The news & observer., 1905-06-28

anticipated resistance to the new gov
ernment. Then came the spoils. Even
at the Special Session the work of
plunder began, and the harpies fixed
their talons on the public treasury.
New North Carolina" needed a
penitentiary and 100000 of bonds
were issued and made away with in
that connection. And New North
Carolina needed railroads and a cry
went up for internal Improvem ments,'
and railways were projected from
every town in the State without re-
gard to cost. 1t was a we'll devised
plant 1t appealed to the interest OF
every community. Every county and
every town was to be on BOOM In
diately in material progress. and the
whole State was to be developed at
once by means of Internal Improve
mentS. Such was the song of the
sirens. Such were the promises Of
| lDeweese and Latin and Littlefield and
the other plotters for the spoils. But
surely ponds would be necessary.
Surely the State must subscribe heavi-
ly; surely the administration must ap-
point the officers and the officers must
! be of the faithful. And so it happen.
cd thEt even at the Special Session
| the Western North Carolina railroad
/ was cut in twain and six millions of
bonds were ordered to be issued to
| the Western Division. OF this part
George w. Swepson, a man of large
wealth and principal stockholder in
| the largest bank in the State, was at
| once elected president, and his name
added strength to the Republican
cause.
At that time our people were poor
indeed. Our personal property had
been swept away and our lands were
| all but valueless. Labor was disor-
ganized, and our industries were un-
| remunerative, while the ashes of desc
ation were still hot with the emberS
| Of the war. Taxes to pay the current
expenses of government were collect
ed with dlrtIculty and two millions Of
interest was past due on the "old
debt" which then amounted to four
teen millions of dollars.
But neither a bankrupt people, nor
an empty Treasury, nor two millions
Of interest past due could arrest the
pians OF the conspirators. nor divert
them from their scheme of plunder
On August the 10th the Legislature
directed the Treasurer to fund the
interest, issuing bonds therefor, and.
with a great show of honesty, ordered
him to- pay the interest thereafter
promptly and then, having borrowed
100000 to pay their per diem. they
adjourned their special session. The
vampires had. however, in those two
months obtained a taste of blood and
when the Assembly rcconvencd in
November their appetites were well
whetted.
Deweesc. a carpet-bagger. was n
leading spirit, then just budding into a
Representative in Congress from the
metropolitan district of the State. By.
ron Iaflin, who bore the title of Gen
cral,'' and was the carpet-bag Repre-
sentative of Pitt county. was an able
coadjutor. Milton Littlefield, also a
Federal General" who had found
ccngenial employment in robbing the
negro refugees congregated near Beau
fort, S. G., had been invited up to
help work tho hands, and had come
the Prince of Bummers with a fine
person and richly appareled lordly in
his carriage. destitute of conscience
and unblushng in his dishonor. Call
ed to assist in tho contemplated rob-
berries, as some skilled burglar might
be called to aid village novices in a big
job. he naturally took the leadership
and soon became the central figure in
Republican councils.
knowing we'll how to play his role
he bought the Republican organ. the
standard, and assumed his place in
the fore front of the Republican
politicians He was made public print
or, when the work yielded a clean
$4,000 a year. His power was i'm,
mcnse The faithful" of the Repub-
fcan party submitted themselves to
his dictatiOn and were happy in his
smiles His nod was d favOr-and a
word from him made the fortunes of
men. He set the fashion of living. a
fashion of drinking and Carousing, a
fashion of getting things without pay
inc e.
agreeable to his tools and accomplices
and his power waxed greater and
greater as he drew the leaders Of the
! faithful closer around him. With his
money no wps liberal and he paid his
men well. 1t was so easy to give an
order on Swepson and Swepson had
the entire cash of a bank at command l.
EXtraVagance and corruption ruleo
the day, and jobbery was shameless.
LittlefieId established in a room in the
west end of the capital "a free bar
where all who chose to drink and
smoke caroused at his expense Those
who claimed his friendship were his
| perpetual guests And so. with wine
and women. he and his friends led a
gay life, debauching all who longed to
be debauched in those first months
after the ushering in Of New North
Carolina.
With the paltry stealings we do not
! concern ourselves.
In October the taxes had come in
end now the Treasury was getting low
| again. The n. G.. r. r. had issued
to the State by way of dividend $780,
600 Of railroad bonds, and these were
sold in job lot for sis, 900, and that
was being rapidly absorbed-and no
provision made for paying the interest
falling due in January. The State was
on the eve of bankruptcy. Interest
falling due and no money to pay it,
But Littlefield and Deweese and Latin
and their conferees talked only of pro-
gress, and internal improvements, and
of New North Carolina, Bondsi
Bonds! Bonds. Their plans found
more or less support among the rep
resen tn tives of the counties interested.
and opposition to their adroit schemes
was abOrtive.
When their power to control the AS
sembly was definitely determined the
triumvirate announced that no rail-
road bill should be allowed to pass
unless tho road receiving the appro-
priation should agree to pay them one.
tenth Of the amount. They contented
themselves with taking tithes.
Swepson found it necessary to apply
for an act curing the defect in the