National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-05-03
cARPEr-BAeeERs AND E1GGAHs

From the fiippancy with which New
York editors apply the term carpet Dagger
TO all Southern Republicans who happen
to hold Office, one might be led to suppose
that they were all strongly entrenched upon
their own native heaths or dunghills; but
such is not the fact. There are compare
lively few of them natives of the city or
State which now gives them residence.
1t is no reproach to Dana that he, like
Greeley, carpet bagged" from New
Hampshire to New York. Brooks of the
Express is native of Maine Raymond
was from Central New York, but we be-
lieve the most of the editorial fraternity of
New York were born outside of the city
limits, very many in other States, and a
number, by no means small, outside of the
country. We do not consider any of them
disqualified for their duties on this account,
but would simply suggest that the taunt of
carpet Dagger" comes with an in.grace
from persons of such antecedents. When
Dana went to Chicago we do not under
stand that he was Ostracised and driven
away because he was not native to the
manner born" 1t is exceedingly unchival-
ric in the Northern press TO reiterate re-
proachfully the term carpet Dagger as
applied by their Southern contemporaries
10 Northern men who have settled in the
South. They do not apply the term to
Southern men who settle in New York,
(and there are thousands there who took
nothing with them but their Wardrobes,)
and TO allow it to be done in the South
with encouragement and countenance is
simply cruel 1t appears to US that it is a
duty which Northern editors owe to their
own selfrespect to resent this arrogant
pharisalcal ostracism of their fellow-couu-
trymen. Northern men 60 South to work
Ifthey work in the same field, shop or fac
tory with "niggah, they are told by some
high-born. lanternjawed, blue.b!ooded.
skeleton, clad in the remains ofatwelve-year-
Did suit of Confederate grey, which is, per-
hsps, fastened 10 his person by a leathern
belt adorned with bowie-knife and revol
yer, that nothing but ''po white trash
works with ''niggabs" in that country. And
what is 'po' white trash" pray2 Why,
men and women whose parents never owned
"niggahs'' and walloped them before the
war. Strange, is it not, that the Southern
badge of nobility should consist in the own
ership of labor, instead of the honest per-
Torrance of it ? Is it not time that the press
of the country should determine to devote
portion of its power and influence to rid
iculing and frowning down or stamping out
hhis sGTt of ridiculous, assumed nobility?
The idea ola man beinga born gentleman"
because his father was once rich in slaves,
or because he is rich now; or a woman
being born lady because her mother
had large number of 'tniggahs'' in her
own right without any other attributes of
the stations, is rather an exploded one, and
the caste which depends upon such founda-
tons for perpetuity has numbered its best
days. 1t is rapidly stepping down and out
and the time is coming very speedily in the
South, as well as the North, when a man
will be rated for what he does himself
rather than for what his father did before
him; for what he may do for his commu.
nifty, whether he was accidentally born in
It or not; for the color and effect of his acts
and deeds, regardless of the color of the
skin with which God has clothed him. In
this coming time we have got to look to
productive labor to redeem and regenerate
our land at the South, and it is the height
of folly to say that we will not have yam
kee" or NEGRO" labor. We should rather
say eve want all the productive, creative
labor that we can get, and we will insure
cit fair share Of its products as a remune-
ration" 1--WE will protect it from vio-
"lence and insult and encourage it to stay
il" here and make our country rich and pros.