The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-14
Financial MiSmanagement Attribute
bic to Both Parties.
Evil Working and Outrage Of the
Enforcement Acts.
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
"a Hopeful Future, Socially and
Politically.

In as yet unknown. Matters have been managed
30 loosely that the Governor told me the other
day it would take HIM several months 10 discover
the entire State Indebtedness Auditors and
treasurers have kept their accounts with such
lack OF method that their reports are untrust
worthy. The Governors since reconstruction
two republican and one democratic-seem to have
spent, invested, exchanged and generally manip
mated the State funds ana bonds win extraor-
binary carelessness. SO lar as ascertained, 1t 10
believed the deb, amounts to about S2s,0o0,ooO
The condition OF the counties Is not bad. In
only few has there been serious financial mis-
management. There has been no sucn wholesale
plundering as was suffered by the people or Ar
kansas and Louisiana. Generally lind the ma
jority or supervisors have been white men and
property owners, and this has often been
brought about by persuading or even by briblng
negroes 10 give up their o1ices-this in the black
counties But in at least Q tnird OF the counties
the whites have the majority.
THE FINANCIAL MIsRULE NOT ALL REPUBLICAN.
The democrats complain unreasonably, as 1t
seems TO me, OF republican misrue. The truth 10
shat the State has been misgoyerned and the
State debt Increased under democratic as well as
under republican administrations. From 1868 10
1870 It's Governor was william Ii. Smith, republi-
can. Him followed, 1S7o-72, Lindsey, democrat Ills
successor, 1924, was Lewis, republican, followed
now by Governor Houston, who strikes me as
moderate and well-meaning man, who is deter
mined to Keep the peace ana TO restore order TO
the finances. Now, so far as can discover, the
democratic Lindsey was little, II al all, more
economical than either his predecessor or
successor The democrats say ne was an
honest blunderer but the republicans
say that Smith ana Lewis were also
honest blunderers. All, by the way, were Ala
bamians, and the State has suffered less from
..carpet.baggers," so called, than either OF the
ntfva AlaNa nGnn
under the tuition OF Spencer, who Is a carpet
Dagger, has shown himself very capable Of mis-
rule and particularly OF the most INSCRIPTIONS
political trickery.
1t must also be said that where conspicuous
financial joDbery took place democrats have,
otener than not, been parties IN interest. For
instance, IN Dallas county, which has a large
negro majority, complaint Is made that the
backs, VINO do not pay $1,000 Of the total
yearly tax by their sadded The
county with subscription OF $4,000 to
g railroad but some VINO complain or
this iail to tell You that the directors OF the
railroad were al prominent democrats; and that
they advocated the subscription, and even paid
the railroad fares OF negroes TO bring them TO
Selma TO vote Tor ~.
Again, while the finances OF Dallas county have
been msmanaged and the assessment and coec-
tion OF taxes nave been for years lrauduently per
formed by republican oncers You ind that In
the adjoining county OF montgomery the only
delalcauon which mas occurred in recent years
was by a democrat appointed BY the democratic
Governor Lindsey. his collector robbed the
county Of So, 600 and the state OF $4,000 and,
am told, nov conducts ademoc. atic newspaper IN
Texas
REPUBLICAN POLITICAL DEMoRALIzATIoS.
IL is not faIr, therefore, Tor the democrats TO
blame the financial mlsmanagement entirely on
ar a thaze having
ROBBED the state. But there Is no doubt that ois-
honest republican leaders nave been guilty OF most
Migrant and shameless political deoa achery Ia
apreyious letter gave you some account OF how
they carried elections. But the character OF can
didates was often OF the lowest For instance, IN
Dallas county, last year, HARRISON, colored, him-
self candidate Tor Congress- was President OF the
REPUBLICAN County Nominating Convention, aud
renominated for Tax Collector man who
was then under eleven indictments Tor
malfeasance in ONCE he was ''trumDhantyu
reelected, and the Grand Jury, composed Of six
repub leans and ten democrats, with white
republican foreman, excellent citizen, have
Just brought In new indictments against
this republican Tax Collector, who was "
the same time County superintendent Of
Educauon-but was removed for drunken
ness-and was also member or the Common
Council OF selma. HARRISON, himself a 'smart"
negro who Mods the certificate o. election a.
CONGRESSMAN from the district, which includes
Mobile, was indicted in 1872 for stealing bale Of
cotton, and the man from whom the property was
taken In a civil suit actually proved ownership
and got the bale, which was found IN haralson's
cotton house. The criminal suit was dropped by
republican solicitor tMr Diggsl, who j. now him
self under indictment.
There is a good deal OF complaint Of high taxa
tIon, but doubt II the democrats, now IN power,
win be able to reduce IL mucn, end their Revenue
bill OF the last session Is very unpopular In the
state and some Of ITS features have been declared
unconstitutional by their own Attorney General
UndouDtedly there have been numerous abuses 10
the state and local governments, such as-to give
an instance-the letting out OF convicts TO their
own relatives; the needless increase Of petty
officers, and generally wasteul admlnisrra-
ton but the most serious charge
that can be brought against the re-
publican leaders 10 Alabama Is that they
nave secured power by corruptng the ne
Groes and enJoyed It without enforcing the Jaws
IL must pe added THAT they appear TO me 70 have
systemau cally and grossly misrepresented the
condition OF the state as 20 peace and order with
the view OF getting the use Of United states
troops and Courts for the punis hment OF offences
wnicn the state government ought 10 nave taken
in hand, or, oltener yet Tor tine intimidation o.
white voters and with the object or Keeping no
Irritation and q division between the whites and
blacks.
BAD EFFECT OF TUE ENFORCEMENT ACTS
Alabama 49, IN parts, st q frontier state. In
some counties there are bad and lawless men, but
they 40 NOT preponderate; they are nowhere
30 numerouC that the state authorities
could not, had they been energetic, re.
pressed disorder ana maintained peace. Unfor-
tunatey, the readiness Of the federal autnort-
ties 20 interfere sdemoraAzed the republican
state rulers, who. when disturbance took place,
supiney turned the matter over 10 the United
States Marshal aud federal troops. Here, az IN
every otner state have visited, have found the
iaderal interference under the Enf0rcement acts
nos only unnecessary, az least for the last
two years, but an absolute and grave
injury, because IL demeralized the state
onvarnmanfa and Lea 49,. - nhn,rntn