud impoverished portion
of the native population, and that the Con-
situations were adopted" through the agency
of the bayonet, distranchiscment, negro votes
and fraudulent misunderstanding these
facts, it required no small assurance on its
own part and no little reliance on the stupidity
Of the people to congratulate them on the
condition Of the country under Radical rule.
Equally cool and equally monstrous is the
proposition that negro suffrage must be main
tanned by Congress in the South, but that
"thc Question Of suffrage in all the loyal States
properly belongs to the people of these
States The men who avow this doctrine
are, be it rem embered, protesting loudly their
reverence for the Constitution and their desire
for It's rc establishment throughout the whole
land. EcpudiatiOn, which no one has advo-
Gated, is of course denounced. The national
debt, which reached its present proportions
because the Radical party tolerated so many
and such enormous Frauds ought, it is said,
to be "cxtendcd over fair period for "re>
demption," and the rate Of interest thereon
to be diminished The Government ''should
De administered with the strictest economy,
and the corruptiUns which have been so
shameiuIly nurscl ard fostered by Andrew
johnson call loudly for radical reform -
but it was not thought necessary to have radi-
cal reform when cotton brokers bought in
Washington licenses to trade with "rebels,"
and Benz. i. Butler and his brother were
stealing and cheating the Government in New
Orleans. The President, who has made less
use of his official patronage than any one of
his predecessors, has, it is urged, perverted
the public patronage into an engine of whole
sale corruption, and has been justly impeacfed
Cor high crimes and misdcmeanors, and proper
ly pronounced guilty thereof by the vote of
thirty-fvc Senator's" Naturalized citizens,
soldiers and sailors arc Of course patted. as it
we're, on the back and "foreign emigration"
is declared to be one of the props of the coun-
try. Bat the most astounding specimen of
what in the slang vocabulary is called CHECK"
is exhibited in the closing resolution, which
announces : "This Convention declares its
sympathy with all the oppressed people who
are struggling for their rights" We can
imagine how Stevens will grin over this
how Wade will playfully commend the dccla
ration in a few choicely obscene phrases-how
Yates will give it for toast over his twentieth