Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-05-27
The Ruin Since the War.

During the last fifteen years we have,
as people, passed through two severe
trials. The first was the war. From
1861 to 1865, it required all the endur-
ance. courage and strength, and resour-
ces of the North to maintain the I'm
ion. Hundred of thousands of lives
were lost; millions of dollars worth of
property we're destroyed; a vast debt
was accumulated, for the payment of
which the present and the future were
mortgaged. This was the material
trial. The other and the more severe
was the moral one, and it is out of that,
let us hope, that we are beginning to
come. When the war closed with the
surrender of General Lee to General
Grant, the work of material ruin and
general devastation came to an end.
The owners of the mills and factories
in the North who were doing thriv-
ing business in furnishing the army
with shoddy clothing, supplying it with
guns and ammunition that were almost
worthless the spectators who were
selling the government ships that were
barely able to float the legion of army
contractors and suffers who cheated
the soldier in the field; the buchu
bankers who grew rich negotiating
government loans the whole horde
who had been preying upon the coun--
try for so many years suddenly found
their occupations gone and immediate
ly sought other fields for the exercise
of their diversified talents. Here was
the initial point of the second strug-
gle, which q sortof sequence to the
first, and the last stages Of which we
are now passing through.
From 1866 to 1872 this vast army OF
corruptionists, almost as numerous as
the combined forces of the North and
South put together, fastened them
selves in one way or another upon the
public treasury and the people. One
grand division of it swooped down up
on the Southern country and took pos
session of nearly every State govern
ment. They went down in the name
of humanity, as they called it; to pro-
tect the negro; to reconstruct the
South; to make it loyal to the flag and
at their back stood the bayonets Of the
federal army. Mr.. Lincoln had been
killed. Mr.. johnson had succeeded
to power, and in the clash OF two or
! three departments more ruin and de-
vastation was wrought than was ever
committed in the same number OF years
in any civilized country. Cities were
robbed, States were pludered, terrific.
ries as large as France or England
were practically given over to adventu-
rers who had no interest whatever IN
their government or we'll being, and
who managed their affairs for their own
private benefit. What Bullock did IN
| Georgia a score of others, more or less
| infamous, did in other states of the
South. Another grand division oi
those who had grown rich by the war
spread themselves over the North anC
| West. They obtained seats IN th'
Senate or in the House OF Represnta
tives, became collectors, supervisors
assessors. postmasters, gaugers, buTeal
chiefs, territorial officers, and, wheI
everything else failed, lobbyists. From
'65 to ~ there was nothing belonging
to the people which the Congress sit
ting in Washington were not ready t
bestow. Thousands Of millions 0
acres of public lands were voted away
almost without any debate. Bonds o
the most worthless corporations wer
endorsed. A company had only to asI
for subsidy, no matter for what pur
pose, and it was granted. Jobbers con
trolIed legislation. Taxation and du
ties striking at the vital interests o
the business of the country were pu
on and removed at the command O
the corrupt cabals of which member
of Congress were part and parcel an
shares in the ill-gotten profits reape
therefrom. Legislation was a matte
of sale, there was no bill, however cor
rupt, which money could not pu
through. With the advent of Grantlsr
matters became, if possible, worse
Low as the tone of Congress and o
the whole federal government was De
! fore, it became from that date lowe
still. Schencks were made minister
to the proudest courts OF Europe
Belknaps were invited to positions !
: the Cabinet McDonalds, Joycei
, Averys and McKees became the 6osoT
friend of the Executive; a William
was nominated to sit in the seat
Marshal. But why go over the whol
painful storyY -.
: 1t is from this scandalous conditlo
, of affairs, the second trial OF the rt