Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-04-28
Carpet Baggers.

In his recent speech in the Senate,
Gen. Warner, Of Alabama, spoke
as follows concerning this much
abused class:
But | desire to notice another
charge which we hear great deal
about. The favorite name applied
to our Southern governments by our
Democratic friends is that of Gear
pet-bag governments" and the
Northern men, mostly soldiers who
went to the South after the war, are
called "carpet-baggers." l know
that before the war, the South was
pretty hot place for Northern
man with Northern ideas, but sup
posed that one of the results of the
war was the vindication ofthe right
of any citizen OF this country to go
into any part Of the country and
become citizen and have equal
political rights with other citizens
there, including freedom of speech
and political action.
] did not anticipate that | should
find the Senator from Missouri APP
plying to us what is understood to
be an odious appcllation, that Of
''carpet-bagger." / am the more
surprised because / think he has
been something Of a carpet-bagger
himself. If my memory serves me
right, he went to Louisiana about
the same time and for the same pur-
pose that | went to Alabama, to
raise cotton, and | think had about
the same luck; and l am astonished
that he should be so ready to believe
all the rumors that are circulated
about carpet-baggers.
know very well that when the
Senator talks in any disparaging
way about carpet-baggers, he does
not intend to apply it to me person
ally, for l know how kindly his feel
ings toward me arc; but l am sur
prised that he should seek the dis
arrangement OF these men, who were
mostly soldiers and some Of whom
followed his lead in the war against
the rebellion, on mere rumor, for he
has been the victim of rumor
himself, and | should have thought
that having felt the injustice there
by done him he would not be so
ready to heed ii rs TO others.
remember a story which was
current through the South, and was
published generally in the papers,
about the Senator from Missouri,
and which was doubtless as ground
less as most Of the stories that he
hears about his comrades. The
story is, that at a political meeting
in the neighborhood where the Sen
ator had his plantation, his Demo
cratic friends got colored man to
preside, as is their habit, i'll hopes
to get the colored vote for Sey-
mour and Blair. After the white
men had got through with their
speeches, which were largely made
up OF abuse of carpet-baggers, who,
it was alleged, had gone down there
to spy out and plumber the land,
the colored president of the meet
ing was called upon for speech.
He said in response, that he en-
dorsed all that had been said about
these carpet-baggers, that he him
self had been in the employ of a
carpet-bagger, and had worked for
him all summer, and the carpet-bag
ger had gone off without paying
him; and, said he, III think you
must all know him, | have heard his
name called many times to-day;
they call him Frank Blair. Laugh
ter.
"Carpet-baggers are Northern
men living in the South, and are
like men everywhere; there are
some good and some bad among
them; but let me tell the Senator,
there are many as good men among
them as YOU will find among any
equal number of men elsewhere.
We have in my State some of the
Senator's own officers and soldiers,
who are all the supporters Of re-
construction, and who are III pa
triotism and morality, if not i'll posi-
ton and ability, the peers Of the
Senator. His gallant and skilltul
adjutant general, whom he will well
remember, is one Of them, and do
not think he, when he remembers
his services to his country, his
fidelity in ler hour of trial, his
purity Of private character, would
expect his old commander, by any
indirection even, to cast any as
persion upon him because he had
seen fit to 90 to Alabama after the
war and honestly east his lot among
that people and voted as his juds-
ment and conscience babe him.
The Senator's commissary is an
other of these carpet-baggers. Now
let me say to the Senator that these
"carpet-baggers," mostly soldiers,
who arc the equals in bravery and
fidelity to their country if not III
ability to the Senator himself, are
nearly all, l may say, almost with
out exception, found upon my side
of reconstruction and not upon his.
1t is curious fact, if this policy of
reconstruction be such an abomlna-
ton, such an outrage upon the
people, and so contrary to the spirit
in which we conducted the war,
that nearly all the soldiers of the
country should be found sustaining