Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-14

our welfare, that the white people of
Louisiana expect for themselves and
their descendants to remote generations
that the colored people and their de.
scendants will be with them as fellow
citizens and as joint occupants of the
land, and that therefore we desire to
see them improve in every respect cal
culated to make them intelligent, hon
est, peaceful, law.abiding, thrifty and
! prosperous.
The foregoing statement may correct
erroneous impressions elsewhere than in
your town and county. You are there
fore at liberty to give this letter any
circulation or publicity you may deem
| proper.
have the honor to be your obedient
servant, LOUIS A. WILT,
Governor of Louisiana.
! THE REBEL CLAIMS, REVENUE REFORMS AND
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
Senator elect Randall Gibson, of
| Louisiana, who is at the New York
Hotel, said last night in reply to a
| World reporters question about Gen.
| Hancock's letter on the alleged South.
ern claims :" ~ cannot commend that
letter too highly. endorse every
word of it. Such an expression from
General Hancock was called for and
was properly made, but had the Repub
! licans understood how absurd it was to
make an ado over rebel claims they
would have chosen some other subject
| There has never been any talk in any
part of the South, so far as know, Ger.
tainly not in Louisiana, about making
any claim of any kind against the Gov.
ernment. The mere idea would have
| been laughed to scorn. | do not sup.
! pose a single sane ex.slayeholder in the
South has ever INDUCED hope of com.
pensation for the loss of his property
| by the war. 1t was the penalty Of war
| If the South to-day had the privilege
| to determine by vote whether or not
/ payment should be made for the freed
slaves there would be an overwhelming
majority in the negative. The result
would be not merely a matter Of honor
| but of seliinterest. There were only
| 100000 slave.owners in the South before
the war-a very small proportion OF the
total voters. Twenty years have since
| passed and the negroes also are voters
| OF the slave.owners themselves few
would vote for such an unjust payment
| The men who have grown up and &C.
| quired property since slave times would
not be taxed for such a purpose and the
negroes would vote against il. Thus If
| the matter were left to the decision Of
| the South no rebel claim would be
| paid, aud so those people at the North
who pretend to be alarmed have even
| less cause for alarm than they thought
they had. When il is added that the
| fourteenth amendment to the Constitu.
tion etlectually bars such claims, that
General Hancock, If elected President,
would veto them if presented 10 him,
and that no Southern Congressman who
would vote for them would meet the
approval OF his constituents, | think
the subject is disposed of. Really, the
rebel claim cry was so absurd that il is
sad commentary upon the degree Of
intelligence attributed by some North.
ern Republicans to the people that it
had to be put down"
General Gibson further said that the
South has no schemes of any kind on
hand. She discovered by the result Of
the var that, as an enemy, the North Is
too strong for her, and she wants TO be
in the Union for her own safety and
comfort and honor and glory, and un.
der the protection of the Constitution
her people wish simply to pursue the
ayocations OF peace. Said General Glib.
son "i have received as high honors
as my State and city could possibly con.
fer upon me. am provided for in ad.
vance for nine ycars-in Congress until
l. 4 . L.. L ID. "a
and ! think that ! may speak tor
Louisiana, il not for the whole South.
Ny views have always been freely ex.
pressed and they were we'll known in
my State before the honors referred TO
were conferred upon me. | am a hard.
money man and am opposed TO repudi
alton in any form. voted in 1876
against the repeal of the Resumption
act and Louisiana approved my con.
duct. ! am in favor OF reforms in the
tariff in the direction of free trade, but
they should be made gradually and
carefully. never TO the destruction of
interests that depend upon protection.
In the matter OF the civil service
think there should be reform accord.
ing to the Jeitersonian idea. Office.
holders who have discharged their
duties faithfully. without prostituting
their positions to further political ends.
should be retained in office whether
they are in harmony with the victori.
Gus party or not. Every change. in the
fortunes of parties should not be made
a signal for the change Of all the hold.
ers of Office. When General Hancock
is President shall vote in Congress in
accordance with this view"