Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1870-05-21
Congregations, ,iilains .
BoS rlArF on cOSSEa,

| der person, VINO appears slhi"s
Young enough 10 bo page, and J
YET a member of Congress, This L
/ Captain Conner, and his appearance
is not more remarkable Than tbs
facts attending l,is return 10 lh'
House. lie has tho honor OF being
/ the only Dembcratlo carpet'bagger
/ Through the iolion now prevalent
tho Hon. J. c, Conner is said TO rep
resent some twenty counties OF TeN
as. .
Conner Is a native Of Indiana
born short timo previous TO tn
late war, aud being q graduate oI
/ West Point, he was born TO com
mand. ln consequence Of this thC
youth was made Colonel ofa volnr
| ioer regiment, and having his po!lIi
cal education about as defective as
his military genius, fought the war
through on a Democratic basis. AZ
ter the war was terminated he was IN
command. of somc thing or other, !
do not know what, during the iittaI
and uncertain Reconstruction acts
of cur learned Solohs,
All tho military men employed
by the Government ut The South
proposed, in tho event Of n rcduc'
lion oflhc army, to shin themselves
Into Congress and ! say without
hesitation or fear OF successful coh'
tradiction, that they would mako aR
successful lawmakers ms they did
military leaders. General Reynolds
OF Texas, has been held up rs shin
ing example TO military carpet bag.
gers. His letter, so high.toncd and
delicately wordcd, declining to be a
candidate for tho Senate, on tho
ground that his position giving him
undue advantage, would place him
in false light before the country,
were he to accept the rendered hon
or of the Senate, turns out now to
have been written after the sensi.
two gentleman discovered he could
not succeed, the caucus having made
the selection. These facts | learn
from II Texan gentleman now in
Washington, where they form cur
rent topic among tho trlangles,
sduares and circles of the capital.
1t vas, therefore, an honorable
ambition on the part Of Captain Con-
ncr to try Ills ldek in tho political
arena, and pass from an army soon
to be reduced to Il peace footing,
to the halls of Coi,gresa In the
District where Captain Coiincr. had
his post three Republican candidates
for Congress took the field.
or these, Colonel Taylor was an
cX. Confederate officer, who had been
reconstructed to such an extent that
he was not only willing to have ne
groes vote for him but was content
to Serve with Congrcssmcn Of that
complexion. Another, Capt. John
son, had also served iii the Confcd
erato army during the war as Chap
lain, and he courtcd. tho negro vote
and claimed TO see his way through
the iron. clad oath on tho ground
that he was not an officer in that
wicked rcbcllious organization, but
missionary Of the Lord seeking
to reclIm the souls of the lost to
the fold oftho Shepherd. The re
naming candidate was a Captain
Colone! OF Governor (and | don't
know whicIl) Grafton, With a record
| believe about rs consistent and
brilliant as the two others. Against
these, CAPTAIN Conner, urged by tho
Democratic white clement, took Tic
field. forgot to SLY, however, thai
only Johnson and Taylor were out
when Conner appeared as contest
ant, and the manner Of GlNtton's
appearance as candidate was pc
culiarly interesting and instructive
Conner resigned his position in The
army by telegraph, and was bnsily
engaged in anvassing his distric
when Captain Grafton, who wa'
also in command as an officer of th'
United States army, seized upoI
Conner and had him arrested fo
speaking disrespcctfully ofou Con
grcss, and, locking up the Democrat
ic candidate, took the field as thiri
Republican candidate for Congress
io~al honors.
While poor Conner was languish
ing in durancc vile, Grafton was OF
the stump appealing to tho people
in the most persuasive and eloquen
manner for their votes. His prih
cipal argument was that old Bel
Butler ruled Congress, and as sucl
ruler would neref allow q democrat
ic carpet -bagger to take his scat
Those Texans have singular idea
respecting abusive language. Tha
speech of Graflon's was about a.
severe an attack on Congress as wa
ever uttered, and oughtto have beef
resented by any right-thinking, pa
triotic man with promptncss an,
vigor.
When tho votes, however, cam
to be counted, il was found that th
imprisoned Conner had six thots
and and two hundred, the cunning
Grafton, four thousand, and the on
Confederate Colonel nine hundred
and the pious missionary, johnson
received three thousand; and there
fore, the Democratic carpet-baggeI
having received moro votes tha
any of bis competitors, had issue
to him from the military coffiniandc
of the State his certificate Of election
in accordance with OR lovely reeoT
struction laws, and, coming on I
Washington, took the oath and hi
seat, and. became conspicuous as th
only Democratic harpet-baggcr o
the floor.
No one thought Of disputing hi
risbt TO his honor. and the thift