The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1872-05-11
The plGumderel South.

The Washington Patriot refers to a rreat
speech by Mr.. Voorhees,, of Indiana. ON Satur-
day last, which it says set forth in eloquent and
burning words the system of rapine and robbery
by which the Radica1 party have left the South
ern States with hardly a green thing behind
He passed III review one state after another and
showed IN graphic and glowing terms the foot
prints OF deSOlation Of the Radical Darty rs
from State to State. like a band of thieves they
took their way to plunder and prey upon the
people He showed how, from the very beginning
after the fearful strife of arms was over, they
took possession of these eleven States bv force
and fraud, and how, by every possible device
which cupldlty and a versatile capability for
wrong could suggest, they spoiled those fertile
fields of everything that war had spared. The
picture which he draws is dark. forbiddiug, fear
tul, uneXample, but Just.
Never before was such a people bound hand
and foot, and before their very eyes and in the
face OF the whole country and the civilized
world, and against their protest, remonstrances.
and appeals, preyed upon at will. All the chan
nels OF public justice were poisoned. and all the
sources OF consolation, under their mighty and
manifold applications. were taken away. There
was one policy pursued. and that was a policy
of oppression, OF hatred Of humiliation of rob-
berry. 1t therefore was a comprehensive policy
whose purpose was the perpetuation in power of
the party originating and pursuing it. more
cod-blOoded and lgnoble motive for cruelty. and
for crushing proud and stricken people to the
earth could not well be devised. They were de-
own affairs, which would have secured them
against degradation, and for the very reason
that by such course alone would such depred-
alton be possible. Had they been allowed o elect
their own public officials and conduct their own
State government, and, generally, to do what
citizens of all the other State of the Union do.
look after their own interests, there wonld have
been no room for, and hence no influx Of the
thieves. But this was not the scheme. Room
must be made, and room ,rdS made. Under the
tbamSn1 nd
loyalty" towards those whose possessions were
to be stolen away, the mean minions of Rad
icaisln. with blushless disregard of every con-
sderation Of honesty or honor began their sys-
tematic brigandage which they have continued
until these eleven States are in the deplorable
condition SO vividly portrayed by Mr.. Voorhees,.
Our space will not permit us to present to any
extent the statements OF Mr.. Voorhees, OF
Georgia, however we will say a word The debt
of the State. at the close of the war, alnouted
to nothing. The debt of the State in June 1871
according to Mr.. Angler. State Treasurer. was
s5O.l37 500. So much for the State debt. Now
word as to the expenses of the Legislature
elected in 1868 At the same time Bullock was
elected Governor. but before his was out he ab-
seconded from the State, ard his present where
abouts nobody knows He is fugitive from
justice
As with Georgia. so with the rest of the South
ern States that has fallen into the hands of Rad
ical punderers. There may be variety in the
means. but the end is the same in all cases-de-
vastation and ruin. In South Carolina, as an
other example of the cost of Legislatures under
the supremacylof carpet-bag thieves: South
Carolina drew from the treasury the enormous
sum of S5S3,651 A to defray its own expenses
for one session." besides incurring "a debt Of
$9l l.500 for furniture for the State House." while
a session of the Legislature Of Ohio at the same
time cost only 100000" Here it will be seen
that the robbers of the South Carolina Legis-
lature spent more money for the furniture of the
State House than did the Legislature Of a great
and prosperous State like Ohio to cover all it's
expenses.
Go on through the list of these pillaged South
ern States and we find the same general result.
N"thlng but sickening succession of robbery
from beginning to end.