Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-13

Decay of the Radical Party-The Party
OF Moral Ideas ON the Down Grade.
From the New York Telegram


Decay of the Radical Party--The Part
OF Moral Ideas ON the Down Grade.
| From the New York Telegram.
When the Radical party cam
into power it was upon the wings G
spotless whiteness-on a reputation
for political purity and characters
tic hatred for the alleged politica
corruption which pervaded all Off
ces of the government, and mad
all parties hateful in the eyes of tn,
people. The saints thereupon com
bined to clean out the Augear
stable. Ministers of the Gospe
shouldered the party spade anC
began throwing about the politica
muck, utterly regardless of theil
white chokers and the inevitable
deflement of their garments. They
labored, they said, in holy cause
they were intent on a patriotic
duty and the elevation Of man gen
orally. Man, they said, had been
buried under this political mud pile
by the national democratic street
contractors, and they were bound
to dig him out. flaa dfI F..
Many simple minded citizens
who were brought up in the be-
lief that every attribute of white
chokered preacher is angelic and
intensity holy, could not help fol-
lowing this lead. Many of the
opinions advanced were not in &C
cordance with the feelings or judy
ment of the converts; but they felt
that it was holy to be converted,
and converted they were with a
vengeance. Every hamlet in the
North had its special Peter the Her
nit, who led forth his scores, of cru
saders to strike at the impious
stakeholder, and carry out vision
airy ideas of manifest destiny and
irrepressible conflict. The bigot-
ed leaders soon inspired the mas
ses of their followers with their
spirit, that is, they made them as
bigoted as themselves. Under the
lead Of these would-be lmitators
of Cromwell-each q small and
cruel tyrant in his own way-the
crusaders were led through innun-
cradle horrors, and occasioned toe
triumph of many errors and the
duration of much suffering for the
performance of a little good. Pu-
rity, however, was still the watch
word, aud when the battles Of the
rebellion ceased, it was still potent
enough to upbear race of igno-
rant demagogues that had sprung
up with mushroom rapidity, and
under the influence
of the war. Purity, purity,
always purity, was the cry, as OPP
posed to old time political corrup-
ton, and with this battle cry the
victory was won at the ballot box
as well as in the field. Meantime,
of course, while the peoples senses
were lulled into this holy slumber,
robbers were plung-
ing up to their armpits into the
public treasure. Wherever the new
party of immaculates have obtained
a foothold this sly thieving has
been going on, and finally, so gen.
eral has the corruption become,
that it cannot be hidden from the
scrutiny of the people, but like
foul disease, long repressed, it
bursts out in spots all over. The
public sees all at a glance. The
first of the diseased limbs has been
Topped off in Virginia by the Con.
sentative Ratchet, and by the next
presidential election, the great
Radical party of pure, moral ideas,
will have persisted of political
smallpox, brought on by the
hidden filth of the very
temple of the pure. As the
time for the execution approaches,
the developments of the villainy of
this great moral leper in injecting
the nation with it's disease are be-
coming more numerous, and its
body grows more offensive to the
public nostrils, until a general i'm
preston prevails that if the capital
punishment be not fastened, the
carcass will not hold sufficient
breath to render such stern action
either necessary or satisfactory.
The knen of the party has been
rung. By all means hurry it under
the ground, for it is offensive in the
sunlight. Its favorite ideas of equal
rights, free suffrage, and all "the
isms" thereunto attached are fail
ures, as likewise are its chosen
representatives, its administration
and its pretences of purity and
honesty. 1t has not given out
single vigorous shoot to flourish in
honor of its parent; it has brought
nothing but debt to the country,
and now by the trucking, temper
izing policy of its leaders in deal
ing with foreign nations is bringing
disgrace. Let it be buried, with
no mourners to raise loud lamenta-
tons over its grave. 1t is unequal
to the times, corrupt, weak, cow
ardly, indefinite in policy, antago-
nistic to national greatness, and in
every way unworthy of the age and
the people. Let it be buried.