The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-03-14
The beauties of Radical carpet

The beauties of Radical carpet
bag rule in South Carolina, during
the eight years of Grants admins
tration, is now being brought tolight
by the joint commission appointed
to investigate alleged frauds and ir-
Irregularities against that State. A
full report of the investigation is Civ
en- in the New York Herald, and ex-
hibits the most astounding facts of
plumber and rascality ever known in
any country. The Herald, in com
menting upon the official robbery
brought out in this report, says the
testimony "taken discloses a condi-
tion of affairs which throws all the
other legislative robbery and corrup-
tion of the past fifteen years COM
pletely in the shade. The late leg
islatures of South Carolina seem to
have gone to work deliberately to
rob that state in every possible way.
In one session alone there was ex-
pended three hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars under the head of sssup-
plies, sundries and incidental expen-
ses," and of this sum one hundred
and twenty thousand dollars was
spent in refreshments" A bar and
dining room were attached to the
Legislative chambers where the pa
triotic statesmen ate and drank at
the public expense while the teach
ers of the public schools were I'M
paid and convicts were set free from
the penitentiaries to save them from
starvation. Under the head of 'ssta-
~tionery" they charged to the public
treasury the expenses of furnishing
their houses, the support of their
mistresses and the cost of expensive
jewelry. As a specimen of how
these Republican robbers fed and
rioted off of the hard earnings of the
people, we give the following as a
literal copy of an account rendered
by Joe Taylor, a colored merchant
politician:
Columbia, Feb, 9th, 1872.
Gov. A. J.. RAMsIERE, DR..
To JOE TAYLOR.
for LIQUORS d Sugars and other
articulars $2SO,OC
Receivueid payman
Joe Taylor.
The Herald goes on to say:-One
Thousand cords of firewood for thu
use of the state house appears as one
item at a time when there was not ;
wood stove in the building. The de
velopment of the aesthetic tastes O
the ignorant negroes and pennies:
white Migrants who constituted thu
! successive legislatures for so many
years is well shown in the following
contrasted lists taken from actua
accounts now on fle:-In 1869 an(
1870 the articles purchased were o
, such low degree as SIS clocks, fort.
!, cent ~spittoons, 81 benches, stray
: beds, clay pipes, pin tables, cheal
whisky and 81 looking glasses. Ii
f 1871 and thereafter the list present
$500 clocks, So "cuspidors;;' 500
. crimson velvet sofas, sponge mattres
ses and oriental pillows; $50 Goth
chairs, $50 library tables, finest Ha
2 vana cigars, champagne, $500 mil
f rors, &C., ad infinitum. A bare emf
meration of the kinds of costly arti
/ Giles which figure in these account
would fill a column and leave muc
untold. When it is said that sue
b articles of feminine attire as al
/ known of guessed at by the names
J "bustles," extra long stockings,
"chignons," "palpitators," "garters,
"chemises," "boulevard skirts" an
n ~"parasols," r found in the sam
list with mules, horses, wines, coat
: of arms, axe helyes, dictionaries, di.
h monds, jugs, cuckoo clocks, cradle
and collins, something may be left
the imagination. Public bars will
q in the State House furnished wit
: liquors, delicacies, cigars &C.. whe
not in season these were sent to pr
If vate rooms of members-brand
$4,000 per gallon; sherry $1,000
:. whiskey $500; cigars $4,000 p'
!, hundred &C., &c. In four years
mad rule, over two hundred thousar
e dollars paid out for furniture alon,
/ In n season 4,65s yards of carpe
6 ing, $4,000 for stationery, and $1(
O 600 for watches and jewelry.
J. Is it any wonder that a party tn
q plundered the people in such an GU
rageous and infamous manner, wou
" deliberately and boldly connive
st the stealing of the Presidenc,
It And is it any wonder that it has b
come odious and a stencil in the no
= trils Of the people?
-. The City Hall, at Harrison, Obi
L. which RAJ new and occupied as tt
Post Office, News office, steam fiji
engine room and Council chambe
vas blowed up last week, and almo