The Radicals and the South

The Dispatch publishes a long article attacking the radicals and many of their views.

The Radicals and the South. The South, we believe, is very patient under the crusade of the Radicals against her. Putting little faith in the many rumors as to the intentions of the President on the subject of general amnesty, and regarding with indifference the threats of the Radicals, she calmly awaits the course of events. That the present condition of things cannot last, she knows; and while she cannot see exactly in what way it is going to end, she will do nothing in the way of self-abasement to hasten the sequel. Let Radicalism, then, agitate itself as much as it pleases, it will spread no terror in the South. Indeed, it would be rather gratifying to see the Radical party become more tyrannical and prescriptive than ever. It would be all the better if General Butler were in Congress the session about to commence. He would heap up wrath against the day of wrath, and hasten the grand climax of political agitation, which must be followed by quiet, peace, and order. In this way he would be of great service to the South. Radicalism is not so powerful after all. There is an immense minority opposed to it in the North. The South is a unit against it. The Government is not yet surrendered to its mad followers, who see that the commotion which now agitates the entire North is occasioned by the exclusion of the South from participation in the Government, and that the interests of the nation are sadly impaired by the anomalous condition of the so-called union of States. They would like to keep the South out of the Union until the next presidential election. To resist the forces that tend to compel the admission of the South to equality in the Union and carry out their object require that they should increase the storm by embittering the war upon the South, impeaching the President, and doing everything by violence. This but hastens the end, and will but make it the more final and decisive when it comes.

“The Radicals and the South,” Reconstructing Virginia, accessed March 29, 2023, https://reconstructingvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/432.