Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-11-05
COMMUNE ALTON.
DAyroS, Va, Oct: a. 1874.

MR. MILLIKAN:
Railroads are the life of country-is
an admitted fact among all intelligent
aud progressive people. There is very
little profit to the farmer, when he has to
haul his fifteen or twenty barrels Of flour
one hundred, or one hundred and fifty
miles, over rough road, or in mud, into
which his wagon sinks up to the axle.
That is Just what the valley farmers havo
been doing until recently, when Ohio and
Indiana, thousand miles away from the
sea board, were almost checkered with
them. Yea, and Eastern Virginia had al
so supplied herself very generously, with
Richmond, as matter Of course as the
hub" "Any thing that couldn't 60 to
Richmond, conldn't go at al" used to DO
the familiar dicturn of our learned legisia'
tors. How did the poor man of the val
lev, the daily laborer, he who Fought SO
hard for his "best friend" the slaveholc-
er. who fought'so faithfully for Southern
Independence" and rights" 1 say, how
did he fare thenP with labor from 80 to
40 cents per day, with a ouble tariff on
the sugar and coffee that he consumed;
and, which had to be dragged through the
mud and over the stones, almost oy the
single hundred weight May he not thank
God that slavery has been trainpled into
the dust; that Virginia has Indeed gained
her independence that the rich have been
made poor. and the poor made rich? ana
I believe, if the truth was known, ma
i0rity of those that did not own slaves,
conscientiouslv believe that the valley is a
great deal better off than it was fifteen
wears ago; ST least. ell have accepted Il
the situation, gone to work in earnest, ard
seem anxious to help build up the
country.
NOW FOR SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN
THIS MATTER OF RECONSTRUCTION.
There should be close affinity between
reconconstructors and tu0se to be recon.
slruc.ed; yet, it not unfrequently happens
that grave misunderstanding arise, pure.
ly from local Causes. The war passed
over Us, aid LETT in its evoke, swlndlers,
cut-throats and gamblers; the rubbish OF
both armies. It is the same old history
OF every conquered people the world hi .
ever seen. The South is flooded with
them. They take advantage of the ne.
gro's ignorance and inexperience, get in.
to Office, pocket the money and light. :
Then the people get mad, and go to kill.
ling the innocent darkies or any man they
chance TO meet, with carpet bag in his
hand and, the administration is cursed
nearly out OF its boots, especially by our
bull-terriers of the north. But, then,
what remedy do they propose: None at
all! It's the poor negro-the beginning
and the end. If every one of them could
be driven Oh. on the borders OF nowhere,
then / presume some OF our very SYM
pathetic friends would be satisfied.
But that is not all: the people of the
South have gone in manner crazy, on
the subject of railroads. Their hearts
and their pockets, with but few excep-
tionS, are open to an enterprise Of that
kind. Corporations are formed with
names, something like this: "Shenan-
doah Valley and North River r. Il. CON-
pany," with some rich capitalist Of New
York or Boston, represented as Presi-
dent Solicit county, town and private
subscriptions. get the money. grade few
miles OF road, and then collapse into
nothingness. We all know that there IL
nothing more disgusting to farmer, than
for Railroad Company. to which he has
generously given the right OF way, By
eating Up his farm. aud all amount to
nothing.
Who IL to blame? To whom Is the
farmer to go for reparations If he had
that New Yorker, or that Boston Yam.
kee by the throat, you may he sure he
would not cheat the people much longer |;
and, all the while that nasty, dirty yam.
kee," resides in the nearest town,-all in
clined to create prejudice against the Re-
publican administration L. such swind.
ling 10 be confined to the Valley or the
South alone9 No! All over the west,
, comes up the suppressed cry of indigna-
ton and wrong. RALPH ADAMS.