The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-03-09

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The carpet: bag representatives in the
i United States Congress assembled ore
( rapidly couing to grief. Tho genuine
! mepbers, it would seem, not only con-
i slider themselves "cut above" the bogus,
!, bnt'ake great pains to display this feeling
.ton every possible occasion, and cordially
unite III sending the latter to "coven.
try. Thus forced by considerations OF
mutual protection into the formation OF
u co'orie, the breach widcns, and their
( bocial position becomes prominently
: defined as one to be snubbcd aud looked
: down upon.
= Rather to tlreir coDstcrnation, aud yet
BY amost natural sequence, our carpets
bag friends ind the members of thci,
own party most ready with contemptuous
treatment, aud most strict in drawing
TINT social line Of dc,narcatiou beyond
which they are oxilcd. That this has
engeudered bitterness, complaint and
retaliation, is not to bo wondered at.-
1t is not pleasant to feel dcspiscd, and
our carpet bag triends-the peers of the
: ancient regime in power and ip post
cannot be blamed for revolving, even
! though the issue is destined to be o
hopeless one as to them.
e. The TACT is, there is something more
in being senator than its mere name
orprivileges implies. 1t has heretofore
stamped man to some extent as being
honest, capable and worthy. A seat 10
the Senate indicated q lifetime of
service, it not of purity it clothed it's
possessor with mantle of responsibility
and honor, as distinct from his fellows
as any issued from the Herulds college and
the genuine members are to be pardoned
for expressing displeasure and disgust
at tho sacrifice made when this standard
is thrown dowa by such creatures of
mere accident as the wandering carpet
baggers.
The old Nestors Of tho National Leg~
islaturo are, doubtless, Of opinion that
men who emigrate from Northern
obscurity to fastcn themselves upon an
unwilling people, are scarcely proper
persons for an honest man to take
cordially by the hand they probably
60 farther and imagine such men not like.
~ to honor their birthplace nor e, to be
trusted with the interests they claim
to represent. In fact it is not at all
unlikely that the very qualities which
contributed to make the successful
carpet bagger may, in their estimation,
be deemed entirely inimical to the
proper aud faithful discharge of duty.
Whatever itis,it matters not suffice
1t to say they have gathered up their
skirts about them and act daintily, as
though some offensive disease had broken
out in the household. Talent and state
are provcrbially known to be Jealous,
and dignity lily brooks the claims Of
pretcnsion they will tolerate tho new
element as long RS it keeps to itself,
but as to associatiug ou Lowell with it
never
There is to them something noble
and hearty in the old war of giants.
When tho great Democratic and Radical
parties sent out their arnored champions
tothc tourney, they carried with them the
glorics ofthcr houses and could ride their
tllts at each other in tie Senate halls
with the conscious satisfaction of a Ting
foremcn worthy of their steel. But
all are ready to strike hands in moment
aud side by side ride down auv low
bpro varlcts who may insolcnlty presume
to invade the sanctity of the LISTS
This is exactly why our carpet bag
friends are coming to grief. They arc
being taught valuable lesson, no less
valuable because it will prove to then
disastrous.
Thoy are now beginning to wonder
whether with oificial position, they have
not rather incurred a stigma, Instead of
achieving an honor. Their eyes are
opening to the fact that to be in the
councils Of nation, is not necessarily
TO- be of them, and that blood is some.
times thicker than water. Notwith.
atanding their success in swindling
conquered people out Of office, they find
that virtue aud rcspectablity have yet,I
some valuc. Houcsty invariably detects
frau.sand oounterfcits, and, considering
all these things, to be IL carpct bag
representative to the United States |
not to them, after all, thing
to DO very highly prizcd.--New Oyhans
Times.