The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-08-03
Slurs at the South.


quite true that the South IS not so
wealthy as the North, but it is not
difficult to ascertain the reason why.
In resenting the unjust and unfound-
ed assertions of the Northern critics,
the Baltimore Sun states some very
plain facts as follows
1.-The South emerged from the Civil
War So years ago utterly broken and
bankrupt. More than one-tenth of
the entire white adult male popula-
ton had persisted in battle. 10 prison,
or in the hospitals. The labor sys-
TEN was destroyed, thousands of
homes had been burned, and every
where there was mourning and desc
lation. Practically little was left in
a rich and prosperous country ex-
cept the land, and the means that
were wanting. The costof the war
in money to the Southern States is
hard to estimate. The decrease in
the assessment of property between
1860 and 1870 was 81 200, 900, 900,
and that only represented portion
of the loss: Then followed upon the
'desoiation Of the war came the re-
construction era, compared with
which the war itself has been termed
q merciful visitation of Providence.
OF the capetbaggers, Judge Jeremiah
5. Black said that they not only stole
everything in sight, but by their
devilish ingenuity they succeeded in
running their felonious fingers into
the pockets of posterity. To satisfy
the greed OF these vultures the State
treasures were looted, school funds
squandered, taxes levied so high up
on people unable to pay anything
that general system of confiscatiou
ensued. In addition to this bonded
debts were put upon the several
states by the mixed legislatures of
negro and white carpetbaggers from
the North which aggregated over
$500. 100000. In a short time the
legislature OF North Carolina incur
red an indebtedness of S38 ZOO, 900,
nearly third as much as the total
valuation of all the property in the
State, and taxation was doubled.
The debt OF Alabama was increased
S13, 600, 900. In South Carolina tax
es we're increased from $4,000 a
year to $4,000, 900. The debt OF
Georgia was increased si2, 200, 600
and so with all the States, Louisiana
worst OF. all with an increase of S40,-
000, 900 in her debt and $40, 000.-
600 squandered and nothing to show
for it,.
Every well-informed person in the
country should know that the politi-
cal troubles which began lin 1861
ended in 1876, hut not with the finan-
cial troubles of the South. After
having borne the crushing burden of
their own side in the war, they began
to pay large share of the cost of
being conquered in the payment of
the war debt of the United States.
In addition to this the South since
the war has bad to pay in pensions to
Union soldiers a sum estimated at
5000, 900, 900. Aside from this, the
South has been burdened with the
cost of educating the negro popula-
tion which has contributed little or
nothing for that purpose. Then.
too, the tariff tax has borne more
heavily ON the South than any other
section of the country, while the
North and It's industries proiited by
it.
The fact car not be disputed that
while the South was being impover-
ished by the war, the North was
growing rich, because all the vast
sums of money expended in military
and civil operations flowed directly
into the Golfers of the North, and
the result was manufacturers there
became immensely wealthy, and con-
tractors fattened on supplies furn-
ished to the army and navy. 1t is
that between 1861 and
1871 the South lost in assessment
valuation the enormus sum of 81
600, 600, 900, and the North gained
"a, SIC, 900, 900. Since the war the
North has paid its share of the pen.
sions, but it has all come back be-
side a greater part of the pension
money paid by the South. Again
the North has been remarkably sue
eessful in getting financial favors ,
from Congress, such as large appro-
priations for rivers aud harbers, pub
lie buildings, etc.
In spite, however, of all her mis- ;
fortunes the South is steadily adj I
vancing on the highway of progress
and prosperity. Ii has been remarked
by some of the ablest statesmen in
Europe that what she has accom-
plished in the way of recuperation :
from the ruin that overwhelmed
her, reads almost like a romance. ,
The United States census of 1880 !
showed that she had gained since
1870 In the assessment of property
nearly $1,000, 900, 900. and in the |
next ten years she gained SO per )
,ent., while the New England aud I
Middle states gained only % per I
'ent. Since 1880 the South's pro- !
'uction of cotton doubled, and her
have increased in far |, |,
greater proportion. the capital ins
ested in cotton manufacturing alone
aying increased ten-fold. The lig- :
res of the census bureau show that !
q fifteen years $4,000 miles of rail- j
Dads were built, and more than a
illion dollars expended on them. q
D the same length of time the pro- 9
uction of pig iron from her mines Z