The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1868-06-26
Out of Sorts.


Portable mental condition into which
our radical friends have fallen within
the last month or two. They are not
only unsocial and distant in their de-
pertinent and carriage generally, which
is a great distress Of itself, but are
as vicious as wasps who have had
their stings drawn and as abrupt in
manners as enlarged swapping tur-
ties. Whether these cccentricitics are
peculiar to the race and periodical in
their visitations, or have been suddenly
induced by causes remote to outside
penetration, we don't pretend to know.
We can only state the fact, and wonder.
The radicals have been in power
sole, unrestricted, unlimited power
ever since the so-called reorganization
of the State. They have had full swing
at everything-haye run riot and wax
ed fat, and strong, and self-sufiicicnt
on the spoils Of office. In aword, they
have had the game altogether in their
own hands, and have played thunder
and turned up Johnny from the bottom
of the deck frequently. They have tax
ed the people Northumberland them
till they are sweating great drops under
the extracting process. They have cree
ated new offices without number with
enormous pay attached, for no other
purpose but to reward dirty partisans,
who, like the daughter of the horse
leech, are eternally.crying Give! Give!
They have collected immense revenues
and squandcred and wasted them as no
other party la this land ever lid before.
They have DISTINGUISHED tlickmore sub
stantial and intelligent portion Of the
white population and honeyfagled and
deceived the negroes in. thesnIost rep
rehcnsible manner. They put the bot
tom rail on top, mounted themselves
astride it, and, like the beggar a-horse-
back, have been riding under whip and
spur right straight to the devil. Briefly
and sufficiently, they have done pretty
much everything bad, or in bad way,
and very little that has turned out good.
And now we want to know what it is
that ails them? What it is that makes
them SO dark and downcast, SO abusive
and repulsive2 Why they no longer
move among their fellows bouyant and
self-reliant, with head and tail erect
like pony studs on County Court
day? Is the sceptre about to depart
from "Judy" and the children? Do
they see the great iron fingers of the
people tracing their fate upon the sign
boards Of popular opinion, and begin to
realize that they are soon to be turned
out to browse and feed upon grass and
thistles?
But enough of this. There must be
some deep-seated cause for the "radi-
cal" change we have noted; and we
want to know what it is, that we may
if possible, out of the abundance OF
our charity, do something to relieve
them. 1t is not in our composition to
witness unmoved the sufferings, the
agonizing and gloomy anticipations OF
our fellow-citizens of the white radical
persuasion.
1t is not possible in government
whose superstructure was designed To
be an intelligent popular will, that one
party can remain in power always-es.
pecially'if it lavishly abuse its power
and we don't think our radical friends
ought to take their prospective defeat
in November, and that which is certain
to follow in Tennessee next year, sc
much TO heart. Power is apt to beget
corruption, as has been most remark.
ably illustrated in the case Of the pres.
ent dominant organization; and it may
be that in the course of eight, twelve
sixteen or twenty years, the Democratic
, party, or rather its leaders and mana,
: gers, may, too, become oblivious Of
the high source whence they dcriv'
J ed their importance and consequence
and the people find it necessary to tum.
BILE them out neck and heels as they
have about made up their minds to dc
the radicals-when the latter may agair
attain supremacy under some other par
ty name, Meanwhile they are likely tc
have ample leisure for reflection and
repentance, and to cultivate lesson Of
federation and forbcarance of which the
party today stands greatly in need.
More Gossip.
.A(1ispatch from Washington of the
20thEavs: f9'