1
a
- !
A'
,1
it
i -
'tr
t
.One Year
Six Months......
Tlifrec Months...
. Subscriljers who do not trive 4 rvnrpsa- notice
L.J .
to the contrary. ar considered- as wishing to
' continue their subscrii.tion. - -j -
Any person M ho receives a ncwspajeir and
makes use of it. whether he his ordered ! it or
not, is held in law to be a subscriber. ;.
The
; -
Plunder of . Eleven. States
l - Republican Party.
by
the
, .. , JirKECIt-OK - IS.
1 , i ,
i..u:r. y. vrtoiuiiJis,
1KLIVKkjV IX ' .
' t -
THE
HorsE of represeVtativus,
MARCH 23, 1872. ' i !
rt
; I;
V hall know thvin by their
fruits.' Do
ii'tn jralhtr grapevs of thorns, or fiirs
of this
tles:", hven so every rood tree hringdth forth
fruit : but
n ci-rrupt tn-e nnii
M-ittlutc. 7; in. 17.
lortn
evil fruk.rSt.
. iTiic House having met for debate as in
t.riimjj.t(;e of ,th.J v hole on the stuie of
. thp-1 ii-.'?u f if. ViifU'i'K!'- '".c-.'-.l : '
plr. K-kker : The condition. of many
oljthe States or this . I -ni-m excites to-day
the niingled pity and Jiidigiiation of the
civilized world. They are the tl cnie of
.sorrowful and of bitter tonimeht wiieYever
the channels of human inteiligenct pencv
trttte.-f They engage the attcntioi of all
the -departments of, this vIoverniiient.
Iyxeeutiv-j -procTai nations spread e vil' tid
ings about them, and hurl ,ejry principle
ql their liberties, ey'ery munpnent if their
safety -to the ground. Congress enacts
lasa"amst them which utterly destroy
cery vwsiige of freedom, and fonje ;and
riet on llieir helpless lunbs the falters of
m'spousm. it also semis forth ivi power
if missionaries of inchh-f in the form of
qinnnttees, backetl by the money land
thp power of the (lovenunent, whose labors
.are to blacken the clTariick r and fame of
tlijjir pvplj unck'r the gui.se of oiheial in
tjstijritiinis' ami otlicuij report,sl The
hijad: ir thi' Department of .Jusfiee? the
laj.e Attorney (ieneral, - he who , led : his
pijople intiiL. the war and then letiirned to
pl?iue and lay waste the hearth stoncss of
!is loHowers. superintended in person the
iumiiMtioii anjl the torture inflicted upon
J the descendants of'those who foii"ht in
ill; battles M fhe lrcvolutiou. Tlie Army
ot; tlie I lutuil t:iuvsitj a tiinoot tiroloMtiil
pcac is lauoched like a bolt, of destruc
tion into tlu ir . nudst. It Is enLrared in.
seizing, without sworn charge' or warrant
.ofjjaw, tlu; youth", tlie middle-agjd, land
thb gray -haired grandsires; in the sanctua
ry! of American tioir.es, ai)d driving them
Tr.e Itepileil Loasts irRo crowded prisons.
T4ie odious -i r ke sf ( 'laverhou.se; Kirke,
v onnies.sions of
.'oti;ui.(l. wiiicli gave "their
names more
the overjast-
tl.ih." ft V-'.tiid
;-eu
vi'ars ago to
eVci;tioii
niaijkin,!, Is being
f:p
aul h'Huiv o.:
Aineriefn soHl. 1 And
" J'
1
IVevrlv-iit hi.iisel
in his recent nies-
pie.aii l. as I. f. says,
h
laste. as if
IiutI sliasrs ' irKcaUT iiiHH.HaiiCd to
.-i-age :ls att. i'tioji. wt lTnnd tsme! io
.tr.it: bis sanction a!l this and to add his
. iiilitiguant. init'o to the general ftrralgn
iu'ent an. I aecusaation. ! i
, ijSui'iui.,di d.:iiid cojuVonUxl by thts ds
: jt r is, f at e f ; m '. ; afB'Ms, J r-e foif.-J-dpc.--.
th.i.-. llo;i.Nc' iii behalf of free, instim
.tiins, of Htfpartial jstice, and of :l.he
ojf j resst;d ami outraged citizen? wherever
bis. home may be planted. I shall speak'
by tfie aiit'iority of those who sent ime
licro. To them I am "beholden,! for! all
t'lat I am, and. to them alone. I ticknbwl
edge myself responsible in this .world for
wutt IlitU r on this floor.'". j i
1r, who lias filled -one third ! of jthc
I :-undaries of this Heiuiblu with .all the
vyjsCH and
the annals
calantitt.es ever . record JtKia
of the worst (iqyernments
J.iivwfvon the -pages of historvi -Nearly
ser-n ' years ago blessed peace, like a
merciful, white-winged angel, came to the
land. ho, since then, has-poured upon
the unresisting and helpless South the
Jloods f disorder, corruption, bankruptcy,
crnine, oppression, and ruin? . Efery 're
sult has its distinct and specific cause in
the moral and politicol world as well as in
tire mathciiiatieaf realms of the physical
scif-nces. TliegVeatest thinker and writer
of the present cchtr.rv has said : !
-if--
'TjIj ..the moral pvorld, as in the physical
Wrlih itotliing is anomalous ; nothing is iuipat
urti! : ii'othiy.ir Js strange. AH is orW. sym-'HjL-tA-.
au I law. - Tl icro are oj nosites, . but
t! (ere 'aire no foiiinu lift ions. In .the character
of" a nation, inconsistency is impossililc. Such,
however, is still tlie back ward, condition of the
human mind, and with o eil and jaundiceit an
eje do w aj.proacli the. irreatest problems,
iTijit tuft only conunoii w riters.- hut even men
from wiiom better thiitjrs miht le hopel.-are
:). this-point ' involve!'- in constant eonflision,
" pUrplexitur theiii-nh es ami their'' readers I by
siK-akin of incoiLitney "as ifitwere a quality
JKilon-riiur to the-subject which they investigate, '
i.i.toad of being, as it really is. a measure of
tlt'ir ow-ii unit .ranee. It is the business of the
historian to nmove this ignorance, tv showin"
t"iit the movenients of nations are perfectly re
gular, and thflt." like all other movements, th'ev
are solelv determiiusl lv tlieir .antecedents. If'
i "i, l . i. ... i. . i
ii" cannon uo mi.-., uc-1. no nisionan. lie may
be an annalist; or a biographer, orachroiiicler,
but hijflser than that he canjiot iie, tuiless he
s:,iinbucd witl t-at spirit of science yhich
1 teaches as m anicle, f faitH. the dotriiio of
uniform se-nience in other words, the doc
trine -tltat certain events having alrea'dt; hap
jMjnevl. certain other eveiits correspoti'Jiiig: to
'. them will also happen."-' J -
4 ;Dut this great eloctrinp' of uniform se
quence, of cause and effect in all things.
