The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-05-21
John wallace,s Book.

"Carpet Big Rule in Florida-fhe Inside
Workings OF the construction 81 C'vil Gov
ernment in Florida after the close OF the Civil
War" ia The somewhat comprehensive tile OF
the work upon which ii is we'll known the
au,hor. former resident o'. AMI at one time
State Senator from L .on county, has been for
some years engaged, and which has lately been
published bY DtC ,sia, N Jacks"nv'iie
notwithstanding the impression which the
reader canno, escape that the book might with
p-nprieiy have been caIlel" An Attemp' at The
Nndcatinn OF The Administration OF ii arson
Reed, exc )vernor 81 florida, by John Wallace,
assisted by Harrison Red and the suspicion
that lis publication may also have been assisted
by the same person, the book, after all, is VAL
liable contribution II the p 'itlcai history OF the
State, and is uniq lie in its candid exposure OF
the corruptions and vllanies of The carpet>hag
rulers during the period when they held sway
over the deslinies of Florida.
The author does not hesitate to oppose and
denounce the vicious practices OF the carpet
blggers IN their relations to the negroes and The
aff .irs Of the State, anil some Of his graphic &C
counts of the methods used TO hood-wink
and control the ignorant blacks are even
pic ure<quc. H. naivcly tells many things
that were undoubtedly unknown at the time to
the M sses of he people, white and black, and
hes'ates at telling nothing in his endeavor to
show that the negroes were more snne1 against
than SHINING; vet he falls to demonstrate that
they were too ignorant 10 know what they were
doing and Will. exp ,sing the methods by
which they were corrupted and led into mis-
chief by their white carpet bag leaders, he does
not succeed in proving their innocence OF mo-
tive, or their disposition to resist the influences
by which they were unfortunately surrounded.
The book abounds in extracts from official
records, some necessary to its plan.
while others secn to be used merely
to ill up with, or 10 elaborate The vindlcation"
of cx-G ,vernor Reed. The work of whose cum
ming hand in the portion devoted to his ad-
mins'raion and its consequences, is more than
easily suspected.
The book will especially interest the people
OF this section OF the Stale, IN SO far it re-
counts the details OF carpe-5ag methods in cap
turing and controlling the negroes The de-
scriptions OF the establishment, OF Osborn's
Lincoln Brotherhood" ard Billings counter
organ zilion, The Loyal Lrague," are particu-
Iarly Interesting; whl- the graphic pictures of
scenes in the earlier conventions and Lcgisl9-
lures are intensely amusing
M one perhaps. can properly estimate the
actual historical value o! the work save those
who were personally Cpynizant OF the occur
FENCES il narrales; bat rs the public will gen
orally look 10 other sources for historical accu
racv, this does not much matter. As pic
ture OF the snqlties OF carpet bag rule in the
South, from The stand point OF naturally in
lelligenl and shrewd observer and actor in The
scenes described. who belongs to The race tina,
SO long upheld and m,le possible the carpet-bag
dynasty, it is to be hoped that John Wallaces
book will be largely circulated among the peo-
pie at the North who have been slow to admit
the truths of history because they disrusted the
'urce-the newsp .pers AMI the white people of
the South-irom whence those truths have en-
anAted.
"Carpet-Bag Rnle in Florida" is for sale in
Tallahassee by Robert F. Williams the j4ntor
Of The L. S. Surveyor Generals Office, at $3.50
per copy.