The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-10-22
What is a Carnet-Rarrer9

HnaG Is q CisfpeJ-bilssSer! I
The Selma (Ala.) Times, referring
to Gen. Sickles' SANDER of the me-
chanics, merchants and ex-soldiers of
the North who have settled in the
Southern States, as the carpet-bag-
gers" whom the Southern people
would drive from their borders, says:
We call to the stand fifty thousand
discharged soldiers, mechanics, mer-
chants, school masters, railroad en-
ployees," planters, lawyers, doctors,
miners, and iron nreI, all from the
North, who have settled in the South
since the close of the war, and have
been eeurteouslyy and cordially re
ceived, and encouraged and assisted in
every possible way, by our people
Democrats, Conservatives, Radicals,
and men of nc, party affiliations
There is scarcely a county in the South
in which two or three of these imay
not be found; and wherever one. of
these menis found-one who has come
here to "better his condition. in any
honest way, and to share the fortunes
of this people-we have aowitness
who will contradict Gen. Sickles.
There are at least twenty of these
witnesses in this county, the most of
whom wore the sfblue" and fought
us like men while, we had arms in our
hands, and all of whom. now cencede
our honesty even i'll those acts in which
they think we were most wrong, ad-
NIT our good faith in accepting the re-
suit of our defeat, grant our sincerity
even where they think US, in error, and
know that we are peaceable, laW-abid-
ing good citizens under great provo
cations, and that instead of driving
good men of any political creed from
among US, We are exceedingly anxious
to bring thousands hither. - :. ......,t
AS tits in this county, so it is in the
adjoining counties, and so it is In. al
most every countyfin the State.} yiEt4
AS il. is in this, State, SO it is in all
Of the other Southern States.
But the earpet-bagg gers-these men
are not carpet-baggers:Z9 10 sl'2i1 2df
Il We have no use for carpet -baggers.
We do not propose to g exterminatei" -
them, no more than General Sickies
would exterminate the gamblers,
pickpoekets,l thieves, and piInl5s, p of
the city of New Y ork! Il We have no
desire ito exterminate =, them. But
we have no use for them. Our peni-
tentiafy is full now; and if these peo-
pie stay here, a great many of them
will break into that great refor1natory
Institution. We would much rather
they were not here. AS they are here,
we propose to let them alone-severe-
ly alone. We certainly do otiencour:-
age their stay among us. .al5 ,'ff'-'sf
-nWhat is a earpet-bagger?i5.l ;ioit
Major Gen. Siekles SANDERS the me-
chanlcs, merchants, and eX-soldiers of
the North when he 'characterizes them
as carpet-baggers.9s III H" E9hi
- We cannot very well answer the
question in, few words, though, we
would approximate correctness; in
describing them as dead beats" Of
all classes from the North, who are
living here for the, time being by their
wits. There are very few ex-soldiers
among the carpet-baggers, though, as
a good many very disreputable char
acters got into the army. of 1850, 900
which was in the field in the spring of
1865, now and then we find, one such,
and occasionally we hear of one who
was not altogether lost to 'decencV
whenh he entered the army but became
demoralized by the. free life of IA sol-
dier. .l.l.., b.,.-=f--t.--- .e., -
1t is an exquisite pleasure for us to
know that we were not whipped by
those men. lf2t~ rs @hf 4ial l--'s
"A carpet-bagger is rarely found in
the society of white men. He is most
at home where negroes most do; con-
gregate. He eats and drinks with ne
groes. Sometimes he sleeps with him
Until Reconstruction changed his
mode of life, he relied upon no hon
est pursuit, calling, or profession. In
the eyes Of the law, he was Vagrant.
for he had no visible means Of sup
port. He taxed the negroes in one
way OF another for bread and meat and
wearing apparel and little loose,
change The ignorance and credulity
of the poor negro were his main stav.
With the execution of the reconstruc-
ton laws he loomed into Importance.
The vagrant and sharper became po-
lltical leader. He registered yotes.-
He conducted elections. He was a
member of the Convention. He
framed the Constitution. He is a
member of the Legislature OF Pro-
bate Judge, or Clerk OF Court, OF
Sheriff of a. county, or Lieutenant
Governor, or a member of Congress
OF United States Senator. His pock-
cts are full. He is a ruler in the land.
And now, Having been lifted up upo by
negro votes, and finding the negro is
becoming tired Of his hypocrisy and
deception and will not trust him any,I
longer, he is in favor of depriyine: the
people of the choice of their officers
and in order to secure the interfer-.
ence of the United States to retain
him in the place he his fraudulently
obtained, he uses his position to give
weight and credit to the most atrocious
falsehoods about the sentiments, feel
ings, and conduct of the people. iai ii
This is an imperfectisketeh of car,
pet Dagger, There are thousands; in,
the South who fill the bill. They are
the, only class of the population " We
can spare. We should rejoice with
exceeding great joy to be rid of them.
But we will not "exterminate them,
Major General Sickles.. We have, no
Thought of it; and nobody is deter
mined to do any such thing. # Thew
will only stay here until the laws are,
fully enforced and the courts fairly at
work. The most of them have made
themselves liable to the penalties of
the law. They will soon emigrate.
We wait with patience the day of our,
deliVerance. =