The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-16
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS oP THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT COMPILED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
The Southern States-Radical RecOnstruc-
ton on lis Last Legs.


Of the speeches of prominent Southern lead.
ers, recently delivered, the colored voter has
formed theme of more than mere passing
interest. To-day we add 10 the number ex-
tracts from speech delivered 10y dlstin-
guished representative of "YOung South" 1"
General James b. Gordon, of Georgia, and from
q letter on the subject written upon the more
mature judgment of Mr.. James b. Campbell,
of South Carolina. These appeals and warn
ings cannet be without their effect upon the
colored population of the South, and that they
are destined to produce revolution in the
minds of the colored voters in favor of their
former masters seems to be as clear as the fact
that the influence of the Northern adventurers
over the freedmen is fast waning. There is
nothing at all extraordinary in this. The
untutored negroes have discovered that the
promises of their newly found Northern friends
are shams and delusions and their natural
instinct leads them to distrust all who have
once deceived them. In no instance have the
pledges of their radical allies been carried out.
AT the outset they promised them forty acres
of land and pair of mules if they would vote
the radical ticket. They obeyed instructions,
but have never seen either land or mules.
They were assured that they should possess
the oonfscated houses and lands of the Rebel
leaders. This the radicals failed to carry out
from fear of the indignation the atrocity of the
act would create throughout the North. They
gress, in the State Legislatures, and in the City
Councils, and in all respects enjoy every civil
right and prerogative possessed by the white
man. In all these promises they have been
deceived and cheated. They have neither
lands nor mules; they possess no confsoated
plantations; they hold no seats in Congress,
and only few days ago batch OF their CO.
lored brethren were expelled from Southern
Legislature by the vote of nearly every white
radical in it. The sensible portion of the
Southern coored population begin to realize
that those Northern adventures who have
located among them have no lands 10 give;
while on the other hand they see that their
late masters have and that those masters are
disposed to treat them with kindness and with
proper consideration of their newly enfran-
chised condition. Hence it is no wonder that
the Southern 'coofed voter is in political po-
sition which, with very little adroitness, can
be turned to the advantage of their old mas
ters, leaving the treacherOus carpet baggers to
their fate.
Now, then, comes the opportunity of the
Southern leaders. With the assistance of the
votes of the colored population they can secure
ascendancy in nearly every one of the South
ern States, and that accomplished down goes
radical reconstruction of its own volition, and
up goes the era of Southern restoration |
Therefore is it that leaders like Wade Hamp-
ton, Forrest, Toombs, Henry A. Wise, A. II.
Stephens, General Gordon, Judge Campbell,
and hundreds OF others distinguished for their
political influence in the South, are palaver-
ing with the negro voter, joining with him in
barbecues, sitting on the same platform with
him, and showing him as clearly as MONDAY
on which side his bread is buttered.
The Southern political leaders are most
acute and audacious fellows. They are the
greatest politicians that ever existed. Even
their generals, headed by Robert f. Lee and
Rao arA 10 ho
in the politicians closet as they were brave
and cool on the field of battle. This was seen
in ROsecrans' interview with them at White
Sulphur Springs. Take them all together
whether we regard them while conducting the
Government for more than half a century,
or observe them in the work of breaking up
the Union, or in carrying on rebellion upon
a most gigantic scale, in building great war
ships In foreign ports, in bringing foreign
capitalists to their aid, in obliging foreign
courts to give them quasi recognition, in
humbugging old European diplomats, or
whether we look at them after the war is over
prOclaiming themselves the truest purest,
most uncontamipated Of Union men, lauding
the Constitution as if they had never raised
hDger to disturb it, and protesting to be better
lovers of republican institutions and better
friends of human freedom than those who
fought to defend the one and procure the
other, we see them the same bold, impulsive,
plucky, vehement, presumptuous, and auda-
cious political leaders. In sagacity and
cunning they cub Machiavelli Machiavelli.
They play the game of the astute and subtle
old Italian statesman better than he could
himself, and in way, indeed, to charm the
very bones of that ancient political philosopher
out of their tomb. The bitter feuds in Italy
excited by Machiavelli, the arraying of one
side against another, the sharp corners he
turned in his diplomacy, his intrigues, combi-
nations and Vaccinations, afford no parallel to
the keenness, energy, and intensity of the
Southern political philosophers of our day.
They do things on grander scale. They can
keep up continual feuds among their oppo-
nents; they can attempt to break down a gov
ernment one day which they swear the next
they are the only sayiours of; they can arraign
for almost crimes the leader of the armies that
conquered them they can cajole or coerce a
great political party into nominating a candi-
date of their own selection for the Presidency;
they can Win to their side the support of three
million human beings whom they have held
In bondage for centuries; in short, they can
perform deeds which, compared with those of
the old Roman or Italian politicians, is like
contrasting the tremendous volcanic eruptions
and earthquakes of the American Continent
to the popgun explosions of the volcanoes of
Europe.
These are the political leaders who in 1872,
no matter what they may accomplish in the
will restore the entente cord,ale of
the great Democratic party, smash up the
Republican party, elect Frank Blair or PEN
dleton to the Presidency and pave the way
for century's permanent ascendancy in the
Government of the United States.
The Preliminary Elections.
Larger results have naver danandad On tba