The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-07-12
JERE BLACK AND CARPET
RAGGERS.

BAOF EhS.
IT was thought that Horace Greeley's
ielineation of the moral features Of the
carpet. Dagger would live immortal 10
song and story, but Jere Black has
out the portrait with such
OF art that we cannot re
frain from giving the inimitable sketch:
The agricultural and commercial
wealth of Louisiana made her strong
temptation to the carpet-bsggers. These
yultures snuffed the prey from afar,
and as soon as the war was over, they
swooped down upon her in fiocks that
daikened the air. The State was de
livered unto their hands by the mill
tary authorities; but the officers in
posed some restraints upon their law
less cupidity. They hailed with delight
the advent OF negro suffrage. because
to them it was merely a legallzed
method of stufling the ballot-boX, and
they stuffed it. Thenceforth, and down
TO q very recent period, they gorged
themselves without let or hindrance.
The depredations they committed were
friebtful. They appropriated on one
nretense and another, whatever they
could lay their hands on, and then
pledged to themselves .dhfY9l6ns more.
The public securities ran down to haif
price, and still they put their fraudu-
lent bonds on the market and sold
them for what they would fetch. The
owners of best real estate in town or
country were utterly impoverished, be-
cause the burdens upon it.were heav-
Ter than the rents would discharge.
During the last ten years the city OF
New Orleans paid in the form Of direct
taxes more than the estimated value
of all the property within her limits,
and still has q debt of equal amount
unpaid, It is not likely that other
parts of the State suffered less. The
extent Of their spoliations can hardly
be calculated, but the testimony of
the carpet baggers themselves, against
one another, the reports OF commit
tees sent by Congress to investigate
the subject, and other information
from sources entirely authentic, make
il safe to say that general coniiagra-
ton, sweeping over all the State from
one end to the other, and destroying
every building and every article of
personal property, would have been
visitation of mercy in comparison to
the curse of such government.
This may seem at first blush like
gross exaggeration, because it is worse
than anything that misrule ever did
before. The greediest of Roman pro-
consuls left something to the provinces
they wasted; the Norman did not strip
the Saxon to the skin; the Puritans
under Cromwell did not utterly desc
late Ireland. Their rapaeity was con
fined to the visible things which they
could presently handle and use. They
could not take what did not exist.
But the American carpet-bagger has an
invention unknown to those old fash
toned robbers, which increases his
stealing power as much as the steam
engine adds to the mechanical force of
mere natural muscles. He makes ne
gotiable bonds OF the State, signs and
seals them according to the forms of
law" sells them, converts the proceeds
TO his own use, and then defies JUS
tice "to go behind the returns" BY
this device his felonious fingers are
made long enough to reach into the
pockets of posterity; he lays his lien
on pr2ReItYS YET aRareqteeed in GG uaeRatie6T
he coins the industry of future genera
tions into cash, and snatches the in
heritance from children whose fathers
are unborn. Projecting his cheat for
ward by this continuance and operating
literally at the same time, he gathers
an amount of plumber which no COIN
try in the world would have yielded
to the Goth or the Vandal.
Is there wonder that President
Hayes, penetrated by sense ofjustice,
proposes to relieve the South of the
presence ofthese shameless scoundrels2
Warmoth, the best Of them, gathered
In several millions, and has taken a
wife and q home in New Jersey. If
he were caught and hanged by the peo-
pie he impoverished, Blaine would set
up an internal uproar, and they who
have now and then suffered at the
hands Of outraged patience and pow
erty arc apotheosized by Blaine ard |
their slayers are deemed assassins.
Every year we have heard the Declare
ton of Independence recited and car
denounced. They are hate
full to every true American imbued with
the spirit of those who expelled
strangers sent to eat out our sub
stance, 4" and Jere Black has exsgger--
Ated in nothing the hideous, hateful
features Of the character defined by
the word csrpet-bagger. They have
used the negro to gain Office and
plumber counties and corporations, and
there is q sAamelessness in their con-
duct that passes comprehension. We
10 not believe that there is a Southern
gentleman who could be induced, il
BY accident suddenly transferred to
Boston, 70 become the master of the
sity's fortunes. He would not accept
ofioe at the hands of the ignorant and
incapable, even il there were such a
rabble in Boston to crown impudence
With power, and surely Warmoths and
Kelloggs and other thieves can be no
more 'honorsd here than q secessionist
Town East.