The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-16
TIE TRUTH CROPPING OUT.

done the most harm to Louisiana, the New
York Times may justly take precedence.
From the time when Durell, by his infamous
midnight order, took the initiative step in the
overthrow of the legitimate State Government,
till quite recently, the Times has permitted
itself to be made the vehicle for the most
monstrous calumnies against us, and published
column after column Of the palpable lies
which Shannon telegraphed them in support
of the midnight order and of the usurpation
1t assailed the character of the committee of
citizens which was sent to lay the case OF the
people before Congressman the President, and
has evinced spirit of bitter hostility and
prejudice against the South which we had
never hoped to overcome. Latterly its ex-
pressions have been rather more fair and
kindly, and editorially it has admitted that its
first position was erroneous and untenable.
We are gratined to see that the Times has at
last taken very sensible method of arriving
at just idea of the condition of Louisiana and
of the relations existing between the resident
whites and the negroes
In its issue of the 12:h we find long letter
from its special correspondent, "Gar." who
has started out on a horseback tour through
the State. Gear" seems to be fair-minded
and determined to write of things as he finds
previous statements made in the columns Of
his paper We make few extrac IS from his
very readable and truthful letter, which was
written from Alexandria after trip up
through the country starting from Bayou
Sara:
The cordially and kindness of the people
were boundless, and when I expressed my
wish to see men who lived twenty or even
thirty miles away, some one would inevitably
hitch up his horse and go after them. Assist
ed in this manner, had no difficulty what
ever in arriving at all the facts in the
case in two days, and on the Sd en-
barked again on the packet, and three hours
after was landed al .the mouth of the Red
River
paid my friend what he asked, and with
many expressions OF mutual esteem resumed
nv road, and was soon in the pleasant village
of Evergreen. Here I had letter to an old
gentleman, a sugar planter, who was also
agent for the plantations of New Orleans
friend, indeed, Of the old gentleman who had
given us the letters. He received me cordially,
and we had many long conversations about
the status of the colored men, and the dispo
sition of the planters toward them. And,
right here will remark that the misrepresen-
tations of the matter which have been sent up
North, are so maliciously false that the read
ers of the Times will fnd it hard to reconcile
what I have to write with their previous
knowledge. The fact is that the planters have
no other labor than the colored men, and
have been SO DESTROYS of getting sufficient
hands, that the game has been entirely in the
hands of the latter. The political attraction
of great cities, and the inducements of white
have tempted away so many labor
ers from the plantations that there was q
scarcity, felt all the more acutely because the
planters, in their frantic efforts to free them
selves from debt, planted all the ground that
they possibly could.
And now the crops have been so bad that
the negroes cannot get credit, and the hard
pan of cash has at length been reached. No
honest man will now work on the wages sys-
tenn unless he can pay the wages. But it
must be confessed that Northern adventprers
come in and lease plantations, giving the crop
IS security for the rental The negroes are
30 confiding that they will always trust to
white man,. and they work away for a whole
year, and then when the crops are sold Mr.. |
Adventurer steals away and does not pay
hem red cent. Perhaps the readers Of the
Times will not believe that any man could be
80 base. Luckily can give the name of one,
Hon. Mr.. Sypher, member of Congress from
louisiana who was counted in by the whole
ale forgery of affidavits in the Plaquemines
District, eide Congressional report Of speech
If Hon. Matt Carpenter, January 20 and 80,
S74, on Louisiana affairs.
The remedy for this state of things is two
old-one the gradual incoming from Missouri
nd Alabs ma of farmers with capital, who
AXE the places Of the impoverished planting
ristocracy of the past ; the other is the insti-
ution of Oranges, which will make it their
BUSINESS to see that the laborers are not
heated of their hire. For if the confidence
which the negro feels in the white mans hon
sty now were to be destroyed, the result
would be that Louisiana would relapse into
Pristine barbarism. As for the stories of
Planters shooting down their negroes to avoid
laying them their wages, or giving them their
hare of the crop, it is an absolute lie The
negroes, unless controlled by white influences,
viii quarrel with each other and commit MUIR
|
resent Administration. For all power has
'een taken away from the local ward magis-
rates, and the parish and district judges are
calawags, who connive with crime to make
'olitical capital. The Changers desire to re-
tore order out Of chaos, by getting back once
nore an active local magistracy who can pun
sh crime on the spot. They DESIRE more
yer, to make sucb concerted efforts as will
rive away all adventurers who want to profit
y the careless, unthinking confidence of the
olored man, and to make regulations for
:andard price OF labor that shall be agreed
pom by mutual consent. They believe, more
yer, that in time they can teach the negro to
ave. Until he has learned that lesson all the
esires of the North for him are but dreams,
ooinages of the brain. We Re-
ublicans hoped for the freedmen a condition
that of the yeomen of England.
We wanted to see them possessed of some
fly acres of land; sturdy, frugal, industrious,
with skill, investing with prudence,
ducating their children in the love OF law and
rider, becoming year. by year source OF
ealth to their State, and of pride to the !
hole country.