The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-09-02
Be Cautious. in Word and Act.


Be Cautious, in Word and Act.
If there is one counsel which, during the
next ninety days, should be impressed with
more frequency and more force than all
others upon the Southern people, 1t Is this:
Be cautious. in aoord and act ! i.
We entertain the most sangulne hopes
Ahatthe approaching election Mill result. :
in decisive triumph for the friends OF
liberty and law, and q restoration OF the
tIoyernment to its ancient foundations,
now so far removed. And, while in the
advancement of that most desirable issue,
little is afforded us to do, iii unfortunate
ly5truozthat we may do much to4imperll,
or. atsleast, retard it. In that regard, the
near past rises before us with the most
solemn monitions.
1t is by no means certain that the people
of the North would not have sustainedthe
President in the fall elections of 1856, de.
feated Congressional radicalism, and anti
cipated by two long years, the glorious
victory on which we count in November;
but two unfortunate circumstances con-
spired to thwart the retracing steps OF
those people, and to dash back the tide OF
returning reason and magnanimity which
promised such happy results forthe general
prosperityzof the republic. One Of these
was the extreme imprudence OF certaln OF
the public utterances of the President, out
tile far more fatally effective obstacle was
the riot in New Orleans!
1t is no exaggeration to say that that
melancholy occurrence turned the scale In
fifty doubtful Congressional Districts, and
thereby secured that two thirds vote In
the House which is accountable for all the
enormities ofthe most profigate legislation
that ever cursed people with even the
traditions of freeman. Thus was lost, for
two years, the chance of peace; thus was
gained military dcspotism, carpct-bag con.
stitutions, negro supremacy, the tenure OF
office bill, and allthe multiform enormities
which disgraced the last session of the
Thirty-ninth Congress and the first session
of its successor.
Again an election approaches in which
the very issues of 1866 are to be passed
upon once more. The country is called on
in the light of the practical experience of
two bitter and fateful years to review its
former decision, and hear the great appeal
ofliberty and the Constitution. The cir
cumstanccs of this trial are all in our favor.
Congress has marked each passing month
of those intervening years with new out
rage uponus, and new argument, there
fore, in our favor. Reconstruction, in its
every development, has startled the public
ear with some new violation of law, private
right and public liberty. The ultimate
purposes of radicalism, shadowing forth
the entire subversion of the constitutional
rights of States and people, have been fully
revealed. The utter and abandoned profit
gacy of Congressional government has
been laid bare to all eyes. Tile thorough
failures of reconstruction to accomplish
anything but the ghastliest moekery 5of
freedom, is sorrowfilliy admitted even BY
Republicans themselves. Tie waves of
war have. had further and full chance for
perfect subsiding, and finally: :hc conscrva-
tivemcn ofthe country have now had ahun-
dant time TO rally from the terror which
the dcspotism inargnratcd by Lincoln so
widely spread; they arc wondering that
so bcaSti V IN idol could ever have been
thought god. and are Fastening to COM
pensatc for their supinenrss hitherto, by
unwontcd diligence and determined effort
now.
In this most fortunate conjecture Of our
affairs, onr triumph and the triumph of the
Constitution can scarcely be jeopardizcd,
save by ourselves, certainly by no party
and no agency can it. be so much leopard
lied as by ourselves. 1t is vaguely whis-
pcrcd, and the recent disturbances in this
city, at the Federal Capital, at Atlanta,
at Charleston and elsewhere, give grave
countcnance to the rumor, that instructions
have been issued from certain radical lead
ers in Washington, that conflicts with the
negroes must, at all hazards, be provoked
at the South between this and election day.
This is precisely what every one acquainted
with radicalisin must have anticipated
Half that Congress so easily accomplished
would have been scornfully denounced, as
well North as South, had not the passions
of the Northern people been excited by
the systematic lying ofradical presses: re-
specting Southern ontrages." And they
have too often protited by this game to
slight its assistance now. 1t is not mpor-
tant to them what may be the object or
what the character of the victims of these
disturbances A party which could make
a hero out of Ashburn, a saint out of John
Brown, and a martyr out of Dostie, and
could find an odor of sanctity in negro
brothcl, cannot be very scrupulous about
the quality of the material with which
they propose to work.
Let us be careful, then, to avoid even
they appearance of violence. If a disturb
ancc arise, let it he manifest that the con-
servatives were the aggrieved party, and
that the consequences, whatever they may
be, properly attach to our enemies, and we
will battle this last and most favored resort
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