The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-19
TEN YEARS OF AMERICAN RAD1-
OALIHH.

TEN YEARS OF AMERICAN RADl'
OALISN.
Under this suggestive title, the LONDON
Saturday Rerieu-the ablest of the British
weeklies-publishes a truthful and exhaustive
review of the causes which led to the late
disastrous overthrow of the Radical party IN
the United States. But for its length we
would be glad to reprint the whole article
but must content ourselves with quoting its
most interesting portions: "The great
political CONFUSION which has taken place in
the United States, like that equally sudden
and complete reverse Of party fortunes effected
in this country by the general election OF
last February, YVES preceded by ominous
symptoms which the party in power per-
sistently disregarded. Extreme partlsa
have ascribed one defeat after another
to local or trivial causes, and have
even tried to explain away the total result by
reference to influences merely selfish or to
prejudices wholly ungrounded, just as the re-
action in England has been imputed by the
less rational and respectable OF the defeated
party to Beer and Bible the sinister OBJ
jects of the publican and the unfounded alarms
of the advocates OF religious education. The
truth is that in each instance public opinion
has tardily but decidedly condemned the
policy and repudisted the aims Of the party
lately supreme, and that upon general and
very grave considerations. The American
reaction at any rate, will be sufficiently intel
ligible to any habitual student Of United
States politics who has had an opportunity
of supplemen:ing the ordinary sources Of in
formation by personal observation Of the re-
suits of past misgovernment."
'The condition of the conquered States of
the South, after nearly ten years OF peace and
subsection, could not but be subject Of grave
anxiety to every intelligent and patriotic
American, and OF bitter reproach against the
Radicals. The latter had had everything
their own way. They had possessed such
overwhelming majoritles in both Houses Of
Congress that even under the Administration
of Andrew johnson, they had been able to
carry all their measures over the Presidents
veto, and to impose upon the South just such
governments and such rules as they pleased.
Since March, 1869, they had controlled the
executive as well as the legislative power,
and, with very little regard even to the
plainest and most clearly expressed constitu-
4ional restrictions, had governed the Exon
tederate States at their own discretion. II,
then, they had failed, their failure was in
itself a sufficient evidence either Of culpabiity
or incapacity. And their failure was signal
and notorious.
'The Louisianian revolution brought it home
to the understandings Of the Northern people
with peculiar force. Mr.. Kellogg's Govern
ment claimed to have been duly elected by the
negro majority in that State; but as a matter
of fact, everybody knew that it had been in
stalled in power by Radical intrigue through
the instrumentality of Federal bayonets, for
no other reason than that it was Radical, and
would put the offices and resources Of the
State at the service of Radical jobbers, and
its votes at the service of the Washington
Government. The undisguised dishonesty
and injustice of this Administration, and its
schemes for maintaining itself indefinitely
through the disfranchisement of the respecta-
BILE citizens and the Justification Of the ballot,
its relations with leading Radicals at Wash
ington, its corruption and shamelessness,
were familiar to politicians; but its sud-
den collapse before the insurrection
of last summer proved them to all
the world, and exposed moreover the fact
~ ~ hate re
own constituents. Every respectable journal,
every sober citizen in the North, was utterly
ashamed Of the treatment Of Louisiana, and
Of the conduct Of the Federal Government
toward it. The scandal thus created drew
serious attention to the other grievances Of
the South, and it was impossible that Radi-
calism should survive such attention when
once fairly reused.
''The first palpable fact was that, in order
to secure the control of the Southern votes
for their party, and of the State Treasury for
their hangers on, the Radicals had placed
the conquered States absolutely in the hands
not merely Of bitter partisans, ignorant Of the
condition and difficulties of the country, and
hostile to its people, but of the very scum of
the camp and the caucus, Of suffers and OF
low electioneering agents, and had sustained
these men in q systematic dishonesty which
has probably no parallel in European annals.
Millions had been borrowed at time when
it was obvious that only the strictest economy
could enable the States ever to pay their way
and restore their credit-borrowed on disad-
van.ageous terms, from Radical money
lenders and jobbers, and embezzled by Rad
ical governors, legislators, secretaries and
treasurers-and not fourth Of the sum had
ever been laid out, even in form, for the bene-
TT OF the borrowing State. To pay the in
terest, and enable the Government to borrow
more. enormous direct taxes were levied on
property that was almost wholly unproductive;
for the South, after lthe war, had nothing