The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-10-06
VOLUME e---No. is.
"Reconstruction'' at Home and Abroad..-An
Interesting Picture.

''Reconstructiono at Home and Abroad..-An
Interesting Picture.
A recent number Of the New Yorker Stats
Zeitung contains the annexed instructive article
on the subject of reconstruction 1t is called
forth by the structures of certain Radical news
papers upon the probable course of King Will
liam towards the provinces of Alsace and Lor-
raine: .z-x 5a:ss -
Several of the Radical papers have the i'm
pudence to abuse, in advance, the, Chief of the
German Confederacy, for what he may or may
not be likely to do In regard to the e-conquer-
ed province of Alsace and Lorraine. We say.
impudence,' because they had never word OF
blame for the treatment to which the recon-
ouered Southern States of this Union have been
subjected. Do they, perhaps, challenge COM
parison? If so, we can tell them, with perfect
certainty, what King William will not do.
"He will not appoint Governor for any of
the conquered districts who will, in two years,
raise the State debt from $500, 900 to S15,000,-
900, las is the case in Florida, which will serve
as an illustration, and pocket his hundreds of
thousands in the way of commissions. The
crime committed against the people of Florida
will appear still more heinous when we consld-
er that Florida before was free Republic
But let that pass. We only wish to show the
rascally administration this party has been
guilty of, which now protests against the occu-
patton and reconstruction of parts of the So
called French Republic.
"The band of robbers now operating in
Florida under the protection Of the United
States Government, attained their full power
in June 1868. 1t was the business of the Unf-
ted States troops to see that in the. so-called
election the greater part of the intelligent and
educated citizens were excluded, while the
votes of the semi -barbarous part of the popula-
ton were manipulated into an artificial in
crease of several thousand. 1t was 'Plebis-
cite,' which throws all the Napoleonic efforts
of this sort in the shade. Immediately there
after the Radicals opened brilliant business.
Railroad bonds, to the amount of many mil
lions, guaranteed by the State, were issued,
bearing per cent interest in gold. Poor
Florida only has $4,000 actual tax payers and
this little speculation alone of its State officials
of ninety-three dollars in gold annually. Add
ing the levies for other purposes, we find that
each owner of property in Florida now has to
pay six times as much taxes as before 1863
| There are proofs to show that the Governor
convenes an extra session of the Legislature
to enact robber laws-as often as he is. offered
the sum of $4,000 by the parties interested In
the passage of said laws.
an February last q slight interruption oc-
Cured in the course of affairs. The Legisla-
ture-a horde of carpet-baggers imported from
the North the terrible suspicion
that the Governor, likewise imported from be-
yond Mason's and Dixon's line, did not make
q fair division of the spoils. Governor Reed,
thereupon, was impeached. He was formally
accused of bribery, of the embezzlement OF the
public monies, and of general rascality. Four
members out of five of the Investigating Com
mittee were for unconditional conviction. The
noble robber-chief came very near being sacrl-
feed by his own band. When the vote was
taken in the lower House, there were % votes
against him, and 26 only in his favor. This
result was, of course, only arrived at after he
had .forked over considerable portion of the
booty, which lie had already looked upon as
his own. es'4'
Immediately thereafter, Reed grew more
impudent than ever, and went to Washington
with document, whereby the Legislature au-
thorizes him to receive myrlads OF acres OF
public lands from the United States Govern
ment for the benefit of the State-for schools,
&C., and to dispose OF them according to bus
pleasure. lie accomplished his purpose. No
the said document was forgery. No such act
or resolution had passed, or was even read, IN
either House of the Florida Legislature. But
Reed is still Governor, and stands in high favor
in the Court of Grant. Should he want artil-
lery, like his colleague Holden, of North Car
olina, to protect the poll, all he has to do is
to telegraph to Washington. The New York
Tribune will attend to the usual Kn Klux sto-
ries.
"Now, it is our very modest opinion, thatip
case the victorious Germans should be in need
of reconstruction regulations they will not
send to this country for them. If one single
village in Alsace were to be governed like
Florida, all Europe would resound with cries
of indignation. 1t were we'll if these Ameri-
can counselors would sweep before their own
doors. Every province of the German Empire
is paradise of liberty, compared to the dozen
Southern States of this Union, ironically
styled Republics and every province, annex
ed to Germany, would experience blessings at
which Florida, Georgia, &C., would look with
pardonable envy"