Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-17
The Late meteorological Signs
for the Future.

for the Future.
In 1876 the country gave us hopeful
sign of the permanency of our free insti-
tutiOns in a stunning defeat of the Radi-
cal party, on account of the corruptiOns
which then prevailed in it. Now we
have another, six years after, even more
hopeful, because it completes the revolu-
ton then begun, and has been much
more powerfully impressed upon the
minds of the people.
Like the inhabitants of q village swept
by a tornado, or stunned by the shock of
an earthquake. the Radicals were amazed
and bewlldered to an extent utterly de-
mOralizing, while their opponents,
though confident of success, were equal
" astounded at the greatness of their
victory. AS the guilty can never see
now they deserve punishment, the Radi
Gals are wholly unable to account for.
their disaster upon principle, and con-
tent themselves with abuse of each other
for want of tact, for inharmOniousness,
&C. On the principle that when thieves
fall out honest men get their dues, this
is fortunate.
The lesson of 1876 was either not un-
derstOod by the Radio lls. or else impunitY
of corruption had rendered them reck-
lessly Indifferent to fortune The latter,
however, we cannot well believe, since
they went to work with great assiduity
to patch up the wreck of their affairs,
and succeeded by bold righteousness
and unadulterated 'cheek" in main
tajnlng their hold upon the government.
Thus they succeeded in apparently
righting up the party ship, but they find
the crew divided, and no account what
ever was taken of the shoal upon which
it might fatally strike.
Their political philosophers overlooked
he fact that there are natural forces as
irrepressible in the moral and intellec
tual, as in the material or physical world.
They forgot that in one way or another
nature manages to efface and blot out all
evil or unsightly things put upon her
fair escutcheon. and that she does
this chiefly through the operations of
time and progress The revolution of
1876, though bloodless, was quite as
significant as that of 1776. and, like its
predecessor of a century before, required
about the same period Of time for its
completion, as evinced in the tenacity
with which the Radicals have held on to
power in spite of the rev declaration of
independence by the people. But the
total and final overthrow of Radicalism
will be complete in the fall of Arthur's
administration, so signally rebuked on
the 9TH inst; and then they will be able
70 see, perhaps, that time and progress
have elevated the American people to
that point at which they place a higher
and truer value upon their liberties.
We shall now begin to believe there is
true honesty enough in the country to
save it against all the attacks of dema-
gogism and corrupt Radicalism in either,
OF any party of the future, and herein
les the great hope reconstructed in the
breasts of patriotic Americans by the
recent contest at the polls. When we
see so many intelligent men ground their
partiz4n arms, divest themselves of pO-
litcal prejudice, and rush to the sup.
port of the country, we are constrained
TO raise our estimate of modern Ameri-
can patriotism and acknowledge its re
la,ionship with that Of 1776.
As in 1876. though defeated at the
polls, the Radicals are still in possession
# the government, and, as then, may
promise many concessions for further
tenure of office, but their record is
behind them, with its fatal display of
broken promises. What they may now
promise is not theirs to give. The people
having conquered, demand their rights
at the hands of the administration, and,
Frustrated. it has no power to withhold
them. There may, indeed, be some show
of courage put on at Washington, and
feeble resistance may be offered to ad
vancing Democratic measures. This,
however, will only fill up the cup of
s.alwart iniquity and hasten the sure
| downfall of Radicalsm.