- lias even 'yet higher authority than the
powerful and philosophic Juclle. or tlian
any other earthly sanction: lien the
travelvr. o.vcr desert plains, finds a cooling
" and healthful stream lie knows there is a
fonnta'a tf sweet waters above ; but jif
tlie stri'am .is- impure and poisonous,Qt
, heeds ho argument to convince him that
the soiree frufci which it descends is like
wise b'ttcr and unclean. The apple and
the rpflnegranate, the olive "and the grape,
; all proclaim by their ow n. good qualities
the generous and bounteous trees and
vines on which they grow ; but the nox
ious" weed, the rdeadly creeper, and the
useless bramble furnish no such evidences
of tlieir merit and .worth to the husband
man." And when the mighty Nazarene
made diis brief but. awful 'sojourn upon
earth lie pointed - to these productions ?of
-. the lars of nature, and proclaimed, not
"merely to -his-followers in Judea but"to
the'pebple of alltlie continents and all
- the islands of the seas, and to . the re
motest generationsof .mankind, ' that the
same onerring certainty also existed lie
tcenne visible results of human con
tnicVantl the absolute causes from which
' iiey arise. He warned tlie whole world
against falser corrupt, " and plundering
leader of the people, and announced the
means by which their spurious pretensions
- shall always be determined : J ' i
; 'Ye!shali know them by their fruits. Do
"-. nien gather grapes of thorns or tigs of thistles ?
'Evn so every good tree bringeth forth
, ood fruit; but a corrupt tree 'bringeth forth
" . evil frit.". f ; i
! Let this unchangeable standard of truth,
established by the ' physical and moral
- sciences; and sanctioned by the voice of
, Divinity, be applied to the party in power,
and o its. unbridled and unrestrained deal
VOLUME 1.
ings with the people and the States : of the
South. Who has planted and nurtuiod
the thick growth' of . thorns and thistles
there? W'e have heard endless specchek
here and everywhere, in regard to the'
fruits of the war. By, whose wiqked de
vices have they been turned . into apples
of Sodom and the Pead sea, and been
made to mock, the hopes and the expec
tations of the anxious beholder? By
whose conduct and- policies has every
blessing of free government "been scour
ged from the face of a country contain
ing over twelve million people and larger
in extent than many of the forcjnost Pow
ers of Europe? 1 call upon the majority
in this House to answer. " Have you not
had all power from tlie beginning of what
you call reconstruction over that subject?
lias there been anything wanting to your
absolute authority ? What has ttood hi
"vh- way of your wi.-Jes, yoiu parlliaii
t-.kiis, your lawless fanaticism?..
. Vhe Constitution has been no restraini1 ;
i i-. - it i i . t
i'jwn voi;r aciw'Tf.s, ri. i.Uj lytya triinijcu
under foot, dwarfed into a dead letter, or
widened and extended by fraudulent
amendments, according as the unscmnu-
lous puiioscs of a powerful party would
be hest promoted. ,lo quote the clear
and hallowed principles of. that immortal
instrument fyere nqw is -only to excite
the displeasure, and the sneers of those
who are bloated and overgrown with the
insolence of office and a long lease of pow
er. To" express a reverence for those who
bought its original draft with tlieir blood,
and to hold it up as it was before the
hand of modern vandalism had assailed it,
is denounced as treaaon. The great chart
er of liberty has not even bceria stumbling
block to your feet in your swift encroach
ments upon the rights of all the people
and the States of this Union, and especi
ally upon thos'c.of the Soutlu-Youharve ta
ken all the powers it gave .you, and. yon
have usurped every, power you desired
besides. No law, however revolutionary,
barbarous, and destructive, was ever found
by your construction to be in conflict with
tits provisions, if t was demanded b' the
interests of ' your party. Your own will,
rithout let or hinderance from any quar
ter, has been the measure of your legisla
tion. . ' '
The Army, of the United States has al
so, been made ready and obedient to your
command. It has j been the irresistable
instrument with which to execute your
pleasure on a prostrate people. You say,
'Go, antl it goeth ; come, andit'eometh
and notfung has withstood the accomplish
ment ot, your purposes.
The purse of the nation, too, ftos been
in your-grasp as well as tli sword. The
taxpayers of America have .toiled for you
as the serfs of llussia have not for their
ruleRS. Their streaming floods of.Jrolden
tributohave poured into your coffers with
eycry motion of the pendulum of time.
You have taken the laborer's carniiftis and
lavished uncounted millions on your bale-
fu'. sclicmes of government under a south-
trn sky. j .
You lKive,likewlse controlled IVcsidents.'
When one. of your own election rose up
and stubbornly confronted yr u with your
'wTr precedents and ?o!eiiin ournittolj in
regaifl: to "the inviohiblj' existence " of
States,' and their perpetual, tight of repre
sentation, yon sought his overthrow and
ruin with a fury and -a hate' until then
unknown in the history of legisla
tive bodies. While you barely failed to
hurl hini'from his place you -were com
pletely successful in rendering him power
less to .execute his -policy or to prevent
you from executing yours. ' This House
was purged in a .memorable way, in order
that you might have the wthirds nh.
jority with which to pass uocpristitutionjd
law s over presidential vetoes. -.Expulsions
"of members took place under the tjiin and
flimsv guise of c6ntested elections until
the minority .here w as sufficiently depleted
and you became paramount over the Ex
ecutive and absorbed all his official ftuic-tions.-
Lawless legislation then broke
loose upon hinr, by which he was bound
hand and foot, and made as powerless as a
ina'nacled prisoner in the depths of a dun
geon. Andrew Johnson no longer divi
ded with you the responsibility of the Gov
ernment ; you weilded it alone. The Ex
ecutive who has succeeded him submits
willingly and unconditionally to w hatever
Congress may propose. You hold all his
powers in your hands and levtd theni
against any liberty or right of the citizen
which you .may wish to destroy.' He
avows his purpose to jam any career you
may point out to him, with no riiore mind
of his own than thje orderly who holds his
horse. I pausefnot now to ask' how you
have obtained1 this degrading control:
Whether it is the cunning of a vaulting
anibitioii on his'part, which with a pretend
ed humility has been known to push aside
the iriiperial crown in "order to "be a little
further persuaded, or whether it springs
from his ignorance, matters not for .the
purposes of my present argument. The
great fact, that you possess all the powers
and control all the departments of this Gov
ernment is what I demonstrate. ; , y
, The Federal patronage, with its immense
and corruptive influences, lias also come
into your hands with the surrender of the
Executive. The venal and the mercenary
have been seduced into , your support by
your offices and your profligate expendi
ture of theypublic money ; while the timid
have beei overawed by tlie bayonet and
the cannn! Every application by which
jnen hae ever been subdued to tyranny
has been held and usedirt profusion by
the party now in power, from tlie day that
the war closed on tlie bloody soil of Yir
giniauntil the present hour. In proof of
this let the specific details of k -continued
usurpation, evil govennentand mal
administration be presented to the candid
judgement of the country. .
Sir, the absolute destruction of free in
stitutions from the Potomac to'-the Rio
Grande commenced with the earliest dawn
of peace. Sherman received Johnston's
surrender upon the precise basis on which
the war had been prpsecuted. at every
stage. He stipulated that the soldiers of
the South should lay down the arms of
their unequal warfare, return to their States
tes, whose existence had not than been
denied, and resume the pursuit of industry
when they had left off", subject only to the
destruction of slavery, which was wrought
by the movements of armies, and not by
proclamations. He had more than a thou
sand precedents in the dsliberate.and re
corded action of this Government for his
conduct. He . was . sustained by both
branches of Congress hi innumerable ways,
by foAr years of incessant and voluminous
legislation, by the enactment of apportion
.ment laws throughout the! States whose
people were in rebellion, by districting
them for judicial Durposes, by levying up
on them direct taxes as members, of the
Union under the Constitution, by. the con
stant reception of their representatives on
this floor and in the Senate, by. the, most
Mplemn and binding joint resolutions, 'and
by every other mode in which this depart
,-'-'. f" )
'LET. ALL!
