The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-23


The inquiry will develop some startling results and
will not be entered upon one day too soon.
1t is hardly exaggeration to say that some sections
OF the South are at the present moment In q cOndi
ton more dangerous to the general welbeing of the
country at large than they were In $780, They have
been so tempered with, physicked and bled by char
latan quacks; they have been such obstinate, pig
headed patients themselves insisting upon taking
the right medicine at the wrong times and the
bad way and almost beyond hope Of recovery.
It must be remembered that the whole process OF
Southern reconstruction mas been delinente
ing the Presidential election by the vote OF the South
The requirements Of the country the condition OF
consideration. Radical votes were oil that were
wanted; everything was made subservient to that
one necessity. 1t Is curious commentary on this
cessiOn has virtually been decided without refer
ence to the South. The house has been burned
down, but the cyclists who fired the building have
not even succeeded IN roasting their one paltry egg
In the flames. Reconstruction remains tortuous,
watercourse Which has cut itself bed in another
direction-a Dutch Gap canal, with the Mississippi
rolling Onward to the Guif plac,diy unconscious OF
thus practised upon stand to-day in the most melan
cnoly possible condition Of ENHANCEMENT and an
Though all are alike cast down. each State has
separate history There Is no uniformity except In
and the enormous and costly means employed. That
prevails everywhere. In the four great States OF
Mississippi Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, over
which my own inquiries have in part been pursued,
reconstruction presents in no two sections the same
phases.
led, control the colored vote. They defeated negro
equality constitution with negro ballots and could
re.eect jefferson Davis to Congress next week Il
berry business in Mississippi and made itself
supremely ridiculous. II has thrown the politi-
cal power of the State back into the hands
Of the very men who conceived secession
and forced it upon the other Southern States The
men who above all others, ought to be deprived Of
political rights and privileges II prescription is to
be enforced at ALL now control the political destinies
Of Mississippi y means OF Their negro s suffrage pro
boated Southern aristocrat and secure the perpetu
ity Of radical rule. Instead OF rejecting
Mississippi boldly swallowed and dgested 1t.
They propose to inscrioe niger suffrage"
Of regaining her old supremacy The State has thus
been brought to a deadlock. As the radicals can't
people reconstruct it In another way. They main
tain the army OF occupation with oil its attendant
mercia prosperity OF the community This is what
negro reconstruction has done in Mississippi
In Louisiana reconstruction has famed into
blaze all the sectional hatred and dstrust which the
war left smoulderng IL has bribed resident citizens
to declare themselves 'Unionists" and left them at
the mercy OF the first desperate that comes along
il has sown the seeds Of St Domingo In forty dis
tant country parishes, and now finds itself power
has squandered million OF public money upon
small ring OF carpet-baggers leaving hungry, tur-
bulent dangerous crowd clamortng outside; 1t has
morgaged the credit and property OF the State on
many millions more to like purpose it has not only
set class against cassthat was to be expected-it
has even been clumsy enough TO divide the colored
race against itself-to array mulato against negro
In irrepressible conflict. Brownlow has not been
white man and white man IN Tennessee than have
the recOnstructionsts OF Louisiana In pittng black
man against the light coored man. The difference
Is that Br0wnow makes his game by 1t and the re-
cOnsructonists Of Louisiana endanger theirs; they
have had uncontrolled possession OF the immense re-
sources OF the State for long time; they have sacr
Of ''lotyr with more than Spartan fortitude they
have martyred their Hahns and Durants as the Lon
don brewers boil down drayman now and then to
give body TO the beer. And the sum and substance
OF all this reconstruction under the most favorable
democrats with onc-half the sagacity aud sefdenia
manifested by the democratic leaders OF Mississippi
mcnt in the selection Of candidates, might
| sweep the State from Balize to shreveport
been dcfraudcd, taxed and goaded to the verge Of
nsurrection, the landed property OF the state has
been deprecated seventy.nve per cent IN value ana
| sandstl As the upshot OF Il ALL the negro oil
garchy which the reconstructionsts raised up turns
| FESTIVE and unmanageable IN their hands, and the
State In October 1888, is rs far on stable, settled,
responsible government as IT was in May 1862, when
| Butler assumed command OF New orleans. SO much
| for reconstruction on negro basis IN Louisiana.
In Arkansas the progress OF reconstruction has
| been marked by frauds and ballot stunlng which
would shame an Albany lobbyist and draw blush
| through the black mustache OF Tammany sachem.
| The elections were held not simultaneously, but on
right along. and voted as often as occa-
sion seemed 10 require; the ballot boxes
sna conne Of polling districts were
| held open till the votes cast IN the other districts
could be counted 80 as to see how many extra rad-
cal votes were required. All these prudent precau-
tons. however, failed to carry the State and the
desired result finally obtained by the ingenious
cinct. The parish Of Columbia had voted
900 against and 300 odd for the Con-
giyen 200 and odd against ana 5eo for The diner
! ence OF 1000 votes carried the day. Recently the
leading republican newspaper OF Arkansas, In dis
1 cussing the prospects OF the campaign has innO-
Gently restored the proper reading-9eo against and
| 300 for IN Columbia parish. The foothod thus OBJ
coercion. All Arkansas is now agog waiting the
arrival OF 5000 stand Of arms from Mem Mem
for 0e cea tor'S ~ e neS mea
said General Churchill ex.Major General OF the con-
that; but those who put arms In my negroes hands
to support State government which the people re-
5 date me in my rights as a citizen shall have the
full benefit OF such strength as this old arm still pos.
sesses." dozen brawny and brave veterans OF
ton is going on In the state To tell OF all the
arbitrary and tyranncal restrictions imposed upon
BEYOND ali reasonable limit limits 'T and must be
| left over for future communication. Az
examples may mention that one. qualified voter
i was refused registration because during the war
| he had sent blanket TO his brother. VINO was an
| officer in the Confederate army. This was con-
| strued into .'giving aid and countenance.n In
Johnson county Of 200 qualified white men (many
OF them exfedera sodiers) only fourteen have been
allowed TO register The rest rejected by Fitch
the Supervisor because at the last election they ha
voted against the constitution. All this, when IN adj
dton to other oath every candidate for registration
Is required by the constitution 10 swear that he
recognizes ana will defend at all times 'the
social and political equality OF all men,
under pain and penalty OF perjury II ne
violates this obligation. One would think that
with such an oath and such registration Arkansas
would at least, be safe for the reconstructionsts
Not so. Two out Of three Congressional Representa-