Year: 1866

The Presidential Plan OF the Radfcsls-


Their Certain Defeat.


General Grants position before the country
as the inevitable man for the succession will
utterly confound the grand radical scheme to
secure the whole government by having radi-
cal President as well as radical Congress, and
a Chief Justice ready to do, 30 far as his power
goes, the radical will. All radical measures
and maneuvres are framed and directed to
retard reconstruction-to prevent the re-estab-
lishment Of the Southern communities in their
United States But the country does not yet
very clearly the plan that lies behind all this
Congress has all necessary power to settle the
country and the destinies Of ev'ry race
within its borders; but the radicals will not
permit Congress to use that power-not
because they want it to have other. newer
or different ones, but because they want to
prevent the employment of any power that
would replace the States In their natural posi-
ton, return the Southern members to their
seats in Congress and restore the Union in form
and in fact That is the first object of all the
radical operations; but the people, though they
see plainly enough the delay the radicals cause,
scarcely appreciate that that delay is designed,
because they cannot SEQ beyond it any sufficient
motive.


The motive has reference to the next election
for President The radicals are determined
that the South shall take no practical part in
that election; that the Southern people shall
have no voice in choosing the next Executive,
and that the choice shall be made by
the Northern vote alone, which, Of course,
they believe they can control. They have es-
pecially determined against Tennessee, in order
to shut out Mr.. johnson as possible can
didate. It is their settled purpose to pre-
vent reconstruction-to keep the South
disorganized and in anarchy if possi-
BILE, solely as a means to shut it out from
participation in the choice of the next Presi-
dent This is the grand motive of their dan
gerous policy-a policy and motive that will
consign them to deeper damnation than was
ever yet the lot Of any political faction. All
intcrcsts-the safety, the peace and the prosper
ity of the natiOn-are thus laid on the altar of
party. If the radicals are as successful in the
future as they have hitherto been there is
a probability that they will prevent the re-
turn of the Southern members throughout
the term of the present Congress, and retard
reconstruction to that extent. II, then, they
should gain another Congress; if the leaders
of the party can so far deceive the people as to
their true motives that the majority of repre-
sentativcs chosen in the next election shall be
radicals, then their scheme will, as they sup
pose, be consummated.


Though not restored to all its political
rights and not permitted o representation in
Congress-, the South will still be practically
reconstructed i'm all the material respects of
Intercourse and commerce; and will undoubt-
edly 60 through all the forms, cast its vote for
President, and send that vote to Congress.
Congress will then have to decide the position
of the States. BY refusing that vote it will
declare that the Southern States form no part
of this Union; that secession is fixed fact, and
that the States whose votes were accepted to
determine an amendment Of the constitution
had no right to vote on that question. AS the
Southern vote for President will probably
nevef suit the radicals they would doubtless
refuse to receive it; and since there would be
a natural sympathy between the South and the
Northern minority, the country would be torn
by the greatest political storm that we have
seen yet. Then the people would see how
easily the good results Of great struggle may
be wasted by the madness OF political schemers
who would ruin the country they strive to rule.
Political dissolution might then, indeed, threat
en- the nation agitated by so many furious ele-
ments Of dscord.


All the difficulties and dangers of this pro-
gramme the radicals have made up their minds
to face. They are ready to prove by all acts
that the war was the failure that the Chicago
Convention declared it--that is, that in spite
of the war to save the Union, the Union Is
broken up and the Southern States are out of
it; that the "South is victorious" as Wendell
Phillips said. All this they will do to accom-
plsh their purpose. But the patriotic percep-
tons of the people win spoil all their schemes.
Grant will be chosen by the unanimous voice
of the country, North and South, and practi-
cally 1t will make no difference il the Southern
States are counted az in or ont. Grant Is the
only man who can secure this great victory
over the enemies of the country, and thus he
will be the man to lead us through all our
troubles.