I -'!
ment of the Government can Commit and
pledge itself. , He was upheld fiy every
document also .to which the name of the
Executive was attached during the war'j
by every message', inaugural, proclamation)
and order of. that prolific period. The
courts added their weighty sanction, from
those of,the lowest and' feeblest; jurisdic
ion to those i of the .loftiest pretensions
aiid powers, j No Government in the wide?
spread history of the nations of the earth
"was ever under voluntary andsell-imposeq
vlittM.i.Ti.-r. f.f m.aaIa. C ewrr n t nnmifiu1a
The word and die honor of the llepubjicy
had been plightdd over and over.again to l
its own civuiied world. 1 he' momentj
however, that resistance ceased, and the
way was opened "for the long pent-up pur
poses' of revolution, centralization,' and
r.piue, the p&jty 'in power broke with
' harnelqssliaste iis' most sacred faith', filing,
worn -"W, yeors, dr
m.rteii . tnat,ns 'j.rev:oi:s .preteas;n anq
promises were fraudulent, and ciainored
V.'iili wild fe
ocity a'auist the hero of the
march to tiic'sea1, bcause he had believed
they were true and sincere, and had acted
on. them. The terms which ' .Sherman
gave to a fallen foe had often' lieen tern
dcred to that foe before he fell ;f but they
were now madly thrust aside in! the hour
of victor', and the:geueral himself denpunf
'ced far and wide as a. traitor to his
country. The hue-and-CFy was raised
against him as if tke was a fleeing-fugitivfe
from justice. The memorable and dis
graceful outburst jcannot be covered with
oblivion. It mot4 resembled th,e enraged
scream of a beastj of prey about to.be baff
fled out of its victims than the reasonable
expression of human1 beings. The victim!
however, was surrendered to the clutches
of an inflamed and victorious ' party, and
the work of demolition and ruyi. was dt
once commenced. From turret to foun
dation you tore down tire govenmenti of
eleven States. You left not one stone upf
on another. Yo.ij. rent all their locallaws
and machinery into fragmpnts and tramr
pled upon their ruins. Not a yestige of
their former cdiKtructions remainedi'
Their pillars;, their Rafters, their beams,
and all their dpep-iaid corners, . the work
of a wise and devoted generation' of the
past, were all dragged, away, and the sites
where they once stood left naked for the
erection of. new and different structures!
You removed the , rubbish, pushed the Aar
my into the ! vacant ground, established
provisional governments as you would over
territory just acquired by conquest froni
a foreign power, 'and clothed 'brigadier
and major generals with extraordinary
function as Governors. ' '..
This was the beginning of the present
organizations ; those odious and unsightly
fabrics which now cumber the earth, and
which stand as the op" en, reeking, and con
fessed shambles of corruption, 1 pollution,
and revolting misrule: They embrace
not one single element of popular consent.
They are the hideous Offspring of your own'
unnatural and unlawful force and violence
The grei-.t hodV of the people: of that unf
fortunate section had no inpre share 14
rebellion of thc&f local governments thai!
tho sepoys of vhe East Indies have in the
of the jfllrit ishcm?L;v TU&y vrsre
excluded from all participation ; by the
most elaborate .and minute 'schemes ; of
legislative proscription of which history
makes' any record. ,; ' j
;The first duty of thp provisionaj governi:
mcnts which you established .was to Call
conventions to frame new constitutions for
these old States, and to prepare them for
re-admission into that l.nion from which
you haxl sworn so Soften and so. sdlenmlvl
thatno Stte could ever withdraw. Thesdi
conventions were provided for by laws eii
acted here. The number and the quality
of tlie delegates to them w:ere here speci-
lied. Who should be eligible was your;
vork, and not .the 'work of the people who
were to be governed. You not, only said
who should be cltctcd, but you likewise'
determined who should elect them. ' You!
fixed the qualifidatiohs and the color of
the otcrs.- , You purged the ballot-box of
the intelligence and the virtue on which
alone popular liberty can be safely found
ed, and you admitted, in their stead, the
sufirage of the moist ignorant and unquali-
nect race now mnaoiiingine gioDe.
Mingled witli this dark and turbid tide
of dense ijmorancfc came all the vices of
this lower race, together with the' crimes
of a nibre powerful and a more profligate
class, with palefaces, from the North, now
and' then receiving their .'worst recruits
fromthe apostates of the same complex
ion -in the 'South. You .winnowed the
threshing floor1 'but you rejected the
wheat. ' You accepted the tares, and sow-i.
ed them," and now jyou curse, the soil be
cjfuse you have reaped nothing but tares
for your harvest. ,Yu built upon a founda
tion of shifting sand, and now. you rail at
everybody but' yourselves because the
houso has not resisted the winds arid the
rains that have beat upon it. When these
conventions met,-they represented the
wretched constituency which spoke them
into existence, and they went to their ser-
vue iasKs wim uie oayonet 01 me r eaerai
Government at their throats. They
sat m .every, instance tvithm point-blank
rapge of shotted cannon. " Tle delegates
crept about and framed constitutions with
the eyes 6f military governors upon therm
The sword rested lightly in its seaboard,
and was ready to leap forth at any moment
and upon the slightest pretext to assist in
devising fundamental laws for a people
said to be free. The State constitutions
that were thus Created and thrust , upon
the' country could not fail to partake oT
the depraved nature of their illegitimate
origin.,? They sprang from tlie loathsome
union of ignorancej vice, and despotism ;
and they, have inherited many of the ugli
est features of each one of their progen
itors. Thej despotic principle - is strongly
marked in them alL It is there in obedi
ence to. the mandates of Federal poweras
well as in accordance with the characterof
the instruments who were used to fasten
it-upon; Americanj" citizens. Proscription
and ostracism are (he leading elements of
every State jgoveriiment in the South. In
tellect and vutue, public and private worth,
spotless character, splendid attainments,
graceful culture, and the experience and
wisdom of age were all passed by tinder
the reconstruction of violence and fraud.
