The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-12-12
The Stolen Southern Goods.
from the Journal Of Commerce. !

From the Journal Of Commerce
Send Them Back curse which at
tachessto the possession Of stolen goods
maJ not always be manifest. but there is .
curse, nevertheless. The peopleaof the
North have not yet taken full into consid
Grafton the fact that, while the war fol
Government was carried on-as war, there
was vast amount of private plumber car
ried on without license. No laws Of Goo
or man can be cited to justify t'ese crimes
The excitement under which some men
were induced to wink at them has passed
away, and there is no honest person in all
this country who does not wish in the hot
tom of his heart that this business had
been effectually stopped. when It hegan ia
be,a practice. But there is.the fact, and
at this moment the moral evilwhich results
from it is increased and perpetuated by'the
further fact that all over the North there
are households which retain possession Of
the goods of Southern, families, and the
children of those households are by tins
very fact EDUCATED in immortality. and
taught disrespect to the first principles Of
honesty. What is, the remedy? In the
words of the New York Observer, "send il
hack! p Restore the plumber to its owner,
The advice is enforced in connection with
a startling accusation made by distin-
guished Southern clergyman. We quote
From the New York Obaeryer.]
- ~ t. 80. - - -.
Send ii Back.-Rev.' Or. Adger, o.
South Carolina. ip {. letter to DR.. Backus,
Of Baltimore, lately published, makes the
following aforementioned vopehes forT the
fact':4 4 . = ~ 1A 1fA - 4
When Gen. Sherman's army passed
through Wmsboro. s. Ca CAPT. T..
and six others of that army, robbed one OF
thelruline elders Of the Scion Presbyterian
Church there Of an elegant silver commu.
Mon set, the'gift Ola dying female member
of the same. costing in New York two
hundred dolhrs. and having the churchs
name ~ and the donors pane engnvedupon
each article I...aa., Mi; ~
dDr. Adger makes the following addition
statement, which. for the honor ofliuman.
ity as well as Christianity, we would hope
cannot be true :. j !. af,rI - vo, sa.; /
A certain congregation Of your body now
has that silver communion set, which Capt.
F-presented to them and a,e now
using it for their communion PURPOSES,
with those names Of Scion Church and it's
dying sister staring them inathe face,fias
they eat the bread and drink the liwine
which set forth the body and blood Of our
common Master!
The idea that-a christian church can
celebrate the holy ordinance of the Lords
'Supper in the use Of vessels thus obtained
is 80 rnobstroas to be entertained for a
moment, unless they are held only until the
church from which they were taken can he
ascertained. This notice may assist the
church in ascertainine it, and we are sire illlre
thatif the sacred vessels should be Sent to
Mr. Adeer Columbia, s. Chic would see
that they were restored to5ithc church to
which they belong. a9IpE e Gab ~ 3ilJ 2
We echo the sentiment. that the idea
that q Christian church cah retain such
articles is, monstreus.r We should imagine
that the Communicates III The church. viii q
using these vessels, would see the vision of
their Master entering the temple with the
scourge in his hand, and saying to them.
:. 1t has been written that my house, shall
bei:called u house Of prayer, sbht yei have
made it den Of thieves; -,
What can we'expect forthe' future of our
country five do not reform this great wrong.
which has cursed churches as we'll as Elrnni-
lies. An old friend of ours, Union man
iinlthe South through all the war, told us
that his chandeliers were in certain house
in Massachusetts. his piano in another, and
variou. family treasmesin Others. He had
traced them to their positions. I've have
heard of a Southern lady sitting down at Il
Northern table and recognizing silver on
that table as her own. We have heard Of
lady receiving from an officer present
OF jewelry which she recognized as the
iewelry Of a Southern lady who had been
her own schoolmate and friend. Public
sentiment needs~to be aroused to this sub
ject. and the holders Of snch goods should
he compelled by the indignation of their
honest fellow-cl citizens, to "send them back.