The Hickman courier., 1872-05-25
The slide Into RadicaIssm.

Horace Greeley, of New York, at the
head of its editorial column. for Presi
aeuk;and Gratz Brown Of Missouri, for
Vice President. We were not disap
: Sinted at this, for the CoUBtER has,beeu
suting to slide into Radiealism for'some
re and has at last found a hole by
whica he can creep out of the Democrat,
ic ranks, and is perfectly delighted. : :
We are 10th to part with-the COURIER
from the Democratic faith, but such Is
the fat of this ably conducted paper
Di.ron .SeaGnel.
If we did not entertain the profound
est respect for the great erudition and
.uDbouuded. ability of the .Sentiael-our
wee bit Webster county neighbor--we
should be entirely inconsolable. But
we do and shall treat it precisely as we
would sensible man or journal; albeit,
we greatly fear that its ruling will dis
courage Mr.. Greeley and cause him to
abandon the field, for certainly he would
neither accept the candidacy or presiden-
cy knowing it to be Objectionable to the
Dixon Sentinel
We have no thought that the Sentinel
could be convinced, or being convinced,
that it would acknowledge the error, but
over its shoulders We may strike some
sane man, with brain aud courage to do
right.
The pending Presidential contest in
wolves great principles, and principles to
our mind far above personal or even par
ty considerations What Mr. Horace
Greeley has done is not of SO much i'm
portance, as what he and his present CO
laborers propose to do. The Democra
cy of Tennessee struggling against the
tyranny Of Brownlow did not halt to
investigate the war record of Gov. Sen
ter, but relied upon his promise and the
promise of his liberal Republican back
ers to remove certain obnoxious legisla
tion and restore the people to their free
dom. The same was true in Missouri
and Virginia. Instead of the Democrats
sliding into Rndicalism who supported
Senter, they slid the Democratic party
into power, and restored the white people
to their full political rights.
Mr.. Greeley row stands where every
democrat in lhe.land may stand, if he
has the courage to raise himself above
the dictation of cross road politicians
he is a powerful advocate of universal
amnesty; an unrelenting enemy of the
carpet baggery, of the military despot
ism and of the centraliziug tendency Of
the Grant administration. He is in
short, exactly the kind of a man the
perils of the political situation demands
lie is honest, capable and conscientious,
and if elected will carry into effect those
much needed reforms for which the
Democratic party has vainly labored for
a half score years. Measured by the
standard of present necessities he au-
swers the requirements of the Democrats
and the resurrected ghosts of all his past
political enormities. if moulded into one
terrific hob goblin, would not scare the
party or any considerable portion of it
from a just appreciation of what be is
We ask the Sentinel, if the Democrats
and Liberals are agreed in these great
things; if they are agreed upon the
hving issues of our times, why should
they disagree upon men. Should we
allow the choice of u'eu, to prevent the
success of these principles? Can the
Sentinel point to single principle that
the Democracy desire enforced, to which
the Liberals are not pledged? To aid
in the success of the principles named
large proportion of the Democratic
press, we think three fourths of the
Democratic party, are supporting Gree
ley and Brown, aud does the Sentinel
mean to assert that this vast proportion
of its party, are "sliding into Radical
ism?"
Gen. John C. Breckinridge, if report:
be true, has publicly announced his in
tention 10 support Greeley and Brown
aud we suppose that our wee bit of I
Webster county neighbor, will "slide hin
into the Radical party" Col. Ed. Cross
land, the old Democratic war horse o
the Bloody First" by special telegram
to the COURIER published in this very
issue, announces his intention to supper
Greeley should he be the nominee, auC
certainly if it ''sIid him into Radicalism
he wouldn't make such a promise
Away with such bosh The .Sentine
the whole of last year, when we were
arguing the Negro testimony bill, ant
the New Departure policy, amused itsel
by barking at our heels" charging
"Radicalism, 'negro equality" etc.
The whole Democratic party, in every
State of the Union, have since adopted
the very policies and ideas for which the
editor of the Sentinel then denounced us
as Radical, and yet the Sentinel still
shouts for the Democratic party? Oh,
to the winds with such style. We
like the Sentinel; and want it in the
future to raise itself up to something like
digni6ed argument We think it honest
in its position; butif it would convert