Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-09-06
THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE
GOLDEN EGG.

In the year 1860 the Southern States
exported four-fifth of the entire agri-
cultural products of the United States.
This vast bulk of agricultural products
was transported, to Europe and else
where by the shipping of the North,
that increased and prospered under the
stimulus Of regular and well paid
freights. Northern bankers and brol-
ers made liberal profits on the exchanges
resulting from this immense traffic, the
net profits Of which were invested by
the Southern people in the multitudin-
GUS manufactured articles which they
obtained from the Northern States, and
the cured meats, flour and cattle which
the West supplied them. Thus the
prosperity of the South contributed in
an eminent degree to the prosperity of
the shipping and manufactures Of the
North, while it gave an ever growing
impulse to the energies of the Western
farmer. Indeed, in those days, undis-
turbed by civil broils, the South might
have been compared to the goose that
laid the golden egg for the benefit of
the North
But the civil war suddenly changed
this state of things. The South was
devastated during the continuance of
the war, and upon tho final surrender
of the Confederate armies the South
ern States were PROSTATE, helpless and
impoverished, while their conquerors
Of the North, exhausted themselves by
SO fierce a conflict, saw in prospec. the
payment Of nearly three thousand mil
lions of dollars Of debt contracted by
the United States Government during
the war One would have imagined
that Christian people and Christian
statesmen would, after the full sub
mission of their rebellious countrymen,
have applied themselves TO the adop.
ton of the best means TO heal the still
bleeding wounds of their country, and
by magnanimous, firm and equitable
policy TO reunite the conquerors and
the vanquished in the bonds of forgive
ness and of renewed mutual social in
terests. Such unquestionably would
have been the policy of President Lin
coln such was the desire of his imme-
diate successor; such was the ardent
wish of the great mass Of the people,
to which General Grant responded
when, four years after the war, he ex-
claimed; "Let US haze pedoe" But
did we have peaceY Was the
South given rest2 Was il allowed TO
recupcrate its lost energies and to take
| its share of the national burdens as
well as of the national prosperity
Not in the least. On tho contrary it
became, under the reconstruction laws,
the victim of the worst oppression
which ever disgraced the annals Of civ.
ilization; under the iron rule of thiev-
ing carpet baggers and military satraps,
II was reduced to utter pcnury by debt
and taxation. Witness the states Of
South Carolina, Louisina and Missis-
sippi While the North prospered,
her people did not take the time to in
quire into the condition Of the South.
But now that, we are not much better
off than the South itself, il is time for
our people to inquire after "the goose
that laid the golden egg." Shall carpet
baggers continue to rob the South2
Shall the troops of the United States
cantnue to carry the elections in the
South at the point of the bayonet2
Shall political demagogues continue 10
successfully incitc the black laborcr Of
the South against his white employer ?
If this richest portion Of the earth un-
der Gods heaven is to be forever ccS-
signed to anarchy, rapino and idlcness,
then indeed the goose that laid the
golden egg for the benefit of the North
crn workman Is DEAD, and the work
man himself on tao high road to join
he tramps-Ldncdster htelligener.