The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-05-15
FRUITS OF RECONSTRUCTION.

WASHINGTON, Maya In the Senate
1,on1xline said that, befo e hearing the
Senator from Mississippi, he thought
he would have voted for the Dill put,
as that Senator had stated that the
State was able to care for its own poor,
any aid that Congress should give,
should be in the nature of an advance,
to be returned to the government here
after, as no one in Mississippi was dis
franchised. He did not see how it was
that the people had no voice in the
management Of their own affairs. He
inquired of the Senator the name of the
person who was the president of the
upper levee board.
Alcorn said it was F. NJ. Alcorn, his
son.
Conkling said he would not re-
main silent and listen to insinuati0ns
that the national administration was
responsible for sins of omissions and
commissions in the Southern States.
The misrule in Mississippi was not
brought about by carpetbaggers or
non-residentors, and the Senator
(Alcorn) might as well charge the mall
administration he complains OF on the
Sultan OF Turkey.
Alcorn inquired if the Senator from
New York (Conkling) didn't know
that in 1867 and 1868, Congress passed
law forbidding any one from holding
Office in s.ny of the Southern States
unless that person should take the iron
clad oath, and did he not know that
that oath excluded all respectable men
of that section from Office. The oath
was even extended to the voter, 50 that
respectable men could not vote.
Conkling said he did deny that any
man had been denied to vote after tin.
State government was organized.
AIcorn said that it was true that his
son was president of the upper ievee
board, but it was also true that the
district over which he presided was
the only one not OVERLOOKED to-day.
He took the Office against his (Alcurn'sj
advice. but probably did 50 to prevent
fraud, as the contracts were about TO
be given out, aud he had no doubt that
1t did save Il larg" sum ot money in the
district. Should this appropriation rs
made now, the distribution should be
LETT solely with the Secretary Of War,
and not put into the hands of those
who were itching to get hold oi it, and
from whom the negroes would get but
little Of it. The officers in his State
We're not the choice of Taxpayers, and
he would rather appeal to the Secretary
than to those placed over the peo-
pie. He charged that General Ames
had removed citizens, from the boards
in the districts now overfowed, and
put in their places persons who had
defrauded the people.
Conkiing said that the PC, pie OF Mis-
sissippi had ratified Generc AmeS and
made him their GovernC He sup
posed the gentleman alluu ! to Gov
ernor AIneS wien the spol-- OF u satrap.
Alcurn said h knew he was elected
to the Office of Govern =, and he also
knew that he would II yer have been
elected to that office hats it not been
for the prestige of the Govern mcnt OF
the United States. 1t was given out
everywhere that the Administration
was backing hiu1, and no Federal
otfice-holder darect to speak in favor OF
him (Alcorn).
Conkling inquired by what minority
Gov. Ames was elected.
Alcorn replied, $4,000 uut 0. the Re
publican majority q $4,000. He. Ames)
had no more interest in Til" Stale than
he (Alcorn) had in New York. But he
did not propose TO go into that question,
though he would defend the people OF
that State.
Upton of Nebraska, said that, when
the discussion on the bill commenced,
he was told the people Of Mississippi
were SullSEluS. IL hstt1 ptlil pr So
long that he now had serious uppr.hcn-
sions that they had expired, aud there
fore he thought the superintendent had
better be made for funeral expenses.
haughter.)
Alcorn said he held the people of the
South us ineNcusablc for driving the
colored people away from them, but
they had been stri,.ken down aud taxed
unjustly. He denounced the tax i'm.
posed on their cotton ns unconstitutirn
al and oppressive.
Sargent moved to recommit the bill
to the Committee on appropriations.
Cameron, of Pennsylvania, said h"
was tired of hearing charges u.,;.us
the people of the North. Every day,
whenever an oppurtun ~ Offered To
censure the North, su,ur on" from TIL"
SJuth got up and did It. He wan,t.
to forget the war and its CO.'S QueuCrS,
and hoped there would br an end /"
these charges. Ii the South Wa- poor,
whose fault was it? " hat had she
done to ;ay the enormous debt which
she had brought on the country: He
had stood here and listened TO these
-. a