The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-06-23

The following extract from : Mr
Gfeeley's address before The Repub-
lican Association of New York, upon
hisreturn from Texas, deserves the
attention Of all candid minds; =
TIE 7d1Ev1Na cAapET-DAcorRs WORSE
z, THAN KU.KLUx.
- There is another Influence equally
injurious with theirs, and a great deal
more detrimental to the fame and
character Of the Republican party.
l allude to what are known as the
"thieving carpet-baggcrs." { Ap-
plausc Fellow-citizcns, do not mis-
take me. All the Northern men in
the South are not thieves. The lar
ger part OF them are honest and good
men, some Of whom stay there at the
peril of their lives, because they be-
iicvc it to bo their duty. Next to the
noble and true women, who have
gone down South to teach black chill
drcn how to .rcad-noblcr there are
not on the earth than these, whom n
stupid, malignant, dilapidatcd aristoc-
racy often sees fit to crowd into negro
novels to live, not allowing them to
enter any white society,". because they
are teaching negro children-noxt to
these, who rank as the noblest wo-
men in the South, are the honest and
worthy Northern men, who, in the
face of social prescription and gener.
Ill obloquy ana scorn, stand firmly by
the Republican cause.
Tho public is often hecdless'y un-
lust. Let . Government have 10, 600
official subordinatcs in power. OF
whom $500 arc honest and true men,
who do their duty faithfully, while
hardly 100 arc robbers and swindlers,
the public will hear great deal
more about the 100 robbers than
about tho 5000 true men. The 100
stand out in tho public eye; they are
always doing something which ex.
poses them to the. scornful gazc' oi
the multitude; while the honest and
true men pass along silent and unob-
served, and nothing is said, very little
is Mough,, of them. All attention is
concentrated upon the 100, who arc
'defanllitins and stealing, and forging
and running away. - -
Well, gentlemen; the thieving car
pet-baggers are mournful fact; they
10 exist there, and I have seen them.
[Laughter.l They are fellows who
crawIcd down South in the track Of
our armies, generally a very safe dis
tanco in the rear; somo OF them on
suffers wagons; somc bearing cotton
permits; some Of them looking sharp
is to SEQ what may turn up; aud they
remain there. They at once ingra.
tiated themselves with the blacks
simple, credulous, ignorant men :
very glad to welcome and to follow
uny Of any whites who professed to
be the champions of their rights.
Some of these got. elected Seeators,
others Representatives; semo sheriffs;
some Judges, and 30 on. And there
they stand, right in the public eye,
stealing and and plupdering, many
of them with both arms abound nc
proes, and their hands in their reai.
pockets, secin; if they cannot pick
a paltry dollar out'of them; and the
public looks At them, does not regard
the honest Northern men, but calls
every "carpet-baggcr" a thief, which
is not tho truth by good deal. But
,,hcso fc!lows-many. Of them long
accd and with eyes rolled up are
greatly concerned for the education
| If the blacks and for the salvation Of
their souls. Great laughtcr.] Let
ls pray they say. But they spell
Ray with an &c" and, thus spelled,
hey obey the apostolic injunction to
pray without ceasing."
Fellow citizens, the time has been,
md still is, when it was pcrilous to be
;nown as Republican or an Aboll.
ionist in the South, butt never call
led tho blush of shumo to ony mans
cheek to bo 30 called, until these
tthieving carpet-baggers wont there
never! [Applausc.] They got into
The Legislature; they went to Issuing
State bonds; they pretended to use
them in aid Of railroads and other
improvements; but the improvements
wcro not made, and the bonds stuck
in. the issuers' pockets. Laughter.
That is tho pity of it.
"Well," some say, "you have just
such. thieves at the North" Yes,' we
have-too many of them [Apr alse.] ]
But the South was already mpover-
ished-was NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. mon
ey, without thrift. almost without
food; and these fellows went there
robbing and swindIing them when
there was very little to steal, and
taking the last ten-cent shinplaster of
of the dead mems eyes They were
recognized by the late aristocracy,
not merely as thieves, but as enemies.
Says Byron's Greek minstrel,
IA tyrant-but our masters then -,
We're still at least our countrymcn."