The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-10
SPIRIT or THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT TOP1cs-COMPILED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
Carnet.Baggers and NegrOes.

Carpet-Baggers and Negroes.
From the Boston Post.
The reconstruction problem, under the policy,
of Congress, is working itself out in manner
which effectually demolishes all preconoeived
Republican theories upon the subject. The
radical missionaries, who were TO go down
South and demonstrate to the world that the
rule of ignorant and uncivilized negroes Is far
superior to an enlightened white mans gov
ernment." have coniessedly made a miserable
failure. The "organizer5 of Southern society"
have already turned their backs upon their
own pet organization. 1t is true, they have
allowed the negroes to vote them (their new
masters) into the Legislatures, and other fat
and comfortable places under the new State
governments. But when they have come to
the point of actual political equality, the right
of the colored man to share these offices, as
contemplated by Congress, the latter suddenly
finds himself snubbed by his patrons and left
out in the cold.
Who would have thought that these South
ern patriots par excellence, these vaunted
champions of negro equality, would have been
the first to repudiate IAN American citizen of
African descent as ga man and brother?"
Who could have supposed that, after smelling
at the ebony nosegay so enthusiastically,
they would so soon have cast it aside as
rank weed And that after mounting on the
brawny shoulders of the freedman to the
coveted positions of State Governors and Of
members of Congress, they would immedi-
stely turn round and kick over the LADDER If
any Northern man, or newspaper, was wicked
enough to suppose that the great object of these
social Jewellers was merely to use the negro
for their own political preferment, and that
the interest professed in his elevation to all
the rights of citizenship, was mere subter-
fuge and sham, does not the sequel prove
that he or it was Justly denounced as cop
Tba or of W. a hp ha
modern Utopia, where the beauties of a
fraternity and equality of races would be
first illustrated. But, alas for the plans of
the Radical Republican leaders, the fraternal
spirit has been invoked in vain, and the
bubble of reconstruction, on the Congressional
basis, has exploded all too soon for their sue
cess in the coming Presidential election.
But having thus prematurely shown their
true colors, and thrown the negro overheard,
with the milestone of political disability tied to
his neck-as the Democrats were accused Of
intending to do in case they came into power
again-the organs of the radical party are at
their wits ends to avert the danger to their
cause which this Georgia legislative imbroglio
is likely TO intict upon it here at the North.
Their carpet-bag allies in that State, jealous of
negro competition for Office, and suspicious of
negro fidelity to their party, have done the
deed which stamps them both as hypocrites
and ingrates. And now, in the face of this
damaging exposure, they meanly seek to evade
the responsibility of their acts, and to throw it
upon the Democratic minority of the Georgia
Legislature.
But this dodge will not answer to cover up
the radical tracks in this little affair of discord
in "the happy family" The pretence is too
bare-faced and too much at variance with we'll
known facts to deceive the public. The Demo
Gratis were in minority in both branches OF
the Georgia Legislature-none of them were
elected to it by negro votes; they had made no
political promises to the freedmen, and We're
under no obligation to them. If some of them
voted with the Republican majority to unseat
the colored members of the House, it was be-
cause the exclusively radical Convention,
which framed the new Constitution of Georgia,
made its provisions so ambiguous as to render
it doubtful whether the colored citizen was
constitutionally eligible to office. The radicals
in the House had the numerical power to con-
strue the law in his favor, without the aid o
the Democrats, had they chosen to do 80. Bu
this did not tally with their objects. They ha6
purposely framed a Constitution of doubtful
import, and which their leaders in the Con-
vention secretly declared might be used t
exclude the negro from Office, though they
openly assured him to the contrary when his
vote was wanted.
But the next time the colored voter in
Georgia has an opportunity to exercise the
right of suffrage he will be likely to think
twice before giving his vote to the political
"scalawags" who have been so profuse in theil
promises of patronage, and who have so de-
lberately broken them. He has been deceived
and betrayed by his own chosen friends, who
have used him as hobby to ride into power,
while he had no favors to expect or reciprocate
from the Democracy, who, in the long run,
will prove his best friends. But the radical
majority were proof against all appeals, not
only to their gratitude as partisans, but to
their devotion to the "higher law' which, OF
most occasions, is their favorite refuge. They
not only voted to expel their colored friends,
but added insult to injury. One of the latter
(Turner) in speaking in his defense, told them
that the whole issue hinged upon the question
whether he was man or not, and they must
decide his rights as member upon thai
ground. This appeal to their humane prin
cples, however, was of no avail. Mr.. Turner
had to ''wGlk the plank" with the rest of his
prescribed brethren, and is now probably
Illuminating in retirement over the decision o
his late radical associates, that he is not man
General Grant and the French MiIitar,
Critics.