The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-05
monstrous Pnradoaes.

/
has tendency, in its last analysis, to run
into contradictions at once monstrous and
absurd. To point the moral of this asser-
ton, by attempting to specify 1.-THE of the
multitudinous proofs would be to exhaust
more than the space at our command, and
more patience than the average reader pos
sesses. We propose, however, to furnish
some striking exemplifcations abroad and at
home.
At this moment in unhappy France there
is word of fatal significance which the elec'
trio telegraph has rendered household jar
con-and that word is s'Conansuae. 1t typi-
fes, so to speak, Radicalism purely CALI
clan, and claims to be founded upon the
rights of man. Like all decided monstrosi-
ties, it is harder to reconcile with itself than
ANYTHING else. It's cardinal doctrines are
very fine upon paper; but its overt acts are
in Aagran: violation OF its dogma. The
Commune protests against standing, army
But the very first thing the Commune raised
was standing army. The Commune holds
that conscription is one of the worst oil
crimes against the citizen. But the Com
mune has been swift in adopting this very
crime and merciess in exacting its rigorous
fulflment. The Commune sounds vocifer-
ously the praises of q free press. But the
Commune has taken by the throat every au-
dacous journalist who spoke ever so mildly
in contravention Of schemes OF rapine and
outrage. The Commune is directed against
| the union of Church and State: But the
church, innocent of partnership in the ag-
gression of the State, has been warred upon,
its holy edtces pillaged, its priests slain or
mutilated, and its chief prelate compelled,
during passion week, to travesty the suffer-
ings OF the Redeemer of mankind. The Com
mune proclaims universal peace But the
Commune has no existence, save in riot and
death, while It's red flag never waves where
| the tri-color has flown, and its folds have
been dyed, not in the gore Of the Prussian,
but in the blood Of Frenchmen. The Com
mune believes in universal equality. But
the Commune is ruled by men more impera-
tive than Napoleon. The Commune ordains
that the evelng principle shall be applied
to property. But the Commune, when it has
its way, gorges itself upon stolen goods and
grows bloated with pride and spoils by beg
CARING the rich. The Commune, iii word,
is grand only in pretence and theory, and
monstrous in its deeds. The honest senti-
ment of the world is conclusive against it;
and nothing causes outsiders TO reprobale
and Ioath it more than the shocking discrep-
ancy which exists between Its preaching and
it's practice.
1t is wonderful. fact that nowhere in the
rean. of Journalism is this Commune so held
up to popular execration as in the columns
of the Radical press of the United States.
We say this is ,ooadeJM fact; for what
the Commune is to Paris, in small degree,
the Radical party is to Tie United States in
vast d,gree. I'VE hold that the sins OF The
Commune abroad are trilling peccadiloes
compared with the crimes of our American
Commune; and that the French paradox is
rather veniul in It's way when laid alongside
OF its bulky Yankee congener. We confess
that when we approach the demonstration OF
this statement we are aghast at the maSnl-
tude of the labor, tie embarrassing richness
OF the material, and the proofs that could he
piled mouutau-high to dwarf the mole-hill
OF BIanQuls Insignificant Commune. Wewiil
not dwell upon a war for u Union which
ends in the .rest disunion, aud struggle
for q constitution which eventuates in the
worse than overthrow OF that sacred instru-
ment-since the sword has found its way 10
the bowels of both Union and Constitution.
We will not particularly pause upon cita-
ton of every horrible atrocity perpetraaed in
the names of Union and Constitution by the
murderers of both. We may omit even to
specially brand with infamy the policy Of
party which, in the name of universal eman
cpation, makes lords Of ignorant, servile and
inferior negroes, in order to browbeat, hu-
initiate, impoverish and enslave their own
white brethren. Even the application OF the
test of judging people whose God is mon
key, may not be carried to the legitimate
parallel Of condemning dominant faction
whose hero is Grant and whose divinity is
Buller-the inevitable sequences, perhaps,
OF the Darwinan exegesis. All these must
be sketched but need not, at this time, he
e!ahoralely discussed. To narrow the SUBJ
jet down to tue dailytpaper point, let US take
MIR. Senator Sumner as an exponent OF the
better cluss and less knavish Radicalism;
and measured by this standard, let US see
how much less odious Is the local Commune
of Paris than the Commune OF the United
States which, banyan-llke, covers al area
that makes Paris look like wart. TO re-
capltuIute all the incOngruities OF Mr.. Sum-
her would consume too much time and prll-
ters ink. We need not go back to the time
when nc swOre to observe the constitution
'with mental reservation;" or even to the
day when his separated spouse is said to
have expressed regrets that the cane of Pres
ton Brooks was not made of stronger mate
rial. Wef bear to fill the dismal void which