Year: 1867

From the New Orleans'P Picayune.l


New York, New Jersey and Maly-
land have certainly Joined the march of
reaction, and swelled the great army
which is rising all over the country for
the overthrow Of the policy of Radical
ism and its authors. The details are
not complete, but they are sufficient
The figures may be altered, and the es-
Inmates prove more or less accurate,
but the general results cannot be mis-
taken. The one general and important
result is clear beyond peradventure
The power Of Radicalism in the elec
tions is broken. The iron discipline of
party has failed to bring up the reluc-
tant masses in support of the new po-
litical dogmas, and extraordinary and
revolutionary expedients Of policy
which unscrupulous leaders have en-
deavorsd to force upon them and on
the country. The bond ofparty cohe-
sion is loosened, and we may henceforth
look for even greater results, in the re-
lease of thousands of moderate men
among the Republicans from the thral-
dom in which they have permitted them
selves to be dragged along by violent
crowds, believing opposition to be use
less, and thinkingsthe turbulent clamor
about them the true voice of the peo-
pie.


This is the moral value of the cleo
ton results we are chronicling. They
are proof Of the disintergraton of q
dangerous, despotic and intolerant or
ganization which has so long succeeded
in swaying the power of the nation,
through the agency of party discipline
and by party terror. Evidently large
numbers who have voted with the Re
publicans heretofore have voted direct
ly with the Democrats and this, not
withstanding the repugnance which still
prevails to such an extent among the
adversaries of the old Democratic par
ty, to identify themselves with an or
ganlzation which calls itself Democrat
ic. The hatred of a name has in many
places, and among large classes, sssurvi-
we'd long after the things have changed
and when there is nothing left to men
ton but the memory of obsolete Often
ces and of dcad offenders. We have
known intelligent men, strong Conser-
vatives in feeling and principle, to be
backward in exertlons to establish the
policy they most approve because it
was put forward in the name of the
Democratic party, and they were TN
willing to revive the party they had
been warning against all their lives.
When cxpostulated with. we rarely
found reason assigned in justification
that did not bring up some controversy
with which the Democratic party OF
to day has as little to do rs with tbs
building of the Pyramids; and reclte
faults and pertidies, the chief actors in
which have abandoned the Democratic
organization and become leaders and
prosecutors in the ranks of Radicalism.
This prejudice is unreasonable, but it
is strong, nevertheless and correspon-
dingly strong must be the reaction
which has caused thousands upon thou
sands ofthe men who dislike the very
name of Democracy to give their votes
to Democratic candidates. The same
deep sense of the national crisis which
breaks up the Republican cohesion is
welding together, tor the one purpose
of saving the life of the constitution
from Radical violence, men who have
been life long adversaries, but now sur,
render the controversies Ofthe past, and
suspend all secondary issues of the f,l
ture, for the one common object OF re-
scuing their common country from i'm
pending ruin,


We hope we shall not offend the con-
servatism of the New York Times by
expressing some qualification at these
results. The encouragement which
the Southern people have taken from
these manifestations of reaction, as
they successively appeared in the sum-
mer elections, drew down upon them
Il sharp rcbuke from that paper, for
presuming TO expect anything tavora-
BILE to themselves in the defeats OF
Radicalsm and it was broadly intilna-
ted that it would fare worse with us III
We should make any demonstration Of
qualification in any such prospects.
We cannot, however, but believe that
the Radicals, with whose increased rage
the Times threatened us rs the penalty
for this office, will discover something
to be feared, if not respected, in the
PUBLIC OPINION which has come up in
such thunder tones against them from
all parts OF the country. The day for
carrying elections by the furious ap
peals of war passion has evidently
passed a way: and the clamorous dem
agogues who have no other stock in
politics but dcnunciation of every man
who resists their ideas of government
for the whole country as rebels or reb
ell sympathizers, are coming to grief,
before the alarmed intelligence OF q
people who scc that q tyranny which
would degrade and impoverish the
South, is invading their own most pre-
cious rights.


Itcan no longer be disguised that the
liberty, order and good government,
and material prosperity of the North,
demand in the first instance, that the sys
TEN of unlawful and cruel effort to pun
ish and degrade the South must be bro
ken up and swept away, as the first con
dition for the restoration of peace and
constitutional government for them
selves.


$5.OOO,OOO.


The cost of maintaining King Scho-