The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-08-26
Geo. E. Pugh, Of Ohio, on Carpet
Baggers.

Extract from his speech at Cincinnati
July "a:
CARPET BAGGERs.
l do not want the expansion of currency
for another reason. Taking advantage o.
the fict that the Senators and Representa-
tives from the Southern States, which were
agricultural States. were out of Congress
these New England manufacturers improv
ed the opportunity to put the screw on us
and enact tariff greater and heavier than
we ever had before. They say. ave have
reduced the taxes" On what have they
reduced the taxes ? On manufactures
Will that reduce the price Of manufactured
goods2 Not while that high tariff stands;
for while that tariff stands no similar goods
can be imported from abroad and Mr.. New
England man has the monopoly of the
market, and can charge what he wants.
That reduction of taxes is not for you; it is
for them.
Do you wonder why they refuse to admit
representative truly representing the people
of the agricultural States? Do you wonder
why they want negroes to represent the
Southern States? Do you wonder why
thew want that other class of vermin, mean
er than the meanest thing heretofore known
on the face of the earth?-I mean the car
pet bagger-because he represents nothing.
He is like the locust OF the grasshopper
Of this year that passes away and no man
knows his habitation. Those who do re-
present the people ofthose States will sub
init no longer to this New England impo.
sition which is put upon them. In every
department of the Government, in every
way in which it could be done, our money
wrung, from us, and kept from the Treasu-
ry by the legislation of this infamous Con-
gress, has been used to plumber the people
Of the agricultural States; to skim off the
rich alluvium Of our valleys, to make the
bleak shores aud barren mountains of New
England smile.
But, fellow-citizens, before we can re-
turn to specie payment-before we can do
anything-we must again restore the vast
resources of our country which existed
before the war. We must restore stabili-
ty,,industry and the rewards of industry to
tina, great section of our country which
lies South of the Ohio River. When we
cave restored those vast agricultural re-
sources of wealth to the tax duplicate then
the sinews of our neighbor msy be little
relaxed. Before the war, what did we ex-
port? Very little pork; very little wheat
or flour We exported cotton and rice,
tobacco and sugar, and these have all been
destroyed, in order that we might show a
sufficient philanthropy toward the negro,
We must restore the condition of those
States; we must have that wealth to bear
the taxes which are necessary to support
this public debt, and to reduce it-by an
equal system of taxation, and by an hon
est administration of the Government-to
reduce this tax to some reasonable amount
And now, are we going to get the help of
the Southern States with these gentlemen
say so. It is almost done. Virginia is
standing out, to be sure, and mississippi
standing ont, and Texas standing out, and
Alabama wanted to stand out, but they en-
ticed her in with stick. And what have
they got for it? Got State Governments
in The South Why, ] read in this morn
ing's paper the complaint of one of these
carpet bagger~' from Tennessee, and another
carpet baggers from South Carolina pray
ing that this House of Representatives
would not adjourn, although it was very
hot weather, for if they did adjourn with
out arming the negroes the State Govern
ments would disappear before the day of
the Presidential election. Laughter.]
There was nobody for them except these
men whom we have imposed on them
through this Congress, the very scum of
the earth. The people who could never
be elected to Office among us have gone
down there, and while nearly the whole of
the population have been disfranchised, in
violation of the Constitution, in violation
of the laws of nations, while this has been
done, these imposters, these creatures with
out honor and without shame, are returned
to fill the seats in Congress once by Cal
houn and Jackson aud such great names
IN the history Of our country.-[ Applause