The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-01-09
CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.

ing the causes of the unpleasant situation q
II Nicksburg, and Tie other confined its labor
g to prying into the Louisiana abomination. i
!, !, both case,, the committee got more evidenc
than they wanted for the purpose of their al
5 poinment, and may be obliged in their RI
( port to let out gimpses of the truth.
$ In the case of Vicksbug, the only object o
q sending committee there was tc make
0 case for Gov. Anes and to show that TIT
butchery of 90 or 80 negroes through TIT
. treachery and cowarGice Of Sheriff Crosby
was gross white league outrage. The com
) mittee got no evidence to justify such con
cuslons, and will probably report that the
exact degree of Sheriff Crosbys and Gov
Amcs' guilt or innocence in the matter is one
of those things which no iellah can ma out
q Going back to the immediate cause OF The
! December outbreak, however and directing
| the inquiry to the foundation cause Oh al
!. these southern troubles, the establishment o.
the color line" the committee got evidence
that must have given them some new ideas or
the subject. The main witness they eXamin
ed was Judge O'Brien, man OF unimpeach
;, able character-a true union man, though
, neither carpetbagger or scalawag. Judge
4 O Br,en attributes all the troubles in Mississ
! inn, tc the establishment of the color line, y
/. and the way of that was this at first, after
the close of the war, the whites resolved IN
good faith to accept the situation and trea,
/ the negroes as their equals. In making nom
nations for Office they gave them more than
their share on the tickets, and otherwise
slrove hard to win their confidence and good
will Efforts of this kind were continued for
several years, but without success, until it be
came more than evident that is was impos.
sible to sOnciliate the negroes, owing to the
fact that their prejudices were continually ex
cited against the whites by the appeals Of the
carpetbaggers, political adventnrers and
worst elements of the white race. who filled
them with the delusiOl that the whites were
their natural enemies, and the object OF the
democratic party WAS again to reduce them
to slavery, &c.
Every element of discord was continually
kept before them. and the result was that in
every election for six years the negroes were
voted in an almost solid mass, and often car
jried TO the polls in military array, under lea
ders, where they remained till the whole col
umn had voted, the leaders handing them
their tickets or else deposting ballots for
them. This state OF affairs produced q color
line, the whites being satisfied that il was use.
less to attempt to cOalesce with the negroes In
voting, and that they were incapable Of min.
istering any Office for the benefit of the coun-
try, and determined in future to vote only for
white men for Office.
The committee at New Orleans appear to-
be no more successful than that at VicksburgI
in raking up facts" to make case to sus-
tam the Kellogg scoundrelism. After brief
Investigation, they came to the conclusion
that it would at least be impossible to sustain
the late action of the returning board, and that
congressional interference, therefore, and not
that of Grant and Sheridan, was the only way
out of the Louisiana trouble. They also en-
countered witness of the Judge O'Bren
class in the venerable Bishop Wilmer, whose
testimony is quite as torcible as that of
Judge o b. in reference to the matter of " col.
or line" He confirmed all Judge OBJ said
about the Generalization of the negro vote
by the carpetbagger riifrafi, and detailed
another overwhelming cause eff southern dis.
tress growing out of that, as follows
Our people are in distress; many of them
who are able to go away are preparing to
leave the state; those who cannot are doing
their best TO struggle against the difficulties
that surround them. | can attribute this only
to the loss of confidence and universal dis.
trust which has paralyZed the energies of our
people, and to the unnumbered depredatlons
to which they are exposed on every side,
without the power Of bringing the perpctra-
tors to punishment. The universal testimony
in the country is that people cannot raise any.
thing, because they canuot keep ii; it is stolen
ioom them. No description of nine could
enable you to realize that it IS impossible in
many parts OF the country to raise any stock
or vegetables for their families. We have TO
resource whatever II would affect Won very
much To hear stories which could give YOU
OF the extreme poverty to which many per
sons are reduced who formerly lived in aiflu
cnce. Win reference 10 the government | i
lhink that what we want is some means of
bringing those who violate the law to pun.
ishment Persons are sent to the penicntiary,
and when they return there is no stain attach
in which person escaping justice has lost
anything IN the esteem of his friends and
companions. / know OF a case where refined
ladies had raised n garden of vegetables, when
in single night they were robbed OF every .
thing.
In response 10 the question why theft Is not
punished? the bishop said that the juries be.
ing composed of negroes were partial and,
in word, saw no crime in what all of them
did daily and habltually themselves
The upshot of the Investigations of the Two
holiday committees, we take ii, will be, not
10 recommend, as the proper remedy for the
southern troubles, the interference of the
strong arm of military power, to be welded
oy The "Piegan Slayer" but some such rem
cdy as that adopted for the district of Col.
umbia. the Acknowledgement, f Ia, ,,o,r,,os