These 'who were txssessed of these traits
and acquirements! were pushed aside, and '
made to give place to the most degraded
classes of mankind. The people were not
allowed to select 'their official agents from
among those who were qualified for public
station, buY were driven into the purlieus
of. ignorance and vice to choose their"
rulers."", j" ' !''" .. . )
In the reorganization of all " the States
whose present condition is matter of such
sore complaint fand such bitter accusa
tions, the dominant party here and in
those States excluded from office and de
prived the people of the services of; every
man who by his talents, industry," and in
tegrity had sufficiently acquired .the con- ;
fidence of his fellow-citizens before' the 1
THE ENDS THOU AIM'STT BE
ELIZABETH CITY, N. C,
war to be riiade Governor, secretary, aud
itor, or treasurer jof State ; attorney gen
eral, jujlge, clerkj or reporter of the su
preme court ; .superintendent of public in
struction, member or either branch of
Congress, or of the Legislature of his State ;
clerk, sheriff, treasurer, auditor, or recor
der of i his county : judge of a probate
court, whose jurisdiction follows the in
j evitable, footsteps of death, and whose
i functions are those of benevolence toward
0 the orphans and the widows ot the human
race ; justice n me peace, or cousiauie oi
his township, or notary -public. Kvery
man'who had been called in former days
to fill any onf of these stations, and many
more that might be enumerated, and,
whoduring the j conflict between the
sections was clothed with the slightest
responsibility or charged with the smallest
official duty by those with whom Ills des
tiny, and h!ilu:mi; hadia!en, was' marked
oy uvi m.giti .r.fnr ngmiiny, ana use ine
I ldper of old it was made acrime for Hie
f people to again reach iorth to nun
the
hand of friendship, confidence, and sup
port". -Even the sacred instincts of human
nature became dLsquaUfications .for office.
The ties 'of kindred were made criminal
under this new and revolting system. . He
who gave a cup of. cold water and a crust
"of bread to his thirsty and famished son,
tinder arins for a cause which he believed
to be right, and for which he was willing
to die, was branded with dishonor and
driven out from the councils of his coun
trymen. The loving mother who shelter
ed her weary and wounded boy, laid him
in his bwn familiar bed at home once
more, kissed, his' feverish lips, wiped away
the gathering dews of death, and with a
broken heart closed ht dear eyes forever,
was condemned for these acts of angelic
ministering, and! incurred the penalties of
P. .Li'.T. Tf- 1. J! iJ J
connscauon. rie wuo uisiuouiiuju anu
gave his horse to a brother in the moment
of danger and close pursuit ; the sister who
wrought and sent'clothing to him on the
toilsome march ; the maiden who prayed
for her lover as he lay dying in the Wil
derness or at Stone river, all fell under a
common' cursei Even the, white-haired
grandmother of four-score years, whose
youthful husband perhaps was at the Cow
pens, Eutaw Springs, and Yorktown, or,
may be, fought under Jackson at New Or
leans in the war of 1812, was deprived of
her pension, that small morsel of bounty
from an ungenerous Government, if. her
heart yearned or her aged hand was ex
tended in sympathy to her children and
her children's children on the plains of the
South. A more sweeping and universal
exclusion, from all the benefits, rights,
trusts, honors, enjoyments,, liberties, and
control of a Government was ndvex enact
ed against a whole people, without respect
to age or sex, in the annals 'of the race.
:The disgraceful disabilities imposed upon
the Jews for j nearly eighteen hundred
years by the blind and bigoted nations ..of
the earth were; never more complete or
I make, ft I cliallenge and defy contradic
tion.!; . Every tact that 1;' here 'proclaim is
contained m the law and m the recorded
ransactions of this Government, Jftd will
(constitute, "at'te some tino bsL.TMCst" and
ithe passions of the present have subsided,
jtlie most frightful and crushing arraign
ment which; history ever summed up
.gairistTTruling political, party.
on-, shall a people thus bereft of every
ttnbute j of - self-government be .held re
inonsible at the! bar of fDublic ODinion. or
r - f I
at ine juagmeni-seai oi uou, ior tne.-con
sequences which have overtaken them?
If so, then the doctrine of free agency, iri
measuring the j accountability of man is a-
pnare andj a delusion, As well might you
go to the' galje-slave and accuse him of
the misrule arfclj the tyrany which -chained
pirn to the oarj As well might you .de-.
pounce the banished exile in the snows of
Siberia for the despotism of the Russian
Dzar. With the same propriety you may
isit the prisons of all lands and rail at
heir inmates through their iron-grated
vindows on account of the evil adminis
ration of the Governments to which they
jelong. The fierce and marauding high
vayman with the same justice can accuse
lis viotim, at whose head he presents the
loaded pistoL ;of Obstructing the public
road. The story of the wolf with his false
accusation against tSe lamb, and of the
prompt manner in which he tore the help
less and unoffending thing to pieces for
muddying the stream from which he drank,
although jt stood by the brink of the wa
fers far below him, is familiar to us all,
ind is being "reenacted tit this time on a
fast scale in American history.. The
stream has been defiled by the party now
irt power, anq it renas ana. tears tne unre-
sistmg people ot tne toutn tor its own of
fense; This shall no longer be done with
out exposure and warning to the country:
I call upon that party to assume its just
responsibility land not to shrink back now
from the bad eminence it has attained in
tlie conduct of southern affairs. To " it
much has been given, and. from it much is
demanded." More' than the -ten talents
have been intrusted to its care, and the
present and future generations will exact
a rigid account at its hands. '. But now, as
the ghastly and hideous results of control
in the South appear on every square mile
of that oppressed and plundered section,
it starts back with horror and disclaims its
own offspring, the fruits of its own unholy
rapine and lusti With pale lips and af
frighted mien ijt'ejaculateS;' "Thou cans' t
n,ot say I did it." Rut thie deeds which it
has committed are of imperishable infamy,
and they,will not go down sit its bidding, nor
can all the waters of the ocean wash away
tlieir guilty stains. j .
Having, however, now shown where the
absolute, thorough, and minute manage
ment ofevery interest, right, arid privilege
of thrsouthern States and their people
has been lodged during the whole process
of pulling down and rebuilding- then local
governments,! I shall proceed next to call
upon the results which have followed.
Let the great State of Georgia speak
first The preparations which she under
went were prolonged, elaborate, and com
plete. The tvork of her purification (wa2
repeated at stated intervals until she was
radiant and spotless in your eyes. One
reconstruction did not suffice. You- per
mitted her to stand up ind start in her
new career, but seeing some flaw in your
own handiwork, you again destroyed and
again reconstructed her State government.
You clung tq her throat, you battered her
features out 0f shape and recognition, de
termined that your party should have un
disputed possession and enjoyment of her
offices, her honors, and her substance.
Your success was complete. Whe$ did
the armed conquerors ever fail when his
foe. was prostrate and unarmed ? The vic
tim in this instance was worthy of the con
test by which shewas handed over bound
hand and foot to the rapacity of robbers.
She was one of the , immortal thirteen.
Her soil had been made red and wet with
the blood of the Revolution. But she con
tained what was far dearer to her despoil.
THY COUNTRY'S, THY GOD'S AND
TUESDAY, MAY
ers than the relics of her lame. Her pro
lific and unbounded resources' inflamed-
their desiresl' Nature designed Georgia
for the wealthiest Stale in this Union. She'
embraces four degrees of latitude abound
ing with every variety of production known
to the earth. Her borders contain fifty
eight thousand square miles ; eleven thou
sand ore thalf the State of New York,
and rjyelv? thousand more than the; State
of . PennsylvanLu She has one hundred
and thirty-se 'en counties. The ocean
washes a h-jntlred miles of her coast pro
vided with harbors for the commerce of
the world. 'Rivers mark her surface, and.
irrigate her fruitful valleys from the bound
aries of Tennessee and North Carolina to
the borders of Florida and the waves, of
the "Atlantic,
All this vast regionisstored
with jibe ricIicSrsud choicest gifts of phys
ical creation - Thcvcorn and the cotton
rewad th t--iefF the . soil J and coal p.nd
iron, thvojWqud lead, and j even, the
prefcos i'rt4, gold and silver, in paying
quantities, avult the skill and the industry
of the miner.'. This Js not a picture ,of
fancy. Tb" ittistics of her products even
heighten the1 colons in which I have drawn
If. .Georgia was the fairest and most fer
tile fiekl that ever excited - the hungry
cupidity of thi political pirate and the of-"
hcial plunder e?. She was full of those,
mighty substances out of which the- taxes
of a lolioring people are always wrung by
the grasping -. nand cf licentious power,
She was the most splendid quarry in all
history for th. vultures, the kites,4 and the
carrion-crows that darken the kir at the
close of a terrible civil war, and whet their
filthy beaks, over the fallen ; and they
speedily settled down upon her in devour
ing flocks and droves. .'
