The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-07-30
4 Terrible Blunder.

future OF the negro OF Tie South:
.The facts with which we have alone
IN deal at the present moment are
that although the negro was emancipa-
ted from physical slavery, he was left
bonnd in the more terrible chains of !
universal ignorance; and that while
the nation invested him with the clor-
ious rights end privileges of American
citizenship, it not only failed to make
any provision for investing him with
\ knowledge of the high duties and
RESPONSIBILITIES which that citizenship
Imposes, but left him in the depths of
pOveTty and ignorance, to be educated,
ifcducated at all, by the white people
Of those States whom the war had so
utterly impoverished that they were
marble even to educate themselves.
That this Was unjust, unwise and i'm
politic, needs 10 words from me to de-
monsJratc. In my opinion the Gov
eminent should not only have provid-
ed the means for the education of these
new suiirages, hit it should have gone
farther, and aided the people of the
South so fulfill this high and holy duty
to themselves"
These are the views of a gentleman
WHO was in the Federal army during
our late civil war. The Baltimore Ga
gette pithily expresses the situation
when it says: "The North was willing
enough to emancipate other peoples
property; with the moral responsible
~ of educating the emancipated she
will have nothing to do. 1t is both
troublesome and expensive" The pre-
induces of the Northern people are be-
ginning to wear Oft, though slowly
and once in a willie we find man from
that section who tells his neighbors
honestly what is the situation and what
is needed. Thus q Massachusetts
man, Republican in politics, who
spent three months in the South dur
ing the past winter and spring, tells
some truths in a very plain way in a
communication to the Boston Adver
tiser. He thus introduces himself to
the readers Of that steadfast Republic
can journal:
"Three months passed in the South
dnring this winter and spring entitle
ME to speak with some confidence of
the situation there; and ] may add that
l. 4
have been shared and confirmed by
hundreds of thoughtful people from the
North, out Of the twenty-five thousand
WHO have visited Florida and the South
this last winter. These persons, in
telligpnt men and women from all
parts of orr country, have been large
" Republican in politics, anxious for
the education and elevation of the col
ored people, and the most tenacious of
what are called the results of the late
war. do not care to offer your read
ers any S0uth-side views or Cooper
head" comments, nor even the political
fault-fndings of he Democracy. l
would have this question understood at
the North as it has been seen by Re-
publicans-and Republicans only"
He appears at loss who to blame
for the measures adopted for the re-
construction of the South, ."or the fail
ure to adopt the wise recommended
tons of Governor Andrews farewell
address" but he is very clear as to the
result. He says:
"Wiatsoever the cause of the mud
die which now exists, the result is hor-
rible. In orr desire to protect the col
oIed people from q real or supposed
hostility Of their former masters, we
have given the suffrage to them all
most OF them hopelessiy Ignorant; we
have organized them into political
leagues; elevated them into positions
Of high trust, for which they are de-
plolably uusuitcd; and then handed
them over in their hclplessness to the
most corrupt and Incompetent set of
shystcrs, called carpet baggers from
the North, of which it is possible to
conceive. / have yet to learn of sin
gle man who has gone from the North
to better his political fortunes (who is
ION the make, as they themselves tell
YOU who has any real earnest desire
to help the coiored people or the COM
munity in which he lives. One of
those carpet bag politicians in reply TO
aquesli0n Of mine upon investments,
remarked that be wasn't fool enough to
invest in the Sntltl,. when he had made