The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-06-14
Louisiana Carpet Bag Politics. ,

One Of the features of the Louisiana inves-
tigation that forces itself on public notice is
the rolicking humor with which statesmen
OF the Louisiana carpet bag stripe regard the
enormities of Louisiana politics That viii
laines of all kinds had been committed on
formidable scale at the election there it
did not need any new investigation to prove,
for every material fact thus far brought out
was known a year and half ago, and the
history of Louisiana elections is foul and
black with them for the last ten years but
that men bearing at least the external signs
of decency should publicly exhibit their
shameless lack OF all conscience and common
honesty in their contemplation of such
crimes against the nation and talk of them
with ribald jocularily, as if they were so
many acts in stage farce, is new revela
tion. Reading the evidence OF such men
and taking them as examples of the school
of Louisiana boss politicians, there can be
no escape from the conclusion that they
looked upon the bargain and sale of the de.
cisive vote at an election for President of the
United States, not ouly as matter of course
proceeding in political merchandising, but
as jolly fine joke. They talk about their
part in it in an easy, off hand, fppant man
ner, as gamblers might tell, over their
drinks of the trick by which hotse-race
was iockeyed, so as to fleece the greenhorns
out of their money. The brazen ellrontery
of these people is marvellous, and is calcula-
ted to make other folks bel ieve that after
all there may be truth in what has been re-
garded as SANDER upon high carpet bag
official of South Carolina. who was charged
a couple of years ago, with saying that, not
withstauding the exposure of the terrific
plundering in that State, there we're "three
good years of stealing in South Carolina
yet" 1t is humiliating to thnk that these
fellows and their fellows of the same class,
were the sort of men whose appeals to Wash
ington led to the use of the military forces
of the United States to uphold them when
their own villainous proceedings were sink.
ing them under load of public odium.
1t is not without reason that the airy and
hippant tone of these fellows is pointed out
for public reprobation. To read what they
say under oath, and pass it by as something
smart in its way, or to give it tolerance by
failing to brand it with the infamy it de-
serves, would be a fatal mistake. Nothing
would suit such INSCRIPTIONS scoundrels
better than to infect the popular mind with
their jolly way of looking at the forgeries.
the perjuries and other villainies they were
so ready to use 'for the sake of the party" 1"
and to put themselves in position to be
provided for That is the way in whit ch
the popular mind is too often made familiar
with the idea that public elections may be
gambled away. 1t is in that way that the
popular sense of the sanctity of elections is
blunted and demoralized, and that public
opinion is debauched to the ruin of ations
and peoples. "
The point to be deeply impressed on pub
lie opinion in this Louisiana business, as
made clear by the tone of the testimony, is
that the monstrous crimes committed against
the people of the whole country, at the elec-
tion in that State, was carried on by men in
public Office, who piled their infamous trade,
as matter of course, with as little scruple
as common rascals exhibit in horse trade,
or corner in stocks-and that they talk of
their successes and their failures with shame
less fippancy, as if it all were huge joke,
although their crime was designed to nullify
the will of the nation, threatened to plung e
the country into anarchy, and kept all pat
rotic people in condition of painful anx-
iety for three memorable months. This is
the condition into which the public affairs of
this country have been brought, by the tol-
erance of politics and politicians of the Lou
isiana carpet bag breed, of which Felician a
Anderson, his companions, employers, aid
ers and abettors are types.-Phila. Ledger.