American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-02-13
A Gracious Witness.


far az tho temper OF the people is
co fcerned, his correspondence is a
complete REPUTATION OF the charges
-.xiieh iss--anti -ethsr- ra.lical editors
have beeur rersistently preferring
against the people of the South
through their editorial columns and
telesraphic correspondents for the
/. part year. In his letter from Nor
folk, Va, he comments the citizens
without exception as showing the
most liberal disposition to welcome
new corners, praises their enterpriS-
ing spirit, and recommends capital
lists TO invest their means in what he
predicts is destined TO be one OF the
great commercial cities in the whole
country. In a late letter from lie.
noir, North Carolina, he is " delight
o TO find the people of the South so
tcmpera. and orderly" he has ''met
great number of the Confederate
officers, and in every instance found
them courteous. intelligent and full
OF inauiriesr On every side, both
Z when travelling and sojourniug, he
is either surprised at some unexpect
ed Indication of loyalty, or delight
cd mt the excellence OF the people
and Astounding evidences ofprosrer-
ity. We hear nothing of the Ku
.KIux-nothing of that domineering
insolence of the Southern slave hunt
ing aristoeracy, which has been the
bug bear of the radical journalist
both before and since the war, but
everything seems. tinted with the
rose-hue of peace, prosperity, and
profitable investment.
Now, says the Frankfort Yeoman,
if we did not have better testimony
than ForneS's on this subject we
should discredit his statements, for
the reason that he has been for years
classifying the South, and under the
rule of evidence that witness who
testi6es falsely in one thing is to he
discredited in all-.:fatsuS in anO, .tal-
sus in dmnibus. But, besides this
disability, there is another. Having
for long period given to the public
the opposite representation of the
condition of things in the South, even
to the extent of altering telegraphic
dispatches so as to distort them into
records of crime aud lawlessness, for
the purpose of advancing his party
interests and securing political sue
cess, we believe he is now actuated
by equally selfish motives in pro
p. claiming the South to he land oil
peace and good will to all men, and
especially men like himself. The ex.
PLANTATION of this sudden change in
the reports from Virginia and NORTH
Carolina is not to be found in the
effect of the election of Gen. Grant
nor in any assumed improvement O.
tone in Southern morals or manners
but in altogether another direction
Like the boy who goes to get hi!
birds after he has sprung his dead
fall, Forney has gone South to spec
uIate in the cheap lands which h,
has so successfully aided in reduc
ing to a nominal value. lie has ia
k N stock in the concern just as sharl
financiers manage to b; nkruot rail
road and other corporations and thel
become the purchasers and owner
for d song. He has done everything
in his power to keep capital and i'm
migration from North Carolina an,
Virginia by encouraging martial lay
OH the one hand and representing
the people as cut-thrOats and saw
ages on the other and we can read
lily believe the report that he ha
largely invested in Southern land
at the minimum price. Having sc
cured q fat interest, he now nH;.e
takes to write up the country.
p Wall street phrase he has,been bea
ing the market up ts--this time, br
is bulling E>ew. When Gen. Gran
wsnt E2a6in the fall of 1865 on
tour of inspection, under the ord'
of the President, he made repoI
quite as strong in testimony of IL
peaceful disposition Of the Southel
people aud all the reports to Il
contrary from that time to this hay
been in Justification of the truth
subserye vicious purpose. To Il
casual reader, Mr.. r'orney may a
pear very gracious and honorab
witness. To us he will always
Forney. lie has been making test
mony ever since the Forrest tria
aud is never q disinterested witnes
1~~-- -s---1---
rIThe question as to whether
not the manufacture Of cotton fahri
in New Orleans can be made profit
able is soon to he tested, a compar
composed Of natives of France haviI
been organized for that purpos
They will commence operations vi
anil supplied with three thousai
spindles aud some Fifty or six
looms. The contracts for the ere
ton of the mill arc already Civ,
ur ent. and the machinery contract
for in England. Two experienc
managers from France are now
New Orleans, and portion of t
... operatives, also from that countl
.. are engaged. Besides the manu-,