Sir, let us refresh ourselves at this point
with some rcraunscences of the' forriier
history of Georgia, and in that way . fix" a
basis for comparisons between her condi
tion in the1 past, and the present deplorable
state of her anairs. When the Calamities
of war broke upon tbe country in 1861
she was free from debt. If she had any
outstanding obligations at all, ; they were
for merely nfHiiual , amounts; I Her peo
ple felt none of the burdens of taxation.
The expenses of her State government
were almost wholly paid.by the revenues of
a railroad between Chattanooga and At
lanta, which was constructed and owned
by the State. Taxes' throughout" all . her
widespread borders were trifles light as airj
Hie burdens of government were - easy
upon hbr citizens. Her credit stood high
wherever her name was mentioned ; and
when the war closed she was still free from
indebtedness. If she had incurred any
during the four years of strife, she was re
quired by the Federal Government to re--,
pudiate it upon the advent of peace. Now.'
look, at her to-day, after six years and a!
half of supreme control by the Republican',
party. She had been a member of this
Union more than seventy years when the
war came; ar-d lound that she oweq ! no
man cnytmpg. Her rulers in the olden
times doub(!es8 -had faults in common with
the iiMper;cttTace to i which j w'e belong;
but larcAJir-iitlie public money was not
I - - 7 m
amongf y
You took her ilestuiy into j
wr brief ccr. ego,. , iacijm-,'
yourinn
berediby no liabilities,; and you now pres-
- V 1 f 1 - A. . ' . A i 1 t
eni ncr, to tne amazemenc ana norror : or
the world, loaded with debts which reach
the appalling sum of at least $50,000,000.
A large portion of these debts are official
ly ascertained and stated, and the' remain
der are siifficiently well known to warrant
the statement I make. The mind recoils,
filled with wonder and indignation, in con
templating this fearful and gigantic crime.
It had no parallel in the iannals of all . the
nations and the ages5 of mankind until the;
ascendency of the Republican party and
its inauguration of State governments i in
the South. Now all the seven vials of the;
Apocalypse have been opened on that
great and beautiful, but unhappy region ;
and tlie crime against Georgia, .is but one
oi many others ot kinarect magnitude in
fiicted by the same party on other States
The authors ef this stupendous burden,
however, are not even entitled to the ben-j
jefit of the full time since tlie - incoming
of peace for its creation. It was mainly
tlie work of only about three years. ; In
i868, a year more fatal to the interests of
the people of that State than the scourge
of pestilence, war, or famine, the most
venal and abandoned body of men ever
known outside of the boundaries of penal
cqldnies, State prisons or southern recon
struction, was chosen as the legislature qf
Georgia ; not by the people, but by virtue
of the system which you enacted and put
in force. It contained a large majority of
your political adherents, men who vote
your ticket,' support your candidates, and
with whom you embrace and affiliate on
all political . occasions. They "were the
leaders and the representatives of the Re
publican party. - . :'
With them, too, came into office; onfe
who speedily secured a nationar reputa
tion, and became- a controlling power in'
your national councils. At one time Rufus
B. Bullock dictated the legislation of Coq
gress and the' actions of the Executive in
regard t the great and ancient Common
wealth that was cursed by. his presenc.
It was his potent finger that! pointed out
the pathway which led to your second asr
safctt upon her State government; ; and Ik
wa& hi-voice . and his . presence in and
about these Hans that commanded and
cheered'you on' td," the breach. He was
nfentiofied ui many quarters as the pro
i i .1 . t" 3 Ja - i i : ' . . ,. .
bable candidate of his party
lor that ex-
alted place now held by a
citizen of niy own State, the
dbtinguished
second high-
est in the gift of. the American people.
He was a successful, conspicuous, and
brilliant specimen of your system. His
advent into Georgia was as the agent of
some express company. He had no per
manent interests there. f I have been re
liably informed that his poll was his entire
tax when he was elected Governor. He
neither knew nor cared for the, people or
their wants. He was there as an alien
and a stranger, spying -out the possessions
of a land that was at his mercy, and em
bracing every opportunity to seize them.
He is now a fugitive from justice, a prb
claimedand confessed criminal, with stolen
millions in his hands. . He went into the
South on that wave of reconstruction which
bore so many eager, hungry, and : inhu
man sharks m quest of prey ; and, having
in a few short years glutted his savage and
ravenous maw, he now retires into the
deep waters of the North to1 escape punish
ment; on the one hand, and to enjoy the
comforts of his plunder on the other. " j '
With such a Governor and such a Leg
islature in fujl and perfect sympathy and
harmony with each other, morally and
pofitically, a career of villainy at once
opened on the soil of Georgia, which will
go down to posterity without a peer orl a
rival in the evil and infamous administra
tions of the worldi ' I , j h
The official existence of the Legislature
lasted two years, coinraencing in Noveih-
ber of 1868. The Governor was elected
for a term of fouryears, and served three
TRUTH'S."
7, 1872.
before he absconded with his guilty gains.
Pirates have been known to land upon
bountiful ;infU nf the spa. and with cut-
lass, dirk, and pistol proclaim a isenS
mnt: TiITlifTA ond mnrdpr thpir inhnWtants.
and from &e shelter of their harbors sally
forth on alHhe unarmed commerce that
the winds and the waves brought near
them. Bandits have been known to rule
oyer the secluded wilds and fastnesses of
mountain ranges, and with bloody hands
extort enormous ransoms for their prison
ers ; but the pirate and the bandit have not
been worse ' or blacker in their spr
than the Republican JLegislature and tne
RerwbhcanJGkvernqr of whom 1 am
mg, were in theirs. .
T' Sir, I hold -in my hand the official sta-
tistics on which I make this charge. T The
reports of the comptrollers general of Geor
gia show that for eight years, commencing
with 1835 and ending with 1862, there was
expended for th pay of members and of
ficers of all her &jgis!strsdiag that-
enture period -the , sum ol Sbbo.ooo.oo
This is the record of her admi'nistration
under the management of her own citizens.
D'urino-the, two vears' existence ot .the
Republican Legislature elected in 1868 the
report of the comptroller general shows
that there was expended for the pay of its
members and officers the startling sum of
$9 79.055. only a fraction less than 1 ,000,
000. One Legislature is thus discovered
to have cost $112,669.47 mdr'e than the
Legislatures of ' eight previous years in the
single matter of its own expenses. There
has been no increase in the number of
members. On the contrary, there are few
er now than Under the; former apportion
ment. ; 5?- .
