The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-03-14
WHY Is RADiCALIsM NOT DEAD AND
RURIEDY

1t Will be the wonder OF posterlty why II
was that the radical party held sway for so
long period in the history of the nation.
We unite our surprise with the generations
to come. OF course, the fraud of the return
ing boards and the widespread corruption
and fraud that the party leaders have made
use of will account for much of the success
that has attended the radical party, but we
repeat that we unite our surprise with the
wonder which will come with posterity at
the tenacity Of life exhibited by the radical
party. Much of its strength is fictitious. 1t
has never had clear honest majority of the
entire voters of the country. In the last
national contest Mr.. Hayes was defeated by
an immense majority. If we take the white
vote alone, the majority was per-
haps one round million against him.
We do not propose to discuss any of the rea-
sons which may go to demonstrate why the
radical party is alive to-day and why it has
existed for the last ten years-but why with
all the rottenness, corruption and fraud,
which are synonymous with its very name,
it is not buried and out of sight Why is it
culture education, progress and civilization
of the nineteenth century have not been suf-
ficient to damn it politically and, we might
add, more especially, socially? Why is it
that it can crown all its many infamies with
the stupendous fraud OF the century, COM
mitted within the last few weeks, and not
excite within its own party limits loathing
and disgust Glance for moment over the
history of the party for the last
eight years. Look at its southern
policy, concerning which the decent, con-
sentative element of both parties
has stood by powerless and aghast as ii pro-
crossed, and held up its hands in holy hor-
ror as it uhfolded itself, and to-day the
fraudulent president apologies for the radi-
cal southern policy by calling into his cabi-
net southern men who have been identified
with the opposition, thereby endeavoring to
make amends for the mistakes and errors of
the previous administration. The radical
party is its own accuser as to its unfriendly
and uncharitable policy toward the Southern
people. 1t acknowledges all the charges
made against it by the democratic party by
a confession of the dead failure of any profit
able results in a single southern state, and by
its complete change Of policy and the calling
in of southern democrats to its consultations.
The radical leaders wish now to conciliate
the southern white element, get rid OF the
carpet-bagger, and win back the
confidence of the negro, whom his
carpet-bag radical brother had well nigh
plundered of all his earthly goods and be-
trayed his confidence as we'll. Then il we
return to the surroundings of the party adj
ministration at Washington we find rings
within rings, fraud within fraud, corruption
without and corruption within, and from
thence spreading throughout the entire
country we find the same kind of corruption
fraud and rascality pervading and perme-
ating everything and everybody with their
influence. Passing all these things by, we
have witnessed within the last few days the
concentration of villainy and corruption
and their final triumph and contamination
in the seating of bogus president in a
chair unsullied by at least the corruptions
of the hastings and the ballot-box.
All of the predecessors OF the present
fraudulent president have been at least
elected fairly before the people, which is
one of the distinguishing features between
Hayes's election and the long honorable line
of his predecessors.
Now then, why is it that radicalism, with
such a record, is not dead and rotting away
with its kindred dirt and nastiness2 The
solution, partly, to our mind is because
thers is in the radical party large, respecta-
BILE, moral, decent, religious element at
tacbed to it because of the attrac-
tons of some of its early founders,
men like Lincoln, Chase, Sumner and
Greeley, who can not cut loose from it,
although knowing the corruption of its
present leaders. Then there is large ele-
ment which refuses to believe any evil
concerning it; who confne their readings
and sources of information to radical organs
of the standing of the New York Times.
Chicago Tribune, and the cmaller, less infu-
entail provincial press; who positively will
not inform themselves as to the moral and
social status of their party. This class may
be called an intelligent-ignorant class The
moment you ask them il they have read
such an article manning something in con-
nection with it) in any prominent demo-
cratic paper, the answer. as il insulted. will
be: mo; / never read that paper" and
upon close questioning you will lind that
the only paper read is radical sheet, with
stories of the Eliza Pinkston class, an JUST
fications of the late radical returning board
rascalities, etc, etc
Whether we have given the true reason or
not of the existing vitality of the radical
party certain 1t is that p0sterity. in reading
the history of this period, will wonder why
has radicalism existed so long with its inter.
minabie catalogue Of crime, rascality, fraud
and corruption.