The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1871-05-17

with hired labor; and Shrewd freedmen
possibly. with ~oid mules rope harness
mended plows and splired chains, get more
crops from the remainder than they eve
made for old Longstaple. Instead of send
ing t""Orleans," they get supplies on credi
from a swarm of little jew and Yanke,
traders who have sprung up among them
who in return take the cotton at cash price
and shipping it to New Orleans, insist upon
the most rapid and economical realization
of the proceeds. They know the lowest
cost of the handling and pressing. They
ask for the return premium on insurance,
they will have no short weight without a
reason for it and in every possible way they
make themselves disagreeable. They have
credit and buy their own goods, not merely
in the restricted and high priced market of
New Orleans, but in Cincinnati, St. Louis
and even New York. They live TO make
money, not to spend it, so while they
flourish, New Orleans languishes. Hand
ling more cotton than ever. the city grows
poorer every day. One of the great hotels
has been closed ever since the war large
quarter, the whole town seems to be ito lel.'
stare from half the houses. The retailers { f
| al hiIuS uIC poois anu 40 Utttt!
very fast" The fact is, the town is too
large to subsist on mere exchange Dusi-
ness. 1t has got to shrink down to the
new condition of things.
If you discuss the matter with Il Creole,
he vaguely says, ut is the Radicals :" that
is the end to his philosophy, and he ad-
about the Radicals When 'he poet sung.
How small of all that human hearts endure,
| That part which laws or king can cause or cure
perhaps he was singing wisely. 1t is well
enough to think so. am not a politician,
but see how things go, and at the risk of
controversy and hard feeling will venture
to say. and my language is plain, and it is
1.-The theft of my Judgment" that there
never has been, in the tide of time, such an
utter failure of human schemes us we see
| in the result of reconstruction in this State.
| say ''this State" because | am here and
know how it is myself Possibly it is worse
elsewhere. A more contemptible, disrepu
table. low down, oppressive Government
| than that of Louisiana never before pol
| luted human records. 1t has not a decent
| aspect nor redeeming feature, and as revo-
| lutions do not move backwards, see no
prospect of favorable change at present L
have faith'in my people sufficiently strong to
believe that if the body of men called a
| Legislature, just adjourned in this State.
had done to the people of Massachusetts
what they did to Louisiana, they would
never have left Boston alive. The COM
| plant is not merely that these Legislators are
Radical in politics. or that many of then,
are ignorant black men, who but yesterday
were slaves or that the ma jority of the
white members are base carpet bagging
scalawags from the North, with no knowl-
edgo of the State. no pride in its past his
tory. or interest in its future, elected after
ten days residence in a parish by the con-
venient machinery of registration and com
pointeda5y a Governor Himself the creation
of similar frauds. Nor is it because
small minority of them are the meanest
Southern white trash-men without last
place of residence" soaked liz whiskey, iiv-
ing with negro women, md smelling hike
wet dogs, as they elbow about the lobby,
openly selling their votes; for even such
a collection Of foul birds might be got rid
of and the State have a future. But these
cormorants have not only plundered, looted
and sold out every visible thing, but they
have SO mortgaged the State that the noble
domain of Louisiana, purchased by Jetfer-
son from the First Consul of France, once
rich in in sugar and cotton land, is to-day
without credit or available resources
But a few facts need to be stated. New
England understands figures. Look at
these; In 1865 the debt of Louisiana was
about $4,000 1t is now. Il quote the
State Auditors report) S25.O2l ,163, com
prised of State bonds. $27 $50, ,233; war
rants and certificates, $,593,997; miscel-
laneous, $S67,5;8. Add to this ''accru
ing debt" being Endorsements on worth
less railroads, ''ship canal' and other swim
dies, amounting to $I5,295, 600, aud there is
| a total of $4O,4l6,763. That is all there
you have the blessing of universal suffrage
and free govern in q 'demnition total"
Only forty millions of mortgage on farms
and labor aud skill. Little drafts on the
future, and for what-whst have we got!
Nothing; the money has been stolen. In
addition to this. franchise have been granted,
corporations created. oppressive. iniquitous
and abominable, SO that the whole CON-
munity groans under the oppression. His
tory can furnish no parallel to this spoli-
alton in time of peace. 1t is idle to cx-
pect men to be satisfied with it. and to
rejoice at the sight of 1.-THE old flag" and
talk of the ''best government the world
ever saw" when they are living unde, a
robbing, swindling. indecent pretense Of Q
government. Yet Louisiana is quiet. |
do not think even q congressional smelling
committee. could report single case of
''outrage" in the State. Shame Oh them,
say l. that they are quiet. But all this
planting and watering must bear fruit, and
what will it be The time will come when
Federal bayonets cannot be SO easily in
voked as now, and then trust tho occupa
ton of carpet-hagging will come to the end
it SO justly deserves.
The murder mania is not confined to this
city. A reign of bloodthrstness prevails
in the North anG West. which shows that
the disease is widespread. In New York
rufflan borrOws weapon from street car
conductor, follows and kills gentleman
who rebukes himfor insulting the lady
passengers, and behaving indecently gen.
orally. In Cleveland son quarrels
with and then kills his father about
property. In San Francisco, close upon
the heels of the Fair Crittendcn trag-
edy, man stabs his wife seven times. and
then plunges the dagger into his own heart.
because she sought divorce from him. In
Davenport, Iowa, young girl commits
suicide because she ''wanted to see God
and her dead brother" In St. Clair county,
Ill a man breaks into brides house, cuts
her throat in three places, and leaves her a
mangled corpse. Then we have accounts
Of the Hon. Sharon Tyndale, a prominent
Western map, being murdered and robbed
by an assassin without any cause but a
thirst for blood. Then of children con-
spring to procure the murder of their father