In earliertimes the clerk hire of thp
Legislatures of that State did not average
over $1,0,000 per annum. That item alone
reached the sum of $125,000 for the one
Legislature whose conduct .1 Jim discuss
ing ; more than eqyal to the expenditures
on that account of, any ten years of the
previous history of Georgia. . Her General
Assembly consists; of one hundred and
seventy-five representatives and forty-four
senators, making two hundred and nine
teen, taking both branches together. The
record discloses one hundred and four
rclerks in the employ of this body while the
Republican party - had the ascendency
there. One clerk for every two legislators
is a spectacle which I commend to the con
sideration of the American tax-payer and
, voter everywhere. Who can doubt that
such a body was organized tor the purposes
ftpf robbery and extortion ? There' is an-
other high-handed outrage, however, in;
connection with the payment of its mem
bers and officers which surpasses the deeds
of even a professional highwayman. The
children of the State did not escape. By
the constitution of Georgia the poll-tax of
its people is made a part of the Common?
school fund, and set aside as sacred to the
cause of education. Two hundred and
fifty thousand "dollars had accrued from
this source when the ill-omened Legisla--
ture of 1868 convened. Before it finally
adjourned this whole amount provided foY
the cause of learning and human progress,
MU IUUA IHU " V uw'v r- V ' -
was swept awy.Not asinle'llar was
loiw--- An appropnatron for uieir 'own exi
penses placed it. all m the pockets oi the
members, clerks, and other officials. . They
took this money, belonging ' to chUdren
white and blacky as pay for tlieir ovlibase
services in the cause of universal destruc
tion, bankruptcy, and misery. They rob
bed the rising generation -of both races,
deprived them of school-houses arid sem
inaries, and left them to grope their own
unaided way out of the realms of ignorance.
The", hand of the spoliator at times in the
history of the world has taken consecrated
vessels from the altar and, plundered the
sanctuary of God. Even Jthe. ,' hallowed
precincts of the grave have sometimes been
invaded and the coffin rifled of its con
tents ; but human villainy has4 sounded ho
lower , depth tlianwas here fathomed, m
stealing- the very books of knowledge from
tlie youth of the land.
Having given these evidences of Inher
ent depravity, this most memorable Legis
lature proceeded naturally to its work tf
more gigantic peculation, fraud, and cor
ruption, t. ,The. limits of my time on "this
floor . will permit me . to bring forward only
a few of its deeds, but like the .-specimen
ore of the mines, .thfey will satisfy the ex
plorer that strain, veins, lcjdes, and layers
of rascality lie under the surface beyond.
The treasurer off Georgia, in his recent re
port, informs the public that prior to the
year 1868, and -since reconstruction com
menced, there Tere issued in State bahos
$5,9 1 2,5 00. He further states that he has
ascertained the amount of $13,756,000 to
have been' issued since the year 1868, "and
then proceeds to say: ;.
. "Governor Bullock had other large amounts
under the same act ' engrossed and sent him.
But this offioa does not know what has become
of them." . " . ;
The treasurer lias pushed his discoveries
to nearly twenty millions, and, then finds
that large amounts of other bonds have
been issued which are not registered, and
which are now in unknowh hands.1. The
extent of these floating, vagrant liabilities
may fairly be estimated by the character
and conduct of those who: created them.
Let us, however, exadmie one transaction
which will serve as a key to the whole his
tory of that Legislature., A charter was
granted to construct what wa& t'o be known
as the Albany and Brunswick railroad, a
distance of two hundred ; and forty-five
miles. For this work the "Governor was
authorized to issue the bonds of the State
to the extent of $23,000 per mile, making
a subsidy in money to one railroad corpora
tion of $5,639,000. The bonds havje been
issued, put upon the niarket, the money
realized for them, , and their redemption
will fall upon the tax-payers of the State.
In the mean time the road has . not been
built, and the proceeds of these "bonds
have gone, into the coffers of private in
dividuals. This fact is not disputed ; it
stands confessed ; and no words of mine
can darken the hues of its infamy or in
crease" the horror and indignation with
which it will be regarded by the American
people. ; :. ;: . '- "... '.
Other railroad schemes lollowea in rapiq
succession as the easiest method of plun
der, j The ;Macon and Brunswick railroad,
the South Georgia and Florida railroad, the
Cartersville and Van West railroad, the
Georgia ah-line railroad, the : Cherokee
railroad, the Alabama and Chattanooga
railroad, and many others,! were all made
the recipients of subsidies from" the State,
by which uncounted millions were stolen
fromj the tlx-payers." The traces of vast
sums; of squandered money can be found
on every hand, except upon the railroad'
lines themselveSj in whose names the work
of fraud and plunder was pqnducted. .
But while thq Legislature of Georgia was
thus engaged in. its unparalleled eareer oi
crime, the Governor in his spherwas also
busy! and by his individual deeds proclaim
ed tq the world that a perfect harmony,
not qnly of political faith but of official
practices, prevailed between the executive
NUMBER 14.
arid legislative branches of the State.goy
ernmrfit. ne ranged Jn-4l-pecuLtofli
fromthe smallest .to the greatest obiects
- Tand amounts ; from tlie petit to the grand
larcenies of this new era of felonies.
From
a bill of $76,432.05 paid for extra print
mg jto partisan newspapers without warrant
of law and without consideration in; work
actuallY performed, up to the fraudulent
issue of State bonds by the million, tfothing.
seems to have been too small or too great
to escape his-' eager eye or j his rapacious
nana. . lie nas ie laejnniressotnisTasp-
everywnere. iat nis cxptoia in connec
tion with tho Stato railr&adl will more es
pecially be remembered byj the people of
. This road, as I havcJieretofore
stated, was built by the bta'tc of Georgia
nearly twenty years ago, from the city of
Atlanta to Chattanooga. It connects the
(jfegions of the Tennessee jriver and the
fine's of travel descending jthrough; theni
from tlie North with Uie toitoabeli of tlie
aSoMth, atvi wsih-5vu "rnilpoail routes which
come up through it ami Concentrate at
At!?Aita. It is one hunltefd and "thirty
seven miles long, and therje'is nof aroad
of equal length on -this- con jincnV wliich Ls
more important in its tradb and connec
tions, or which is more valuable to its own
ers under an honest and competent man
agement. Wethave seen that before the
war its proceeds paid,, into the treasury al
most defrayed the entire expenses of the
State government, and ; in an' official . re
port made July 1 , 187, Colonel J?nes,
the treasurer of the State, and who had
for eight years received the ; earnuigs of
this noble public work, estimated Its net
products for the-following year at $G00,-
000.: . ., " . . , .
