The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-05-07
A PENlTENT RADICAL.

The drift Of national politics is pretty
clearly indicated by the following from
one of the bitterest Radicals in the
North:
WASHINGTON, April 30.--Judge w.
ID. Kelly, Of Pennsylvania, returned
| from 81 six Weeks tour i'll the South,
and bears most emphatic testimony
against the Southern policy Of his own
party in the last Congress. When
asked tonight what he thought Of the
condition of the South, he used these
words: t'The vote l most regret during
my fourteen years service in Congress
| is that which l cast last winter i'll favor
of the Force BilI.'
! He further said that so far as his
! observation went during his extended
tour there was no more necessity for the
use of Federal troops than there is in
! Pennsylvania or Ohio. He talked
with Confederate soldiers, with North
ern men, negroes, carpet baggers and
| travellers, and he was surprised ut the
good feeling existing. He said he
should hereafter take little stock in
Southern outrages, especially. is they
are reported as occurring in the sections
! he visited.
| He gave an example of the feeling
| i'll the South, by relating what TIC him
self saw i'll Augusta, being himself
unknown. lie happened TO be in that
city on the day chosen for decorating
| tho graves of the Confederate dead.
He remained and observed closely
the proceedings. n large procession
marched through the city, with engines,
| civic organizations, etc, it being treated
as a general holiday. Judge Kelly
observed the significant fact. that while
! men and women were gathered for
| the purpose Of paying tribute to the
memory Of the dead Confederate SOL
diers the principal music on the occasion
! was furnished by the band belonging
to Il regular United States Infantry
regiment stationed in the vicinity.
There were no taunts, no insults, no
complaints, no appearance Of i'll feeling
anywhere visible.
| While absent, Judge Kelly spent
| from two days to n week In each of the
following cities, stopping frequently
at places Of less consequence Rich
mond, Charleston Columbia Savannah
jacksonville, Atlanta, Augusta and
! Aiken. The most Of his time was
spent i'll Florida. He says SO far as
he saw, and he went with his eyes and
ears open, there was no feeling of fear
| or distrust on the part Of the cOlored
people, and he could not for the life of
him see what use there was for Force
Bills. He was very glad t., have made
the trip, for it has enabled him to
understand the condition Of the South
better than he has ever understood it
before.
He said it was not the Iku- Klux that
was running the South nor was their
unhappy condition to be attributed to
the hatred by the Southern people OF
the people OF the North nor was polit
ical question involved. He thinks
the whole trouble in the South arises
from financial and industrial causes,
and he believes that the South will not
improve and advance until the Forty
fourth Congress repeats tho financial
legislation of the Forty-third; until
the industries OF the country arc re-
vived, and VIC are forced to live within
our income.
The South will grow worse instead
of better, as matters are going now.
| The Judge thinks not only that the
tSOuth-wcSt will be invoIcd in ruin,
but the country itself will be hol'clcSsly
insOvent.
! Tho treasury, he thinks, is already
empty, work is stopping in the navy
yards, buildings, etc, for the money
has run out. The receipts are not
equal to the expenditures, and II day
of settlement is not far off. He was
asked how long the treasury would
hold out, and he answered that unless
there is an improvement in the Gus
toms and internal revenue receipts, the
5 treasury Will be empty by September
next.
Judge Kelley called on Secretary
, Bristow, and had il long talk on
!, financial matters, but did not succeed
in obtaining any new Information
from the Secretary. The .tudp" asked
him how soon he was tn begin TO buy
currency again. The Secretary did
not sccni to like that way of stating
the question he was told by the judge
that he thought he had used the right
term. lie did not think il was selling
gold, but buying currency, which i
necessary for daily use. lie told the
! Secretary that the South, the West and
the whole country, could never rccovc,
while the effort was being made tt
bring about specie payments by con
# tracing the currency.