The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-07-27
Mr.. GreeIey's Testimony Against the
HThieVinq Carpet-BaqqerS."

When Horace Greeley made his journey to
Texas in the early part of the season, he took
some pains to inform himself of the tricks and
manners of those precious carpet-baggers who
are recognized as the pillars OF loyalty in the
Southern States. He inquired of Democrats,
and he inquired of candid, decent Republicans;
and from both he received the same story OF
the infamous character of these carpet-baggers
who control the legislation and administer the
State governments of the South. When he re-
turned home he stated the truth as he had
learned it, but with the caution natural to
Republican editor who was unwilling to injure
his party. Many Republican journals have
arraigned him for his frankness in exposing the
carpet-bag knaves, and now he has thought fit
to defend himself in the Tribune. He reiter-
ates his charges against "the thievsh carpet
baggers," making only this plea in mitigation:
that he never included, nor intended to include,
all Northern residents in the South in his SEN
tence.of condemnation.
This plea in abatement says the New York
World, is of no practical account. For as the
few honest arpet-baggcrs voted to put the dis
honest ones in Office, they must share the re-
sponsibility OF their malfeasance and misdoings.
The charge of disloyalty against the Southern
people rests upon their opposition to their
plundering State governments, and the oppres-
sion is none the less intolerable because some
honest, misguided men helped put the rogues
IA, A III
party must be held responsible for the actual
results of its administration. MIR. Greeley is
constrained to acknowledge that the carpet-bag
State governments are scandalous dens Of
thieves; and it is no alleviation of the rascali-
ty that few honest men may have been delu-
ded into supporting them. Mr. Greeley's state
ments fully justify the indignant loathing and
disgust with which the Southern people regard
their carpet-bag State governments, and acquit
them of intentional disloyalty to just authority.
We trust they will never become so abject and
degenerate as to lick the feet of such scoundrels
as Federal bayoncts have put in transient au-
thority over them.
1t is but fair to tn. Southern people that
they should have the benefit of Mr.. Greeley's
Endorsement of their opposition to the grasping,
villainous carpct-baggers. We therefore make
large quotations. Despite his Republican col
oring, the truth shines forth through his state
ments with convincing clearness. These ex-
tracts have the added weight which belongs to
the testimony of an unwilling witness:
But there arc. carpet baggcrs" who are
knayes and hypocritcs- making loud pro,
fessions of zeal for Republican ascendancy and
negro enfranchisement and elevation, are
mainly intent on filling their own pockets from
the spoil of an impoverished, unthrifty people.
And this kind of "carpet-baggcrs" have been.
prominent and powerful in the legislation and
administration of several Southern States, as
their bloated public expenditure, taxation and
Indebtedness abundantly, deplorably attest.
Such is the naked truth, exaggerated very nat
urally, by partisan hostility and bitterness, but
bad enough when reduced to its real dimen-
sons. 1t is the simple truth that
our worst impressions of that sort of carpet
baggers" were made by the statements not OF
Democrats at all, but of Jealous Republicans.
One of them was himself q recent emigrant
from Illinois, who never voted any other than
Republican ticket, but who went South to
ed by the heavy taxes imposed on his planta-
ton by the "carpet-baggers," who, by man
aging the negroes, ruled and robbed his county,
continually putting up swindling jobs of bridge
building, &c, to FIJI their own pockets. An
other was our friend of many years who last
fall headed the Republican State ticket in
Louisiana, and was elected by an overwhel-
ming majority. We take the liberty of ndi-
eating him without asking leave, because the
fact that he is making a determined fight as
auditor against the robbers who would gladly
ruin the credit, as they have absorbed the
funds, of the State, is so widely known that he
cannot, if he would, conceal the truth that he
is natural enemy of thieves So III Texas
we heard more to the prejudice OF rascally car
pet -baggers from Republicans than from Dem
ocrats Had we heard nothing nothing at all, !,
the public records and financial exhibits OF
several Southern States bear testimony that
cannot be misunderstood nor explained %%ay'
The gross pcrversions and angry criticisms
of certain Southern Republican journals re-
minds lis of an anecdote: The eccentric Lo-
rcnzo Dow was once approaching place where
he had an appointment to preach, when =
stranger complained to him that his watch had
been stolen from under his pillow tue night
before. Dow assured the victim that his
watch would be returned, and picking up Il
boulder that weighed a pound or so, hid 1t un-
der his cloak and entered the pulpit. After
preaching zcalousy for half an hour or 50, he
suddenly stopped and exclaimed, "a mans
watch was stolen in this ncigAborhood last
night, and the thief is now i'll this house; l
shall hit him with this stoncw He made Il
fcint of throwing it, and one of the audience
ducked his head lie was instantly seized,
searched and tho stolen watch found in one of
his pockets
Difference to our dcnunciation of "theying
~ Republicans of the South you have des-
pcrate struggle just ahead, and you cannot win
unless you send these villains to the rear. You
cannot RELY on their modesty or their sense OF
dcccncy they will push themselves forward
into tho most conspicuous posts, no matter at