In February, 1870, Governed Bullock
apponited one Foster BludgeU, recently a
claimant for a seat in the United . States
Senate, supenntendent of j,his road. He
held that position eleven inOnths. During
th entire term of supcruitendency he paid
into the State treasury only, the sum of
$45,000 ; less than the net proceeds of one
month before he tookthe place. There-.
pairs which the'Vavages of war had made',
necessary had been completed at a heavy
expee under the administration of. Gov
ernor' Jenkins. The- roacVpvas iij good
condition, and but few expenditures oiit-
side of the regular course of business were
needed when Blodgett assumed his ririnous
control. Its freight and travel were great
er than ever before, and yet .its earnings,
as accounted ; for, were jeomparatively
nothing. In 1867 we finditpaymg allexr
penses and yielding' besides .$50,000 per
month. At the same rate there aret$o00,
000 now retained in the.hanls'of Blodgett
and his accomplices: ' What answer can
be made to this ? Will any i one pretend
that such a vast sum was prOjVcrly expend
ed in equipping a road alreacV equipped i
in repairing a road already :j 'repaircsil,' in
stocking a road already stocked ? I find
one itemxf expense' which.may, however,
indicate the character of them all. Twen
ty -one thousand dollari Were paid as- law
yers' fees to partisan -favorites for alleged
legal services m behalf of this peaceable
I Cf ,. 1 ;
corporation during thcse 'disast iou cievon
I months t its existence. J.t m.ut pyriiaps
mor pvopwiy lxv jiouL. tuaf liW.-. a.
division of a, general pkuuler " under
the head of expenses incurred. But
the work of spoliation did njtop with the
close of Blodgett's management. A law
was obtained from the Legislature of
which' I have sboktn, authorizing the road
to be leased in thq interest of Bullock and
his friends. Under that law it has been
leased for $25,000 per ihohth,, about ; one
half of. its real valuel One of the lessees
under this most valuable t contract Ls a
member of the present Cabinet, and was
so' when the li?ase was-made : and another
is a distinguished Repiiblicau inernbdr of
the other branch of Congress. ; . ' '
Sirjtliere was but one thing more to.be
done by this shameless adventurer whom
your policy had made Governor of Geor
gia against the coiisentpf her people. - lie
complqted his record and finished his work
by corrupting, the hannels Of. justice.- He
renaercd the couits powerless to. enforce
the laws and punish criminals. The cm-
" f 'i Til l
issariestoi conncxqct, leions crowueu lus
ante-chambers and trafficked with him for
his pardoning power. The ,recor)d shows
that the verdi cts of juries were thus wiped
out, the doors of the pnsons opened, and
the guilty, turned loose to prey again upon
the peace of society to an extent never be
fore known in Annfrican history. He par
doned three hundred and forty-six olTend
er against the law, out qf four hnndrqd
and twenty-six- who made' application to
him I His anr&psty for crime was almost
universal; Indeed his zeal in behalf of
those under indictment was so great that
his graqe and clemency was often inter
posed before the trial of the" culprit. I le
granted seven pardons in advance .of trial
to one man in the county of Warren who
pleaded them to seven separate indictments
when he was arrested and brought into
court. This special object of favor is one,
J. C. Norris, who haunts committee-rooms
and swears on all occasion to fabiilois
outrages and the imperfect administration
of the , law in the South. aUa spared
monument qf Bullock's mercy, with mani
fold villamiel unatqned for,, he Is always to
be seen lurking around .investigating com
mittees, and poiuing into their ears the
black and concentrated malice of an apo
state against a people whom he hates be
cause he baS betrayed. ' 7 -
Other instances like this might bS cited,
but enough, is here shown to account for
even greater disturbances than any ' that
have taken place in Georgia. T.hc confi
dence of all classes in tne supremacy of
the law was destroyed. They saw the
wflTdf one unscrupulous "man . supplant all
its authority. It afforded them no -secu'
nty for life or property 'when, its most sol
emndecisions(were setaside every dayiin
tlie vy ear. Its uplifted hand was arrested
in the courropmbefore. tlW indignant
gaze, andhejudlcial blow via& averted
fromtiieguilty head of the law-breaker at
the lJarl ; If the violence of the mob there
upon ensued the curse came from those
who jvere charged with the execution- of
the laws, and who, instead of doing" their"
duty,, interposed to shield villains both be
fore and after their conviction. BT this is
not the true philosophy .of mankind, I have
studied its motives and its. conduct, all i
vain. : . - .!..-": ,' -
And fiow, Mr. Speaker, ar this point I
must; take leave of the State of Georgia,
her plundered treasury, her oppressed tax
payers, her' railroad schemes of robbery,
her squandered school funds, and her
mocked, insulted, and baffled courts of
justice. Other impoverished fields cry tq
us in piteous tones tor redress, and have
long cried in vain. . Let us at least for a
few moments"" hearken to the story of each
one's woes, whether. we are willing to en
ter into righteous judgmeut with them or
not- . -. . . : m
I turn to South Carolina, once the proud
land of -Marion and' Sumpter, now the
most wretched .State that tbe sun shines
on in its course through the heavens.
A square is the width of a column." and
inch deep, .'.". ;:: ;
Advertismehts taken at proportionately
rates., when special contract is made.
Business" Cards, noUcxcmlinj" one Rduarc,
will lie published onc yar (or Ten Dollars.
. . Business Locals and Special Notices will be
inserted at proportionately low ratia",. j
As an advertiiiiis medium the iooN'OMtST
cannot be surpassed, renrt'sehting as it doe, .
business men of every class. , V1 !
1 i . i y
- 1 There Is no form of ruin to-which she
has
she
not fi
err-a-prey ; no curse wit which
lias
been baptised ; no cup or liumiii
atioii and .suffering her people have - not
drainetl to the 'dregs, l-afn tolid tliat uLsj- .
order .has reigned in some cotihjliqs within
her borders, "and we behold martial law
worse than tlie lawle.4 tyranny o f the lljark I
Age. ravaging her firesides and 5catler .
iiig her htnLseholtls.: , Bad ' gok cnunnLi i
are fruitful of such calamitious results.
History; has taught this lesson in cVery age i
Tlie wicked iuss of connp rulers breettir
outbn-.'lks aisnong. citiicciis. ,lfowhas South
Caroling- bi'en .governed' t The Ucpiibli
con party has-held undisputed - sway there
every hour lihice the overfliroy i ifthe re
bellion. 'Her entire delegation in hot! .
O 'I
branches of Congress belong to the part .
now, m powcr4 iter estate omccrs anq i
Lcgilatuf es. of all colors, havej been of
thG'satne iwilitical faith. What are thciii
AVo;ks, .What trophies of progress ant
cirilizatiari' do they bring to propitiate (thq
judgment of tlil .workl ? Not one goodj
deed adorns the polluted pages of their
record. At the close of tlie-war the validj.';
debt of the Sute (imounted to $5,000,000i "
A coinmitteeof invtstigation, in nn official
report made . December 26, 187), )tbut a
few weeks ago say : i -..' '': .'-.'- ':'-'
' '"In rcgsird to the State debt the dotninittoG' . ,
dockrc thov .'caiiiwt Jx'lu'Ve other than tlie foar-i, ;
ful truth, which .starfe.s us in the face jtliat U.io!
lionds and sUcks prinUl by tho American! (-
Hank Note Omipany, -2-2.J540,()(K) jrepresi'trti ;
tho liabilities of tho.State, for wMiich jtho fiiitlii
and cmlit( the Uate. lwwover ' umlawrullyi ;;
procuml; 1mi biHjniilwlgivd flr paymebt. Thd
contingent liuhili- in'curretl by railroad iiW
$orsementx swells Ujjb total up to nearly twen-i
ty-nlue immviirJk)Hars.?r ,.. , . 'f
. - Add tq lliis $10,000000 mofc that ii
disputed as fmidulcnt and we have an in
crease of $3 l,00a,0g0 in the dcbtl of tho
State since . fell into the hands of its pres-
cut destroyers. All the 1 lands in South
Carolina are fiot worth over $55,'OO0i000 ;j .
sliowieg'tliat-'morc 'tlian every alternate!
acre is nbw absorbed by her crqslijing. ami;',
frightful indbbtetlnes-?. If she wa'l sold ad
public auction for two thirds her appraised!
