The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-12
serHE ELgcToRAL CONSPIRACY, },
Judge IsIack H5xcoriateB the Eight 10
RS Seven Commission.

Judge IsIack sxcoriates the Eight TO!
ri! Seven CoinmIssion. u
,itiii if4fIitJ ---4- --aer'ft .s3ti
Judge Jeremiah s. Black, in the July
number Of tho N0ish American Repie,y,
contributes an article entitled "The Elec-,
toral Conspiracy" which is the most
complete and scathing exposure that has
yet beer 1s,sde Of the fraud which placed
Mr.n Eayes in the Presidential chair.
Our space will only permit the reproduc-
tion Of the most striking passages After
briefly adyerting TO The Indignation felt
by honest men throughout tho country at
the great Outrage upon the rights Of the
people, judge Black proceeds to depict
the condition of affairs in the State of
Louisiana previous TO the Presidential
el,a.ion.' FiFst, he describes the carpet.
bagger: ia s' 'ra
WHAT THE CARPET.BAGGER IS.
The people would not have been wholly
crushed, either by the soldier or the me-
gro, if both he'd not been used to fas!en
upon the domination of another class Of
persons whose rule was altogether unen-
durable. These we cali carpet baggers,
not because the wosd Ia descriptive or
euPhonious, but because they have no
other name whereby they are known
among the children Of men. They were
unprincipied adventures, who sought
their fortunes in the South by plhnder.
ing the disarmed and defenseiess people;
some of them were dregs of the Federal
army-the meanest of the camp follow.
e1s many were fugitives from Northern
justice; the best Of them were those who
went down after the peace, ready for any
deed of shame that was safe and profitp-
BILE. These, combining with q few treach-
erous "scalawags' and some leading ne.
groes to serve as decoys for the rest, and
backed by the power of the general gov
ernmcnt, became the strongest body of
thieves that ever pillaged~a people.
Their moral grade was far lower, and yet
they were much more powerful, than the
robber bands that infested Germany after
the '"Thirty Years" war. They swarmed
over all the States from the Potomac to
the Gulf, and settled in hordes, not with
intent to remain there, but merely to feed
| on the substances of a prostrate and de-
fenseless people. They took whatever
came within their reach, intruded them.
selves into all private corporations, as
sumed the functions of all Offices, inclu-
ding the courts of justice, and in many
places they even "run the churches
BY force and fraud they either controlled
all elections or else prevented elections
from being held. They returned sixty
of themselves to one Congress, and ter
or twelve of the most ignorant and venal
| among them were ut the same time
thrust into The Senate. This false repre-
sentation of q people by strangers and
enemies who had not even q bono
fde residence among them was the bit
terest Of all mockeries. There was ne
show CT truth Or honor about it. The
pretended representative was always
| ready to oppress ard saalsve his So called
constituents his hostility was uncon
ceaied, anu ne loss no opportunity to dt
them injury. si a"'. :
HIS DESCENT UPON LOUISIANA. "''
The agricultural and commercial
wealth Of Louisiana made her strong
temptation to the carpet-baggers. ThcsS
vulturcs snNnsd the prey from afar; and
as soon as the war was over, they swoopet
down upon her IN Jocks that darkenei
the air. The State WAC delivered intt
their hands by the military authorities
but the officers imposed some restraints
upon their lawless cupidity. They hailed
with delight the advent of negro suffrage
because tn them it was merely legaIizec
method of stuffing the ballot box, ali
i thsy stuffed Is. E;l,eiiooiaf.si. and doTi
to very recent period, they gorget
themselves without let or hindrance.
The depredations they committed were
frightfnl. They appropriated, on ONT
pretense and another, whatever they
could lay their hands on, and the1
pledged to themselves the credit of tht
State for anconnted millions more. Tht
| public securities ran dcwn to half price
and still they put their fraudulent bonds
on the market and sold them for wha
they would fetch. The owners of th,
best real estate in town or country wer,
utterly Impoverished, because the bur
dens upon it were heavier than the rent
would discharge During the last tel
years the city of New Orleans paid II
the form of direct taxes more than th
estimatel value of all the property with
in her limits, and still has debt Of equa
amount unpaid. 1t is not likely tha
other parts of the State suffered less
The extent of their spoliations can hard
ly be calculated, but the testimony Of tn
carpet-baggers themselves against on
another, the reports of committees sen
and other information from sources eli
tireiy authentic, make it safe to say tha
o general conilagration, sweeping owe
all the State from one end to the other
and destroying every building and ever
article of personal property, would hay
i been visitation OF mercy in compari
son to the curse of such o govern
nient.
THE HE.INvENTIvENESs OF sCOUNDRELISM
This may seem at first blush like gros
exaggeration, because it is worse tho
anything that misrule eyer did before
The greediest Of Roman proconsuls ioi
), something of the country they wasted
the Norman did not strip the Saxon quit
to the skin; the Puritans under Cron
we'll did not utterly desolate Ireland
Their rapacity was confined to the Wis
Y BILE things which they could present.
handle and use. They could not TAX
what did not exist But the America
carpet Dagger has an invention, unEiiow
to those old-fashioned robbers, whic
increases his stealing power as much (;
the steam engine adds 70 the mechanic;
force of mere natufnl niiscies- Hn max.
negotiable bonds Of the State, signs IN
seals them according to the forms
Il llaw,n sells them, converts the proceed
to his own use. and then defies jrstie
"to go behind tho retuEns.n BY tits d
: vice his feionious fingers aEe made Ion
\ enough TO reach into the pockets of po
|, terity he lays his lien on property y,
uncreated he anticipates Che labor
coming ages and appropriates tho, fIui
OF It in advance; he coins The, industI
: of future generations into cash, an
+ | sslatcheA tha inharitancA from chit6rc