Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-10-09


chleftain whose name stands the highest,
hottest, mightiest, brightest, on the page
OF American history, and which lies deep
down in the hearts of his countrymen
which is fondly lisped by every American
child, and is cherished and revered by
every lover of liberty in whatsoever coun-
try he may live. and under whatsoever
cline, has prophetically written of those
evils which are now in our midst In
speaking of the men who had Radical no
tons in those days, and in connection with
the Declarations of Rights enjoined by the
Constitution, he says They serve to
organize faction, to give it 1.-THE Constitu-
tom, an artificial and extraordinary force
to put in the place of the delegated will of
the Nation, the will of party" Further
on he commands, "that you resist with
care the spirit of innovation upon its prin-
ciples, however specious the pretexts. y
Again cit is important, likewise, that
the habits of thinking in a free country
should inspire caution in those entrusted
with its administration, to c0n1trae themselves
,Dit1in their respectice CONSTITUTIONAL
SPHERES du0idinq in the exercise Of The pour
ers of all the departments in one, and thus
create, achatever the form Of d0oernnae1t. a
real despotisma." No language is SO explicit
None easier understood. The boy of ten
will read it, and see it's astounding truth
fulness, and he will cry aloud with the
Father of his country " Guard against
the impostures Of pretended patriotism. -
Has lot that partisan body, styling itself the
Congress of the United States, used an ea;-
trdOrdinary force in putting in place of the
delegated will of the Nation, the will of q
party -? To me nothing is so self-evident
Why should We not as a people, with all
the energy and talent that God has given
us resist this spirit Of innovation? What
faction, what party has ever before attempt
ed the exercise of the poaCers Of all the De-
partnae1ats in one? And what is the result :?
Precisely what Washington predicted-a
real despotism. A despotism beyond all
bounds of endurance and moderation. A
tyranny that travels, and swears, and
foams, and blights, and kills as it travels
A tyranny that invades all rights, private
and public. Down with the tyrants.
"They have gone beyond
Even their exorbitance of power; and when
This happens in the most contemn'd and abject
States. stung humanity will rise to check it,
Well may we say, indeed. as did the I'M
fortunate Pompey on taking the sad fare
we'll of his devoted Cornelia, "He who
trusts his freedom to a tyrant, from that
moment becomes a slave" [ say, he who
trusts his freedom to the Radical party,
from that moment becomes slave. The
Radicals have not only ignored the consti-
tutional right of the Executive, but they
have paralyzed the power of the Judicial
ry. That high tribunal to which we
have all looked with pride has been
rendered nugatory by the men whose
lawless will has overridden the peoples -
It can render no decision on the Constitu-
nd Shn hat 10 int
unconstitutional, when that delectable
Congressional body sees it will conflict
with their ideas of usurpation. Its supreme
authority is void. This great barrier
against the tricks and tyranny of politi-
clans, as well as the Constitution, that pal
ladium of our liberty, has been completely
set aside by this Radical Congress. They
gradually fell into this traitorous display
of party spleen. Bad mon always seek ex-
citing times to fix themselves in power, and
to fix upon the people the most odious meas
ures. During the bloody scenes of conflict
their pretext was, necessity of war. Since
the close of that fratricidal epoch their plea
is ''to punish the rebels" Gentlemen, let
us glance briefly at these two points.
[ regard the Radicals in no other light
than that in which Lamartine did the
Socialists and Communists of the Frencl,
revolution of '48. The fire brand party
which tried to overturn the infant republic
was nothing less than the government of
clubs prescribing the government of the
nation The proscriptive measures of
the Radicals are nothing less than those of
midnight leagues, bad men banded to-
gether, prescribing the government of this
nation and setting up the will of party
When the flame of war was famed into Ii
fearful blaze in the eventful year of 81,
from the Threats of millions of men sprang
forth the simultaneous cry that this Union
must and shall be preserved, one, indissolu-
BILE and indivisible, forever. There was
no Free-soiler, no Abolitionists, no Re-
publicans, no Democrats All were for
the Union. None flew to arms more
promptly, or with more determination
than the Democrats of the North. In the
North were hardly to be found forty thou
sand in favor of meddling with slavery in
whatever State it was then in existence.
The war began. Defeat came. Victory
came. With both came the direst hatred.
Grant said he was for the Union and moth
ing less than the Union, but that if there
was single man in his command who de-
sired the liberation of the slaves he would
dismiss him on the spot. After the fall of
Fort Donaldson, in the Spring of '62, he
NoSN& oA@4AAAt@A AeSAASoo0 OOHSo@SS' ,'SH
clamoring for peace, but it did everything
it could do to prevent it. More hard
knocks. More defeats. More hatred.
Democratic Generals, leading Democratic
armies, charge the front and meet foemen
worthy of their steel. They are sick OF
war, and tacitly consent to the proclama-
ton of '63. The war continues, and
bloodier than before. The cry of Congress
was still, we want peace on the basis of a
restored Union. The sanguinary days of
Grants campaign came, in which no soldier
showed more heroism, or was more adj
mired for rare courage by the warriors of
the South, than that peer of soldiers, Han
cock. The struggle at last was ended.
The soldiers of the South had fought as
men had never fought before in the annals
of any country or of any age. They re-
turned in sadness to their homes. They
expected to be treated like what they were,
brave and honorable men. They had re-
ceived the plighted troth of the United
States that they had never been out OF
the Union, and that by no manner OF
means could they sever that bond,
and that they would, therefore. be
received in the Congress of the nation as