The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-01-03
Progress OF the Counter " vslutioa - The
Prospect Before Us.
From the New York Herald

From the New York Herald
A wall of distress, deep and widespread,
comes up from the South. That productive
region Of our common country has become as
ity. Industry has been psralyzed through the
atrocio1s legislation Of a radical Congress.
On one hand starvation stares the people,
both white and black, in the face, and on the
other they live in terror Of terrible internecine
war between the races. Generals Ord and Han
cock, and other sagacious and conservative Off
GERS OF the government in the South see what Is
coming, and they appeal to the authorities at
washington, and to the people, through the press,
for help. But where is help to come from. The
North is suffering from the same cause. Fifty
thousand workmen are out of employment in
New York, and the same deplorable state Of
things is seen generally throughout the Northern
States. WINTER has set IN with fearful prospect
for the laboriDg poor. What, then. will the North
be able to do for the South when widespread dis
tress prevails at home? gith burden of taxa.
ton unequaled in any cduntry-a burden that
has become insuppOrtable-the Northern people
cannot support freedmen's bureaus or other mon.
stTous charitable institutions for the maintenance
of three or four millions OF idle negroes and mil
lions of impoverished whites in the South. The
United States treasury, so far from having money
for such purpose, must soon become bankrupt
itself under radical rule. Looking AZ all these ap-
palling signs Of the times, it is evident that the
whole country is on the eve Of such reyu,.
sion and such distress as it has never yet expe-
riencedt
We said the cause of all this is found in the
atrocious legislation of a radical Congress. Let
US explain. When the war ended the industry Of
the South was not destroyed. A vast deal of pro-
perty had been destroyed, it is true bat the loss
fell chiefly upon the SOutherners themselves.
Still, the rich and productive soil remained aud
the labor to cultivate il was there. The people
accepted their changed situation as the natural
result of the war, and were disposed everywhere
TO GO to work earnestly to maintain themselves
and to improve their fortunes. Grant, Sherman,
and ali the other brave and large minded military
commanders granted liberal terms on the surren-
der OF the rebel armies, looking to an early resto-
ration Of harmony and good will. The president
though he made some mistakes in his trying posi-
ton, favored the same policy. No one Of.sense
and Invested of strong prejudice could help seeing
that the welfare of the North, as well as Of the
SOuth-of the whole country, in fact-depended
upon liberal policy and early restoration of
the rebel States. But, unfortunately, we had
a radical revolutionary Congress- body of
men more senseess, destructive and impracti-
cable than the Roundhesds of England or the
Jacobins OF France. Having an over Whelming
majority in Congress, though elected on no such
issue as that they have since made, they adopted
a proscriptive and ruinous policy toward the
South directly opposed to that of the generals of
the army, the president and the people generally.
Instead of restoring the South, with slavery abOl-
lshed, they undertook to reconstruct it on the
basis OF negro supremacy. Their sole object was
TO create radical political power in the South by
means OF the negro vote, which would give them
a continued control of the government and the
spoils of Office. This, and this alone, was and is
the motive of me so-called reconstruction policy
OF that party. They pretend 10 act upon the alb
stract principles OF right, just the bloody !
minded Jacobins of France did but we all kno
this is sheer humbug, and that their only object is
political power. In word, they would see the
country plunged into anarchy and the greatest
distress rather than abandon this selfish infamous
and ambitious object. They even have the hardi.
hood to pursue their destructive course after the
people of the North have pronounced against it
at the polls, hoping to reach their ends by means
of the votes of the sembarbarous negroes.
Now, let us see what has been the result OF this
JacObin Iadicalism. The Southern States, which
used to contribute largely by their staple pro-
ducts TO both our domestic and foreign trade and
which are still capable of contributing largely are
ruined The industry of the negroes has been
destroyed through giving them political power,
through false hopes OF agrarianism having been
instilled into them by radical demagogues aud
through their natural disposition to Incidence
when not under the direction of the white race.
The white people Of the South are naturally SO
disgusted by these ignorant semi-savages being
placed over them that they have no heart 20 do
anything They feel that there is no security for
their labor or capital, and that if they plant they
may not reap, or that their stock and produce
will be stolen by the negroes or Appropriated to
them. Under this state Of things there will be lit
tie planting next year, comparatively. The
white people will raise little more than
Is necessary for bare existence, and
tDat at the rlsk OF this being stolen or
taken from them. The Eastern States are over
stocked with manufactures and the West with
produce. but their best market is cut off, Stagna-
ton in trade and suspension of employment con.
sequently follow. The South cannot pay its
debts, and much less continue even a norton of
its former profitable trade. The capital concen.
trated IN the great commercial and moneyed CEN
tiers, finding no employment in leg innate trade is
employed in stock gambling. Such is the actual
condition of the country as brought about by rad.
ica legislation; but the prospect in the future is
more gloomy still. Unhappily, the present radi.
cal Jacobin Congress will be in power long enough
before the voice of the people can be heard at the
polls to do vast deal Of mischief and il is quite
probable that before another election can take
place the country will be plunged into terrible
distress and Tevulson. We would be the last to
create unnecessary alarm, but the signs of the |
times are full of evil, and it is our duty to say So
On recent Sunday, French translation of
. Hamlet" was produced at the Gate Theater in |