The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-10-14
TIL E PILOT.
MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER IA, 1869.
The Radical Party.

Inc ILdOlCdl Z dI Iy.
The Waukesha Plaindealer says, ''the
Republican party was organized on basis
of hostility to African slavery. Opposition
to the institution was its only stock in trade
its only excuse for being born. Its adj
vent to ROVER was followed by war, and
war was the doom of slavery. After long,
bloody and terrific struggle hostilities ceas
ed by the sure nder of the insurgent states.
The Southern people accepted the situation
as they found il at the close of the war !;
and, as mark of good faith, and to show
their desire to resume their places in the
Union, they abolish slavery by voluntary
ratification Of the Fourteenth Amendment
to the Constitution. Then the Radical
party ought TO have died. It had no de-
cent excuse for continuing to live. The
source Of its inspiration vas gone
The spirit which gave it existance, animal
Cd it, and when elevated it to power bad
departed. The extinction of slavery had
demolished the whole foundation on which
the party originally stood.
What a world of trouble. of wrong usur-
patton and expense would have been saved
if the radical party had then given up the
ghost. Peace would have resumed her
benign sway over the whole land aid,
bound together by the strong ligaments OF
a triumphant constitution, completed
Union whould have shed Vulnerable bless
ings upon a harmonious and prosperous
people. But truce to regrets. Unfor-
: tunately this party refused to die. Its
2 leaders we e, reck 'essly ambitious. They
hal tasted of the sweets of power, aud
+ we're unwilling to surrender the cherished
prize. But their party was without issues
aud without principles, and they dared not
meet the Democratic party instte the Con-
stitution upon the issues which the creed
of that party presented, and so, acting up
on the false assumption tiat the Southern
people were insincere in their professions
of allegiance, these radical leaders stepped
outside the Constitution, and recognized
their party on the reconstruction, military
governments for the South, and negro
suffrage.
Then follows another long and bitter
struggle in which the worst passions were
appealed to by the Radicals. while the
Democrats opposed them with the weap
ons of truth and reason. But passion tri>
umphed, and reason was vanquished
Ala:n Lave the people Of the South ac-
cepted the situation. Again have they
submitted, and this time to the humiliating
terms of negro suffrage; and they are now
slowly but surely marching back into Un-
ion from which they have been so long ban
ished by radical force. Again have the
radical party lost the issues with which
they intended to keep the party alive.
What next2 Can they dodge again? We
do not see how they can. They will now
be compelled to come down to business.
There are facts to deal with. They are
live issues to be discussed. They must
come to time. There is the tax question,
tariff question, the national debt question !;
these things must be met sooner or later.
They are plain, hard, ugly facts, and the
eternal cry of "copperhcad, !" loyalty, ="
&c, can no longer obscure them. The peo-
pie must now pass on the questions. If
they approve Of the present oppressive
tariff, the payment Of the national debt by
the purchase of the bonds at premium Of
25 per cent. if they approve of the ex-
travaganco and corruption now prevailing
IN the departments Of government, why,
then they will continue to vote the radical
ticket. But if they favor reform, retrench-
ment aud abolition Of the tariff, the only
possible way to secure these results is to re-
sto the Democratic party to power.