The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-03-18

The Ostracized.
[From the Indianapolis sentinall

The lugubrious carpet Dagger, detailing his
woes to the attentive congressman on detaeh-
ed service as an investigator, or rehearsing
the story Of his trials and tribulations in the
truly loyal newspapers, closes the mournful
litany of the miseries from which he seeks
deliverRnee by the startling declaration that
he suffers from social ostracism. He knows
of divers negroes who have been spirited a
way like Kiimeny. He has heard of Others
who have been Murdered with every grim &C
eessory ofcruelty. The lesser outrages ofdis-
charge from service intimidations and mid
night hagellations TEEN in his fertile memory:
but as to his own individual woes they are ali
summed up in the one word ostracisIn The
only trouble with him personally is, that he
has been let severely alone. His manly bean
ty has, as it were, exhaled its charms unap-
preeiated, as the poet says, like the flower
that Wlthers in the desert air. No shy admit
ring glances from liquid Southern eyes have
followed his stately and imposing form whep-
ever he has deigned to Promenade the streets
in his store clothes and boiled shirt. His airs.
graces and alluring elances have been inya.
riably met with cold reserve, and he has, at
times, noticed the tips of Caucasian noses
turned up in derision as women gather in their
skirts to let him pass. His gay and festive
disposition. his exuberant imagination. his
lively wit, his wonderful facility as a racon-
teur are utterly thrown away. There are very
few to love him and none to caress He "a
ostraCized. In large family mansion across
the street there are lights and the sound of
revelry, guests are thronging into the front
door by the Ecore, and yet whenever he pre-
sents his card he is met by a stony and un-
hospitable stare. In the noisy bar room he
sees sociable fellows step forward in groups
Of two or three, and leisurely sip their LIQUOR
but his most lOVial attempts to make him self
agreeable on such occasions are discouraged
and he departs without a drink, or else has
10 pay tor it himself, which is an outrage ur-
on one who has come South to despoil the ma
dves. On the steamboats, he is left to slt
lrs snrr afrr Ill
mutual acquaintance discuss the markets or
the river or beguile the time in the national
game, of which our minister to st. James is the
apostle. All attempts to De condescendIn0lY
| familiar are in vain, for the Southern char
ecter has grown suspicious of strangers of
| late. He can strike up g chat with the steve
dores- with the colored people or the mean
whites-but the elegant, the refined, the
wealthy, seem to skun him. He does not con-
| slider that these classes are somew hat soueam-
ish in regard to picking up strange acqGaint-
| anees lie does not realize that they may
have reasonable objections to allowing into
| their home circles fellows who have a trick of
| carving blank warrants in their pockets and
| filling them out with their neighbOrs names.
| or of writing letters to the Chicago Inter
/ Ocean. He does not dream that Taxpayers
may have a natural repugnance to an official
/ who is stealing their money. He only re-
members that he is ostracized and turns out
/ the whites of his eyes and elevates the palms
/ of his hands in horror as he tells the dismal
| tale. Among the colored people whose cause
| he is supposed to represent and for whose ell
ovation he processes to be striving, he Is, of
/ course, a hero; and ct, curiously enough that
| does not satisfy him. To them he is lead.
/ or in politics aud model in social refine
/ ment, and why should not that content him!
| Why should he ask for the approval of mele
rebels, or hunger for their companionship, or
| sigh Tor the clasp of their hands? o won
/ drous inconsistency of human nRtureI The
| Southerners are villains and banditti, whose
| morals and customs the carpet Dagger has
/ been brought up to despise and denounce, and
yet he whines in misery because he does not
find favor in their eyes. Ifthe stories he tells
! of them are true no honest man should asso-
ciate with them, break bread at their tables,
or touch their blood stained fingers. and yet
| this immaculate patriot complains because
| these iends do not take him into their fami-
lies and make much of him. He presents the
! strange anomaly of a man desiring to appear
as the champion of one race while he is a
shamed of it's fellowship and seeks the court
esy of the other. He despises his friends, and
finds fault with his foes for despising him.
The term ostracism arose in Athens, where
it was used in regard to method of Danish
ment by which majority ofthe citizs ans sent
some distinguished public man into exile.
The very nature of the punishment made its
sentence a distinction, and once when the
vote was taken for the Punishment of Aris-
tides, hard-handed Athenlan threw in q
shell marked for banishmeut simply because
he was stirred of hearing Aristides called the
| Jpstt To be ostracized was therefore no dis
grace. If the carpet Dagger in the South be
what he pretends he is, the apostle of free
dom, honesty and peace, why should he care
| about the frowns or smiles of those who are
the enemies of all these2 Why does he not
60 on in his consciousness of rectitude, care
| less whether he is asked out to tea by the first
families or nots If he is working for social
popularity he knows how to get 1t. If he is
working for eternal principals why is he not
content with the reformer's usual rewardl
This novel political problem of ostracism,
as presented by the carpet Dagger, is certain
ly difficult one to get at BY legislation. The
more southern state governments that are
bankrupt, the more lawfully elected govern
ors that are turned out, the more force bills
that are passed, the worse the ostracism an
pears to get. Nothing short of direct IeQis-
lation on the subject will have any effect
Special sumptuary laws will have to be en-
acted, giving all well known carpet bagQers
the entree to the leading houses in each city
and town, making few decent restrictions
in regard TO the political marty rs boots and
linen. 1t would be well also to enact that no
marriage ceremony shall be legal unless a car
pet-bagger give away the bride. This wou Id
bring the OstraclZed class into the closest con-
tact with the SOutherners in their most gent
al moments, and would put them on intimate
footing in every house. 1t might also be or
daiped that in case Of any funeral having ia
ken place in respectable family without q
| la BoF-HNEBSA OAAGAhbilk among bQ6 pail
bearers, the corpse should be dug up and Civ
en- to the doctors for dissection. Any decent
man drinking in the presence of a carpet
Dagger without treating him, should de deem
ed guilty of a misdemeanor, and should be
made subject to fine and Imprisonment,
To sneer at a scalawag might be made an of
Tense ahording fair ground for the suspension
of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus
while for pretty girl to refuse to dance with
, q truly loyal man on any of the ordinary pre-
texts of the ball room, should be set down as
felony without benefit of clergy, and to refuse
to marry one should be esteemed ''flat bur
glary as ever was committed" The old law
OF the street which Yale college students
maintained so long in New Haven should be
established IN all the southern towns and vii
! lagos, granting to all carPet-baggers of every
age, state of inebriety, and previous condition
OF rascality the right to salute and walk with
any lady whom he might meet upon the street
FelloY citiEens, as the civil rights bill has
passed and the negro has secured his place in
the railway car, the theater and the grave
yard, 1t is imperative that something should
be done for the great ostracized. The cold
shoulder has been turned on tile light-finger-
ed and genial earPet-bagger long enough.