Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-27
RADICaLIsm Ar TIE SOUTH.


RADICALISM AT THE SOUTH.
The New York Times RadicaD con-
fesses that Radical imperialism at the
South was a disastrous blunder. That
paper says: "The grave mistake in
policy which was committed in Louisiana,
Georgia and North Carolina, of attempt
ing to control the administration of politi-
cal affairs by arbitrary class legislation
and by actual force, undoubtedly had
an unfsvorable effect upon all the South
em States" Decently honest Radical
journals have become tired of upholding
and justIfying the carpet-bag governments
of the South, and the course pursued to
continue their existence.
The plan of organizing "outrages as
an excuse for proclaiming martial law,
has now been pretty thoroughly ex-
posed. The failure of the North Carolina
attempt has brought the heretofore sue
cessful experiment into disrepute, even
with large number of Republican pa
pers. Its exposure was so prompt, and
its rebuke by the people so complete, that
a renewal of the scheme in other States
is dreaded. The Chicago Tribune, the
able and influential Radical organ of the
Northwest, has the following criticism
upon the course pursued by the Radicals
toward the Southern States:
''There never has been time since the
close of the war when the Republicans
might not have permanently secured a
political asceudancy in each of the States
that took part in the rebellion. That the
party has not now such an ascendancy in
all of those States, is not 20 be attributed
to the disloyslty of a majority of the
white people, but to the intolerance and
fanaticism of certain factious men at the
North. There is no doubt that
the overthrow of the rebellion involved
the utter crushing at the South of all
hopes of divided Union, and of all de-
sire to renew the struggle. The Southern
people were willing to accept any terms.
But the habits, thoughts, feelings and
traditions of mems lives cannot be eX-
tirguished or changed in a moment
When the war closed, we had to choose
between holding the South as sort of
penal colony, excluded from all psrtici-
patton in the affairs of the government,
and receiving the ex-Rebels back as
political associates and countrymen, who,
with us, were to control the destinies of
the nation, and transmit the Union to the
custody of posterity 1t was unfortunate
that anything occurred to prevent the i'm
mediate adoption Of this latter policy, and
that for several years the former was prac-
ticallY adopted and enforced. We
cannot make New Englanders out of Viz
ginians and Carolinisns, any more than
we can make the negroes white. These
people have their own ways of doing
business, and their full share of that
American independence which resists out
side interference. They might not resist
compulsory proceedings, but they could
not be brought to approve them.
They proposed to be faithful In
their devotion to the Union, hut,
after having formally sworn allegiance
six or eight times, felt justly incensed at
being required to swear again, and keep
swearing. 1t has not been
sufficient that the State governments have
all been Republican, and a majority of
voters of the same party; these people
have been pursued by a system of vexa-
tious prescription objectionable under any
circumstances, and mainly unprovOked.
The Rebels have been permitted to vote,
but they are denied the privilege of per
forming an official duty. A family Of
young men may vote to elevate to the
Governorship or to the Supreme Court an
ignoramus or an sdventurer, but gre not
permitted to vote for their own father for
Justice of the Peace.
"'The Southern States, with far
greater unsnimity than at the North,
have accepted and cordially ratified
all the amendments to the Constitution
deemed necessary by the changes wrought
by the war; and wherever the people
have ceased to be Republican it has been,
to great extent, the result of a bastard
~ prescription that has left them hardly
any otner alternative. During all this
time there has came up from the intelli-
gent and earnest Republicans of the
South, and from their Representatives in
Congress, prayer for general amnesty
and Acknowledgement of the whole peo-
pie. Had this taken place two years ago
the whole South would have been Repub-
lican. AS it Is, the carpet-baggers, and
their supporters at the North, In the en-
deavor to crush out every spark of man
illness and every memory of the past
among the Southern people, have done
more to defeat Republicsnism in those
States than the Democratic party could
have done in generation"