The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-12-08
The Opportunity For \ Great Speech.

The rncstions arising in the seating
of Senators from South Carolina ah'
Louisiana present an appropriate "r-
casjon for reviewing til" policy Of the
Federal government under Republic
can rule, and the unauthorized and
discracrfnl legislation that has pre-
vailed since the close OF the war. The
DEVELOPMENTS that have taken place
IN both these States, within tie last
few months, and particularly IT. the
criminal cou,ts Of South Carolina,
furnish 4 text that warrants an analy-
teal statement of the cHilS and out
RACES proceeding Immediately from
the enforcement Of the reconstruction
laws and the arbitrary and tyrann'cal
course Of partisan, sectional Fcir-
raj administration. In Sonlh Carroll,
ma men who have stood high in Re-
publican circles, aud for ten years
have controlled that State with a
relentless hand, hcapiu- up riches for
themselves 10y open robbery. have
had q portion Of their iniqulticS cN.
posed. sufficient. at least, t" r"n>iGn
them to the pentcnIiary. Under the
more rigid enforcement of the laws of
that State before the war, they have
passed the limit punishah|r by the
whipping post, piI|ory, cropping, and
branding, and would bc brought to
the ga|lovs for their innumclHb|c
crimes. Louisiana has been rInndrr-
ed to as great an extent as South
Carolina, and if kellogg, Wells, Pack
ard, Wa'moth, and the tntie batch
II scoundrels that held all the pub
lie Offices there had their deserts the
State prison walls would close on
them for life.
1t is a selious thing to contemplate
that for ten long, weary yca'S a pco.
pie should be subjected to such treat
ment; a written constitution viola
red to Keep thieves in office; and
while the name of the republic was
preserved, the most uub'idlrd Ic>pc-
tism WAS maintained. When it is
shown, as in Louisiana, that State
and city debt has been accumulated
within a few yealS which will involve
a half century of taxation to pay,
with no public improvements to eX-
hibit for such wa>ttful extravaganza,
it appears as something enormous
But it should be understood abroad,
as it is at home, that this con-
stituted but a portion OF the
populations of those brought into
sower, aud kept in authority, under
Fe(eral bayoncts. There were the
military officers, the agents of the
Freedman's Bureau, and the swarms
of parish and town officials, vast
army of vampires, of hose exactions
and blunderinss we have no account.
1t may be too volumnions to present
full detailed history of all these dis
graceful transactions, or even 1.-THE
of them, but enough of them can be
brought to light to. present to the
American people spectacle the most
revolving in its political and moral
aspects that they have ever had oc-
casion to contemplate. The North
and West have no just conception of
what has taken place within these
States and others in the South that
have been afflicted with corrupt gov
ernmentS.
The Republican party is directly
responsible for the legislation to which
we allude, and its leaders are acces-
series in all this lascality and tyran-
ny. 1t is time they were dragged to
the bar of public justice, and that the
lessons growing out Of bad govern
ment should he brought home to the
American people. 4 speech setting
forth these facts would be very ap.
proptiate at this time, and might be
Instrumental IN settling the ques-
tions now before the Scnate.-Nlar-
shall Herald.