The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-12-20
Report ola massachusetts Democrat
on the Evils of Carpet-bag Rule I'm
the Alligator State.

ltOrS from MASSACHUSETTS, 10 loEluh' gave
an account of MS visit before the Boston
Democrats this afternoon. After sllud-
ing to the natural beauty and wealth OF
Florida and the evils carpet-bag govern
ment have wrought there, he said: Gov.
Stearns has the appointment OF I9' OH
GERS, AS l see by the papers | hold IN my
possession Every officer in the State.
excepting consiables and members of the
Assembly, are appointed by this Gov.
ernor. He has the bestowal OF every
privilege 10 the State of every name and
nature. The whole political machineryin
the State is in his power, and he holds
this power for foIr years. There Is
nothing like this anywhere TO be found,
except, perhaps, in some OF the republics
of Central America. Let me tell You
what this power gives him IN the mat
ter of an election. The Z uuty commits
sioners have the appointment Of the pre-
cincts where the ballHting Is carried on;
they can establish two precincts at GER
tain point and not another within fifty
miles. This practice has been very con-
spiCuously followed for the purpose OF
polling Il lar-gr Republican vote in Re-
publican districts, which are the negro
districts of the State.
No WHITE REPUBLICANS IN THE STATE.
do no. belivc there is n white man
in the State who Is Republican, unless
he il connected with Governor Stearns
administration. NJ Y reason for behevlng
this is that while we were holding these
important hearings upon the canvass oil
returns there were men who came TO us
from every portion OF the State-law-
YrrS, politicians, business men and prI-
vAte citizens-sume 81 the most respect
able people in the State-who showed
tense interest ard firm belief in n
Democratic result. The Republican side
had TO be carried on entirely by the SEN
atorS who were sent there by the adj
ministration at Washington. The poo:
blacks are worse slaves to-day than in the
Olden times-the slaves Of Governor
Stearns and his political associates. They
have been compelled to Go whatever
Staarns and his associates desire, be that
what it may, or they 90 down hill with
the poor white To starvation.
ENORMOUS TAXATION.
The government of the State has been
so Infamous, in every respect, that the
value of the property of the State WAS
taxed three or four times since 1860 with
out making any exception of the pro-
pertv of the slaves refer To valuation
at real estate and personal property.
Notwithstanding this the taxation has
been qusdruplcd; NY, IL cases made SIX
or ri..ht times greater, and the taxation
O. Florida to day is far larger than its
aGdual produce OF crops. In other words
TINS rich. magnificent, fruitful soil does
no. produce under its present govern
lnent, enough h. pay the taxes of the
State The men who hold the power,
whom have alluded to. are determined
never TO give i. up. They have framed
u constitution for their own purposes, rs
You see; but, gentlemen, when some of
our kind hearted sensible men find fault
with us for going to Florida and say,
"What have strangers TO do with the
c,nvassing of the State rcturnsP let me
tell them we went there At the earnest
appeal and solicitation Of the tried men
of Florida They were the ones who
appealed to us in the strongest terms to
90 down there and give them counten-
arce and support.
Counting OUT THAT pa.
In 1870 eight whole count were
counted out by the Returning Board,
which, had the total vot" ppI'"d - them
been allowed, would have overturned the
.Dvernment o! Stearns by a large Dem
ucratic majority and placed the admins
tratiOu Of the State in the hands of It's
own citizens. From that time TO this
the returns have been manipulated by
cInvassing boards; so shSmcIesSly, to-,
that they have never made any etlor! to
conceal the fact that they did this for
their own purposes. The Supreme Court
OF Florida, am happy to say, is repre-
s.utcl bv three honest men. Chief
Justice Randall and his two associate
Justices are the exceptions to the great
rule of the office holders of Florida.
AMoCKERY OF JUSTICE.
All the lower courts are represented
by men of the lowest possible order.
For example, the one Circuit! Judge who
came into the office Of the Returning
Board day after day, who, when arrested
for drunkenness in the streets and COM
mittcd TO the lookup, brought writ o.
haJcay corpus, rcturnable to himself, for
the return of his own body. Roars of
laughter One gentleman told me that
there had been in his county ten muir
iers-murdcrs of white men and OF ne
g-ocs-and not single one of the per-
petrators. though they were all known,
was ever brought to court, or convicted
or in any way punished.
DESPAIR OF THE PEOPLE.
AZ AL times of the day, and pretty
much all night these poor people came
t. us and poured ont their tale of Woe.
They asked mc:-"What do YOU tell us
To- do if this conspiracy Is carried out in
Florida-if this carpet bag government
is returned AGAIN after the immense eN.
crtions we have made to overthrow it?'
| told them they must rest on their old
Anglo-SaXon privileges, be patient ana
wait and try To reform the government;
that the time would come when they
would obtain redress Their an
syrr was:-"Wc cannot exist four
AIRS longer; our people cannot
I've another four years with
on, change OF government and
| believe their story To- BE- no cXaggera-
ton. Remember. my friends, was not
in the better portion of the State on the
G .stern shore at Jacksonville. on the St.
John river, whore the Northern people
p,-s the winter and leave their money
behind them. My experience WAS in tie
western central part OF the State, in and
near the capital, Tallahassee-s place
which, one can see, must have been very
beautiful with ITS handsome houses and
is charming gardens, but now, alas the
houses are closed and crumblng to decay
In many instances the gardens are over
run with weeds, moss covering the
vrrandahs, and everything bearing the
impress of neglect and desertion.
HOW THE FRAUDS WERE PERPETRATED.
\.u will ssE mo ahOut this nrostioD Of