Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-05-15

Radical Organ.
A Serious Split In the Radical Party-Ger-
Deserving it.
The political die was cast in Michigan.
and the enemies of the universal rights OF
men gained their cause by an astonishing
majority. Michigan, "the Massachusetts,
of the West" declared herself by MAORI
ty of from thirty to thirty-fve thousand
votes in favor of the continuation OF BLACK
slavery, against universal suffrage, and
against the political emancipation OF the
colored population. Among the elements
which are at the bottom of this enormous
majority, we first discover the old Democ-
racy voting as one man against the lately
framed Constitution, because it guaranteed
the right of suffrage to all the male adults
in the State, without distinction Of color.
We then find a part of the Republicans
themselves arrayed against the new Con
stitution. Some of them are conscious, but
most of them unconscious, renegades.-
Frightened by the sins of their own party,
or prejudced by the constant attacks OF
the Democrats against even the little good
which originated in the molderipg carcass
of the Republican party. they bolted and
defeated it.
Finally, a great many of those who con
stituted the very essence of the KepubH-
can party, but who, in their fanatlclsm,
sacrificed the holy principle of universal
equality of rights to the temperance swim
die, because the prohibitory clause OF the
old Constitution was not embodied In the
new one, but submitted to simultaneous
separate vote, fearing, as they were enti-
tied to fear, that the prohibitory clause
would be voted down, cast their vote
against the new Constitution, and defeated
it. The recognition of universal suffrage,
therefore, was not defeated by the Demo
cracy, but, virtually, by the conscious or
unconscious criminals among the Radicals
themselves. The former Republican ma
iority in the State was %, 900. This i'm
mense majority in favor of the total extir-
patton of slavery could not be overcome
by the Democracy the privilege of tread
ing under foot the universal rights OF man
was reserved for the Republican party
itself.
All the counties, which formerly consti-
tuted the very bulwark of mistaken faith
in the true principles of RepLblicanism,
show their apostacy by irrefutable num-
lodges of the Good Templars over the de-
feat of the new Constitution still rings in
our ears.
What next The high dignitaries among
the temperance fanatics, the Rev. DR.. Duf
field, and the ReY. DR.. Russell, Prior OF
the Michigan Temperance Lodges, are in
formed of all the details of the new politi-
Cal programme. The prohibitory legisla-
ton, both IN regard to the observance OF
the Sabbath and the traffic in Intoxicating
liquors, thus far has not been successful
in the cities, because its enforcement
Was thwarted, partly by local Demo-
cratic administration and partly by the tot
erance of officers, irrespective Of party. Ii
order to Danish forever the devils Of Whls
key and the 'lager," the greatest exertions
will be made In the State next fall TO elect
d radical Legislature, which by one stroke,
will abolish not only the sale, but also the
manufacture of all kinds OF Intoxicating
drinks.
This faction of fanatics will probably not
exist very long. but, if it lasts only a few
wears. it will ruin thousands of business
men in Michigan. The renegades who
helped TO vote down universal suffI age OF
course deserve to live in the convict colony,
10 which the fanatics intend to reduce our
State but to prevent the punishment OF
so many innocent people, ways and meahs
will have to be devised to defeat the devil
ish scheme of driving out the devil. Aud
these means are to be- devised principally
by those men whom DR.. Duffield has char
acterized as candidates for the peniten-
tiaries, i. e., the naturalized population
If they succeed in electing majority of
anti-prohibitlonists to the next General
Assembly, they will not only thwart the
''radical'' scheme Of the temperance men,
but may be able TO wipe out the liquor law
itself
Among the Republican papers the Michi,
gan Journal wept over the result of the late
election. 1t seems, this time, its tears were
sincere, for the Journal must have pre-
sentiment of the influence of this result
upon the next Presidential election. "We
are aware" it says, ''that q great many
temperance Republicans voted against the
new Constitution, in order tc save the pres.
ent charter with its proEibitory clause,
afraid that the separate clause would be
defeated. On the strength Of this vic
tory they will insist that the laws
against the sale of Intoxicating liquors
should be enforced with the utmost severi
| ty. great struggle will ensue, which is
bound to check the passage of immigration
into our State" These lamentations o
the German Radical paper are undoubted
| ly sincere and it is curious to hear the
means by which it proposes to meet the
evil consequences Well, it advises the
Germans to remain in the poodles of the
Radical party until it dies, and then die
themselves upon its grave.
We hope that great many of the more
intelligent Germans will not follow the ad
vice of the Journal After an overwhelm
ing majority of the Republican party have
defeated their only valuable principle, the
good Germans should again perform The
Sysiphus- work of regaining what the Re
publican traitors have lost, and even hell
them to destroy the rights of the immigra
ted population. They, of course, will no
abandon the defeated question of unlver
sal human rights, but the realization o
this principle is not attainable either b.
the Republican party of Michigan, or b,
the present Republican organization O
any other State. In Michigan it mas Meth
er theoretical nor a practical basis. Th'
thirty five thousand votes mustered agains
it by Republican corruption justities OIL
assertion.
There was a time when the German pro
gressionists tolerated many insults from
these hypocritical temperance men, be
cause they favored the abolition OF slave
ry. With great self denial, they suffered
under the Juror of the Temperance
men and the Know-Nothings be
cause they thought their own griev
ances subordinate to the great wrong o