The Van Buren press., 1872-07-30
Charges and Proofs.
lFrom the Golden Age. !

On Mr. Greeley's return from his
Southern tour a year ago, he made
speech at the Lincoln Club Room, in this
city, in which las we find on referring to
the newspaper report in the next morn
ings iournals) he used the following
just, rough and characteristic words
Il allude,n said he to what are known as
the thieving carpct-baggers. IApplausel The
thieying carpet -baggers are mourniul fact ;
they do exist there, and ! have seen them.
They are fellows who crawled down South in
the track of our armies, generally Mt very
safe distance in the rear; some of them on
suffers wagons; some bearing cotton per-
mits; some of them looking sharply to see
what might turn up, and they remain there.
They at once ingratiated themselves with the
blacks simple, credulous ignorent men, very
glad to welcome and to follow any whites who
proicssed to bc the champions OF their rights.
Some of them got elected senators. Others
Representatives, some Sherifs, some Judges,
and so on. And there they stand, right in the
public eye, stealing and plundering, many OF
them with both arms around negroes, ana
their hands in their rear pockets, seeing II
they cannot pick paltry dollar out of them
and the public looks at them. does not regard
the honest northern men, who calls every car
pet bagger thief which is not the truth by a
Epou utdi. nut lile>t ItloNH-iltdliN VI tlIthi
long faced, and with eyes rolled up, are great
~ concerned for the education of the blacks
and for the salvation of their souls. tGreat
laughter. let as pray' they say, but they
Speii pray toih an e. and thus speliea Neg obey
the apostolic ihjHHcti0n to pray tcith0W ceuS
ing They got into the Legislatures
They went TO Issuing State bonds; they pre-
tended to use them IN aid of railroads and 9TH
er improvements But the improvements
were not made. and the bonds stuck in the is
suer's pockets. That is the pity of it.
hat the Southern people see of us are these
thieves, who represent the North TO their
iaundced vision, and representing IT, they
disgrace II. They are the greatest obstacle to
the triumph and permanent dSceRaency Of Re
publican principles at the South, and as such
dsaoaace them" Applause
Gratz Brown, himself a Southerner,
both by birth and life long residence, and
an eye witness of the abuses which he
denounces, corroborates Mr.. Greeley's $
testimony against the carpet baggers as
follows
At the South, " says Mr.. Brown I" the spir-
it of dominion has been synonym of Federal
authority in the shaping OF all local organza-
i1atiOn, open control OF large bodies Of depen-
dents, Interference TO sustain worthless OFF,
cials and ruthless violations of the rights Of
persons. There the substance of entire Sec
tons has been plundere debts mortgaging
generations OF labor contracted, taxes levied
TO the point of coniiscation--all done under
agencies upheld by the National Government.
Could the two hundred and fifty millions pill
aged BY the carpct-bag government have
been permitted, except under disSoute po-
litiral morality that conuived at Tammany
In ten million steal?'
AS the above assertions Of Horace
Greeley and Gratz Brown-though made
10y them before they were candidates for
the Presidency and Vice Presidency
have been denied as false, we propose to
exhibit the facts and figures which prove
them true.
A table Of statistics showing the debts
Of the southern States before the war.
compared with the increased debts Of
those same States under their present
carpet bag Governments