Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-11
CARPET-BAG RULE.
Gen. Banks Says 1t Is the Root
of All Southern Evils.

Meo8ures-The Whole Dlficulfy Oh
Account Of Federal OmciaIs-The,
should be Prevented from TOuehIn,
Local Affairs.
Boston dec. - Special to the Chicago Tribune
The Hon. n. P. Banks spoke to a larg
audience on "The Future and the Recon
structiOn Of the South" this evening il
fremont Temple. He was received Will
considerable app ause, and began by saying
that he was to speak in order TO ill the en-
gagement he had made with the manage
Of the course, and because he thought il
his duty TO express his opinions in regarC
to the condition Of the Southern portion o.
the country and the possible means for tn,
reorganization Of its industry and its 20
litical society. He desired to divest th,
subject OF all political considerations, for i
was question, not for party, but for th,
country. The financial and all the bust
ness endorsements under which we a
the North were pressed was due to the con
ditiOn Of affairs in the South, for it wa
impossible that portion of the country
should be in anarchy, and its 100000 Of
people suffering an invas on of their social
and political rights, and the other portions
be unaffected. He then began with the
history of
THE ATTEMPT AT RECONSTRUCTION,
beginning first with President Lineoln's
movement in Florida, while the war was il
progress Then be spoke of the second at
tempt, the first having failed, to secure the
allegiance Of the States on the borders o
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. This was
wise plan, for in these States was the
= NJ nd ,f hi,
and what authority held them, held the
destinies of the Government. He gave sta
tistics showing that the fourteen States in
the Mississippi and Ohio valleys furnished
more farm and livestock prOJucis than
ALL THE OTHER STATES
combined. But Congress was at no time
ready to act upon any measure for recon.
structiOD. Its delay he characterized a:
fatal, for no one could doubt that if these
Valley States had been received one by one
into the Union, the entire reorganization
and reconstruction of the South would
speedily have followed. Then came Mr..
LineOln's death, and with it the whole
train Of evil and disaster which had befaller
the South and the whole country. The
matter of reconstruction was thrown upon
Congress, but that body, unwilling to adOpi
any policy, the question went over till the
close Of the war, and 1t was not till 1861
that it began to
TAKE DEFINITE SHAPE.
Then the Senators from Tennessee were
admitted to the councils of the nation. In
1868, Arkansas, North and South Carolina,
Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama followed,
and in 1870, Mississippi and Texas. Sc
hat - ~
into the Union at the same time. After
pausing TO express his gratitude to God
that they did not accept the fourteenth
amendment, and all come in in 1866, in
which event the South would have OBJ
tanned possession of the Government, he
spoke infinitely of the action of Congress
in regard to
NEGRO SUFFRAGE.
Universal suffrage having been adopted,
an immediate and important change was
produced at the South. The negroes were
soon leagued together, and the white race,
their former masters, was soon arrayed
against them Therefore, it was thought
wise to send among them, as instructors
and peacemakers, officers Of the Freed
mans Bureau and other Government Off
cials, and hence the carpet-bag governments.
1t was suspected that these carpet-baggers
were running the Government for their
own personal gain, and, in fact, there were
grounds for this suspicion, from the fact
that the rate of taxation was increased
from 30 cents TO 100 on 500. The value
Of property was reduced from $, 800, 100000
to S140,OOO,OOO; the area of improved lands
was reduced from 100000 acres to
81, 100000, and their value from $780,
100000 TO S545, 100000; and that the State
debts has increased to
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT.
Could such a condition Of things con-
time long? No. There must inevitably,
unless some remedy was applied, be repu.
diatiOn in some form or other, and he
called attention to the ruinOus effect such
action would have upon the whole country
He spoke favorably Of that portion Of the
Presidents message referring to recon-
struCtiOn, but said that the time must come
when it would be forced upon the people
and the President that the whole
DIFFICULTIES AT THE SOUTH
were on account of the United States Of
ficials holding office there; and it might
come to pass that by a special vote of Con-
gress these men would be prohibited from
taking any part in local politics Ap-
plause.1 He believed in the capability of
the negro race, and thought that, as always
since the birth of the Savior,
REGENERATION MUST CONE
from the lower classes Of the people. He
spoke elOquently of the action Of Robert ID.
Elliott in leaving his seat in Congress that
he might 20 back to take Office in his own
State, there to educate and lift up his peo-
pie to a sense of their political duties.
Why then could not the South, under the
leadership of such men as he and others,
be left TO itself? Certainly mat erS could
be no worse than they were now. There
could be
NO MORE BLOODSHED,
anarchy, and strife, and he prophesied that
all differences would be righted speedily,
for there were no enmities so great between
man that could not be sOftened in politics.
No Southerner had so great hatred toward
the negro that he would not ask of him aud
accept his vote. Mr.. Banks illustrated his
position by suppOSing that the whites were
in power. There would be a minority
among the ruling race which would be out
of office. This part would
GO TO THE NEGROES
ard say, "COme, and we will Gust these
men, The negroes would inquire, evil
you allow us to 60 to the same hotel with
yOu; to ride in the same car or steamboat
with you, to go to the opera, the theatre,
or the ball with yOu?T If they were
'.NO," then they would say, ave
will not vote for you" But they would
receive no such answer. They would, in
fact, hold
THE BALANCE OF POWER,
and could secure for themselves whatever
was right. On the same principle there
would be no ruling of the negro over the
white race. The people were able to
govern themselves, and they should be al
lowed to do it. In closing, he spoke fer
the rights of the minority. Though he
would not argue that the SOutheners
could claim any rights, they constituted
A MIGHTY POWER
The General Government might crush
them out, but We wanted no more war, no
more force, no more blOOdshed. WeshOuld
strive to find those grounds of amity on
which harmony between all sections and
all classes can be secured.
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