The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-03-01
SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH.
CONTINUATION OF THE SERIES OF
TApEIiy on THAT SUBJECT.
Negroes Mt the Close OF the Wharf.-The Days OF
Eeconstruction-The South Carolina Lcsis-
lature -Dcplorsbic Condition OF the South
ern States.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS south Carolina Legs
Iature -Dcplorsbic Condition OF the South
ern States.
".
The white people retained possession Of
their respective governments until 1906
During this period. however, the military oc-
cupicd the country and system Of freed
mans bureau was established. Tho negroes
free, yet committed no outrages. In 1866
Congress passed the first Of a series Of recon-
struciion laws. The Southern States were
divided into number of military districts
| The States ceased TO be. and Virginia was
named District No. !. The western part Of
the territory. under the fat of Congress. be-
became an independent State and was named
West Virginia, rs though there was an
eastern State called Virginia. The act
required the President to appoint an
officer, not beneath the rank OF
brgadier general to command each district
sons. property and liberties of the people OF
the district was given TO these military gov
ernors. The only restriction upon his powers
was that he could not inhict death without
the approval Of the President. At the will of
this satrap. any person could be, without
tilal, without dlle process OF law. stripped bl
his property and deprived of his liberty and
ordered TO his execution. If the President
shOudapprove. Where was the Constitution
Of the United States?
RECONSTRUCTION.
But the States must be reconstructed: con-
yentions mast be held, and members he
elected by the voters 10 frame constitutions
So, on March %, 1861, Congress passed an
act 10 provide for the registration Of voters
But it would never do to allow the old eth
Zens, white men, 20 vote. Accordingly. the
act provided that no one should reg
lister who could not swear that he
had never been disfranchised for par
;icipatOn in rebellion or civil war against
the United States: that he never was a meDl-
Der of a State Legislature, nor ever held any
office executive or judicial. in any State. and
afterwards engaged in rebellion against the
United States or gave aid and comfort to the
enemies thereof; or ever took an cath as
member of Congress, oras officer If State or
OF the United States to support the COnstltu-
ton Of the United States. and after
wards engaged III rebellion or gave
aid and comfort to the enemies of the
United States supplementary act gave the
board of registration complete power over
the matter of registering an applicant, even
though he should take the necessary oath. In
this manner every State was nrst destroyed
and then 30 reconstructed "a to form govern
African negroes. The ballot was taken from
white men and given TO negroes. The States
Wero victims Of every species OF robbery and
the white people subjected to insult and OPP
preston Of every kind.
A RECONSTRUCTION LEGISLATURE.
Mr.. Pike. an associate editor OF the New
York Tribune, thus describes the South Caro-
lima House of Representatives
1t is the dregs Of the population habitated
L Il III.
and asserting over them the rule of ignorance
aud corruption through the inexorable
machinery Of a majority of numbers. IL
is barbarism overwhelming civilization By
numbers. Ii Is the slave rioiing in the
halls Of his master and putting that master
under his feet. As things
stand. the body is almost literally black
Parliament, and il is the only one on the face
of the earth which is the representative of a
white constituency and the professed expo
nent of an advanced type of modern cvlliZa-
ton. But the reader Will find almost any
portraiture inadequate 10 give vivid idea
Of the body. and enable him TO comprehend
the complete metamOrphosis of the South
Carolina Legislature without observing the
details. The speaker is black, the clerk Is
black, the doorkeepers are black, the
little pages are black. the chairman
of the Committee on Ways and Means Is
black, and the chaplain Is coal black. At
some of the desks sit men whose types it
would be hard 10 find outside OF Congo
whose costume. vsages. attitudes and express
sions only BELTS the forecastle Of a buccaneer.
II must be remembered that these men, with
not more than half dozen exceptions, have
been slaves. and their ancestors were slaves of
generations"
The State debt was increased from IS. 523, SIG
to S33, 900 O00 as estimated by Mr. Pike.
To furnish the chambers of the House of
Representative. the bill amounted TO @9j. 900:
mirror for Speakers room. $50. Each official
had a separate room gOTgeoualy fitted up with
toilet sets and all the paraphernalia of dwell
ing house. Clocks, $3.50 apiece; chandeliers.
1850 two hundred fine pOrcelein spittOons. at
- apiece were provided for one hundred and
twenty-fOur members ninety-four OF whom
were Congo negroes.
DKPLoRABLE STATE or AFFAIRS.
The minority report OF the committee Of
Congress made by General Frank p. Blair.
Senator from Missouri. a Republican in
politics: Thomas +. Bayard and James Is.
Beck, United States Senators; Representative
:. ;. Cox and several others well known to
the country, gives some idea of the state of
affairs of the South and the indgnities to
which the white people were subjected. Iquote
the following; Men of the Northern and
Western States have but faint idea
of the expressions wantOnly heaped upon the
adventures who are made their masters; of
the strife they stirred up by their appeals TO
the worse passions Of the ignorant negroes,
melting them 10 crimes, and deceiying them
by false promises of comforting upon them
the property Of their former masters. in order
that they, by the votes Of the negroes, might
ride into power and place which they never
would have thought Of at home, and thus be
enabled TO rob and plumber people whose
most intelligent men and largest property
holders were DISTINGUISHED by Congress, the
more surely TO enable the Freedman's
Bureau agents and other adventurers to
10 obtain and hold undlsputed possession of
all the functions of Government. State and
Federal. A careful reading of the testimony
taken by the committee. for on these points
there are no disputes and no conflicts. would
convince every impartial man that the en-
durance and long suffering of that peo-
pie has been such rs no people
ever before exhibited" These reconstructed
States Of the Congress of the United States
piled up loads of debt upon the people for
which they received absolutely no considera-
ton.
Alabama debt increased
from ....................s $4,000 10 sSssf es7
Arkansas debt from. 4.035.952 10 1881, 265
Georgia debt from ....... 3,G0O0 10 4il37.SD
Louisiana debt from. ln.0sq,0sf 10 s!.i04 ~