The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-10-05
THE RXCELLENcIRs OF CARPEr-BAd
GOVERNMENT

Carpet.bsg and loyal governments IN the
south are not merely amateurs In poIucai
meanness. They do not devote their whole
time to making treason odious. They are
composed of men who fail not to look well
TO the main chance, and, considering their |
limited experience, rank high as fnanciers.
They promise to be known in history not
merely as carpet-baggers but as bondmak'
ers. Under their administration the south
ern people will be put under the heaviest
bonds for good behavior, or bad behavior,
as it may be construed, that we're ever ex'
acted of offenders against law. 1.-THE bless
ings of free labor and the new birth which
that section has experienced az results Of
the war, shall come up to the fond e1pecta'
tions and confident predictions OF the au'
thors of them, we may expect the people OF
the south at no very distant day to pour out
their patient souls in the half hopeful jere
made Of St. Paul, and wish that all peoples
could be like them, save their bonds.
We can now understand why loyal people
we're so exacting, in the premonitory symp'
toms of the protracted thro@s of reconstruc-
n,that it should be putinto southern constr
tutions that no debt or obligation contracted
in aid of the rebellion should ever be paid
Most people deluded themselves at the time
with the idea that it WAS because, by IN
payment OF the confederate debt treaso
would be looked upon with some degree
allowance, and hence the refined sense
Loyalty which prevailed very naturally T
VOTED against the possibility OF 1T. Is
time and little experience under the Rad
mode of guaranteeing Republican forr
of government furnish US reason to be
lieve that the object in preventing the pay
ment of any part of the southern war Diet
was to leave the southern goose with som
pickings worthy the race of loyal legislator
soon to be sent down upon them.
the case of Louisiana these picking
have already been rich and promise to b
still richer, as that is the richest state in II
south So many kinds of bonds are out
that state, and for such large amounts thu
Mathematician will be needed to foot u
the aggregate and the returns are not yet a
in from there. But North Carolina, on tt
other extreme, probably the poorest state
the late Confedercy, furnishes some fgur'
which in economic days would have bee
startling, and ought SOL be now. The preten
ed legislature of that state, at its last SCI
ion, authorized the issue Of bonds to
amount of $26, $40, 900. All except $1,000
of this amount is on account OF ten raj
road enterprises which are manipulated b
Northern stock gamblers and shysters, tn
legislators and the Owners OF thes
schemes Of course sharing profits.
So tlagrantly absurd is much OF this lei
islation than even the Radical State Urea
urer, it is said, cuts the amount that CT
stand the test Of the negroized constitute
of the state down to 100000. AS ev
this modified amount brings but thirty,h
cents on the dollar, it follows that at
best the citizens Of North Carolina ha
their name forged to notes for Sl6,3OO,O(
whereas but a little over a third thereof,
S5.7O5 900, is ever received. Now TAXI
this from the face of the bonds, there
main 0,594, 100 on which North Carroll
is bound, so far as carpet bag legislation c
pecuniarily bind her, to pay interest I'm
the bonds mature and then meet the prin
pal, having Tor both principal and inter-
never received anything az all. Even
the five millions received much will
stolen that it is doubtful if the state ever
ceives the use of one dollar 10 ten.
suppose community bound to honor $
obligations is to dignity open theft