The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-05-16
Henry Ward Beecher en- the
Wrong of the, Southern
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When the Southern PEOPLE have COM
planned of villainous treatment by the
alieE-bayonet agencies Of fraud and pro
scription which have been set up over
them, the reply has been made that they
were slanderous accusations originating
in sectional prejudice against deserving
class of ill-used patriots. 1t is true these
worthless had quintupled the rates of tax
alton on people whose land had been
desolated-and had ran up debts amount
ing in the aggregate to $3.50, 900, 900
but these things were explained on the
ground of necessityin rebuilding the
Southern States governments which they
had ruthlessly knocked down.
Mr.. Greeley, the original champion of
free soil and founder of the Republican
party came South, was received with due
honor by the Carpet-Bag authorities,
but could not be hoodwinked so as to
prevent him from seeing into what sort of
hands the oppressed communities had
fallen; and after thus seeing with
his own eyes, he could not resist saying.
that in reference to these imported
officials, that it ought to be the constant
ejaculation of all good men of every
color, religious faith and political creed,
"Get out Thieves" But Mr. Greeley
was charged with interested motives and
a design to break down the Administra-
ton which was responsible for the wicked
rule he had mathematical, and so his
report was whistled down the wind as
unworthy of consideration by the merce-
naries to whom it it related.
But now comes Tin the opinion of Car
pet-Baggery) a greater than Greeley.
No less an oracle of Republicanism and
supporter of Grant than Henry Ward
Beecher, who is a preacher of the Sacred
Word as well as of the temporal word
to bear testimony to what Mr.. Greeley
had said before him concerning the
wrongs of the Southern States and the
despicabIe character of the clans who
have been the instruments of their en-
forcement Here is what Apostle Beech
er says in his newspaper called the Chris
tian Union:
From the Christian Union.
1t is needless here TO trace the political
history OF reconstruction. or to apportion
the blame for its mistakes. 1t is enough to
say that in point of fact the State govern
ments of the South have very largely fallen
into
THE HANDS OF IGNORANT AND KNAvIsH MEN.
Public money has been wasted and stoleE
by wholesale. A proud and high-spirited
population have seen their places of trust
and honor filed by foreign adventures and
| uneducated freedmen. The old political
leaders in whom the people had confidence
and who alone had experience in the con-
duct of affairs, have been excluded from
Office by Congress. The course of politics
has tended to deepen the antagonism be-
tween the former masters and the blacks,
and to still fJfhfher ALLEVIATE the former from
the national authority. This is
GLOOMY PICTURE.
OF the present duty of the nation at large
| towards the South we shall here say but a
| word. The best service that can. be rem
dered to the Southern people politically is
swept away at blow. There should be no
more Federal interference with local affairs.
| Political salvation for the South can only
| come through her own people.
When Apostle Beecher penned these
lines he must have had before him the
report of the sacking and ravaging of a
town in South Carolina by soldiers and
| negroes. after the male citizens had been
carried off. Or possibly his indignant
language was inspired by the Double
Tax Law which recently passed the Mis-
sissippi Legislature, creating special
fund for the benefit of the Of6ceholders,
and the atrocious Powers-Emory stories
that '1awlessness existed throughout the
State" and that an additional" supply of
bayonets were needed to keep down the
,..resentfur' spirit of dissenters from Car
pet-Bag rule.