:r .within
The New York Tribune of December 19.1
.' ' ' T L
lars of Uer bonds have been fniujulcntly t
issued' by her llpiiblican Governor ;.but.
nomoqc uy.vniciv uio loimig-'iaix-payer
can escape their piiymchtiis pointe&out.io
him. Taxation, fdr the support of a good
government .often 'bejcaijies agrievous
burden, -but when it .springs directly ' and
avowedly from fiaiid and forgery: it is a1
curse, mtolerable and not to be borne
The New Yorii Tribwiti also .statics tliat;
one ignorant and -momirel General
value sho would scarcely nwrc thiji .m'eetf,..-
the r denjintfs thiit Vhave j bechLijcrcaU-il'1 ;
aalnst her within less "than seven vears J t .""7
n ' . t f m. V . - -r- 'i - mi e
senibly of Soyth Carolina drew' from' thej ;t'" "'
Treasury, the L'normqus anhrunt of oH.'J.l i
C51
, to defray. its own expensesltbr ohc-i
, and. incurred a debt of $i)l,50()-!
session
besides Ajjr furniture fAr the State
llause
which it so foully disgraced.. -A
of , the Legisluiure of the gjeat.
n-
session
Stitte
of
of
Ohio at the Siiuve tinio cost fie. people
that prospertm. .CominonweVth bqt OO,
000 This Gvfieral Asscnibl- of abject
ig;.'iori.nco- dud ::irrej:nonsHuitt in South'
of taxes oii thi' property of th - St;ite. ;J H
was i:i icV of thesy .ai.d- lundreilj
facts
that the" 'Cincinnati Gazette, .with
party fealty, w:vy forced to. exclaim
all iU
'1 he ciiinmon fauio of Cho -South Carolina
: I'iri.ihiro'i.s tliat it is a btxlv in .wliich m
niuasurt can he eamwl -wiutout nnnetiy anq
in winch linlry can carry- any measure ; m
whicll brifjery is 'as much a part r leislatiou j
as t!rijayniejitf wages to a lkld-haiMl is it.i j
raisin cottonL aiiiiw almost as oik'ji, aiui ir.
which the grx'tiUrjHrrt f tlie nu nibers ivganl
it as the privilege of the oflice to plunder the
rftite in everyj possible .way. , :, , .. J
k;( iQxrfi)9r S-ott gives s()ine iU'iii.s 'piin(;'ta
CouiittnaTiee this impression. lie says Lhaithc.
ajun'OpriatioiiM for the legislative . eijH-n's'
of the.4ast sessuni wire f HtJ while! tliatj of
the (J'nio LeislaUire wi're but. !K),(MM;thatj.
every senator has his clerk, pae. and itriefts(n-i
ger, all at heavy pay. a:t-r ItcsMes tht ro' Ls a
horde of hani .v-oii alL.oq pay .luidei various!
nretexts. ami thai-there ari innumcrabli. IcakJ
f'orthenuhlic in viev. ,Iu tiis we behold Uie CoH
geou.sne.ss of the African .Mature when .-itj can Jd -;
indulged at the expense .ofJUierx, andtiiOjavifW (
ity of the poli j II ailventijrer who know.s that,
lirsiiry-maUing miilinie kill be hhort, " " .'.'-.-
"Tills will give a' glimpse of the eleinenU .
tliat Uave multiplied the State debt with riotlw -l
ing to show. for it; of the conditions i which '
make the proierty-lioMers b Heve that the tax-.
es cxifctcd from them are rollery ; of 1 rule ! c
odioujs to all the re.sjfectable inhabitaiiU'of the .."'.
State, and of cunilition.s which excite lotfi
whiteiand black inhabitants to (kailly hostjility,
These are sime of tlie- features of the southern
situation .which have constrained us to remark
that Congress should not only provide means
for suppressing vjilcnee in the late rebel States,
but siioiiM maJiKa - thorough1 .-arid impartial yir
mirv, into ineMiuaiioiu m uruer w iiiiu niu-
,o thclu
real causa of these disorder." .
.Where is. the man on 'the 'opposite side
bf this Chamber who has lifted
p his
voicein behlaf of a thorough -: and
in par-
tial" inquu-y m order to find Uie real pauses
of disorder in the South? The greatest
organ of your party proclaims (lovernor,
Scott : himself a : forger of more thah six
million bonds. . He! ls s.iid W be. investing
large sums at Napoleon, Ohio, where , his
home in reality Is, and where he qxpecLs
to retire when he Is fully gorged witj plun
der. He went to South Ca-f olina fjr pit
Fagqand rapine, and will ob,n retunl with
the spoils. Your policy emaiiatingj from
here made him Governor. Tne virtue and
the talent of the. State were prescribed
by your laws. Alluding to th condition
of South Carolina a few weeks sintje," one
of her citizens (Senator Sawxek) in the
other branch qf Congress used the follow-;
must ang language : " '.;.'f;;'s
' rtlt is "dae to the circumltance that this large
njiimlcr of men in the southern State were
shut out froni tlie possibility of lioldinf Stotc
alid Federal .offices tliat we liafehad Mi -many;
abuses in the hxal govenimets of tkose States..
It is diis to tliat circumstancetnat in uie . niaie:,
which I liave the Wnor terepresent on this thr
wo havfc to-day a State goveromcut wliich is a :
disgrace to civihzation. h is dite to thdsp dis
abilities only, that we had riot au amplefieVl
from which to select honest, capable ineTi for ;
our local public offices, men w ho would liave
male faitiiful ofrieers, and who would have lccn ;
in complete harmony with the national Adminis
traticra and the -gr1 . IqwMa party on
questions of public policy. lnsteal - M that,
wliat do we see to-day)' A-t spectacle alike i
disgraceful to the Jlf publican party,!- under
whose banner ami in whose name grOsa abuses f
tiAvil been perpetrated and to the men. Whd
hayethus stainal its honor; and, yet Senators
desire us to continue a system winch has been ?
fruitful of such results.' ; ..' ? ' - .
' This was spoken by a leader of the Rc
publican party, and I call upon those who
may regard my statements as overdrawn
to carefully consider and weigh, hti testi
mony. lie deliberately pronounces the ;
govermnent of South .Carolina "a disgrace
to civ-ilizatlbn." There .she stands, the
result of your own handiwork, baiikrtipt
in money, ready to plunge into; the Uismal
gulf of repudiation, ruined in. .credit, . her j
bonds hawked in the market for sale m
vain at ten cnts on ie doUar, Mr pros-.:
perity blighted at home and abroad ; with-1
out peace, happiness, or ; hopei arid all
her hbertles stolen as well as her material
substances. There she stands, with ther ;
rcONTlNCKD ON . FOKTII TAOf-J
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