Year: 1872

to make themselves rich out of the
property and misery of the vanquished
South. They made themselves special
leaders and champions of the black
people there; they organized Union
Leagues and other secret societies, Of
which the first effect was to combine
all the black men of the South in a
consolidated phalanx, and thus give the
direction, real government, and
management of these black men to
these white leaders who were called
carpet baggers So then they nominated
those for office, and they made themselves
Governors and congressman, and
Secretaries, and soon they, through the
machinery of legislation, using simple,
ignorant, negroes, some as legislators,
and there commenced measures of
gigantic robbery. In the first place
they made for themselves great
salaries, such as the poor Southern
States were unable TO pay, and they
pretended to start great many internal
improvements, and issued bonds in
behalf or in aid of those Improvements,
and they ,contrived to steal the bonds,
sell them for the most they could get,
make no improvements, and leave the
States, wal wasted and desolate before
overwhelmed with debt. | doubt
whether these debts ever can be paid,
and | am sure there is very little
disposition to pay them among the
people who own the property of the
South. They regard them as frauds,
simple iniquity imposed upon them.
and the charges unjust burdens they
cannot bear. / app:ehend that if they


we're to sch out all the property in
South Carolina to>day, it would not


very much more than pay these pre-
tended debts which have been imposed


upon her by the carpet-baggers who
rule the negro Legislators. Some of
them negroes, and all Of them being
without property, were without proper
responsibility. There is M element of
discord and hatred, aud general
belief on the part Of the Southern
people that we Of the North sent these
williams down there to rob them, and by
eniranch ising the blacks, and other
measures Of reconstruction, we have
delivered these people bound hand and
foot into the clutches of these corrupt
earpet~baggers, to be robbed at their
mercy. Now let me try to give you


IN illustration of the way the thing
works. Men say suppose they do steal,
what can We do about it? You pretend
to be in favor of local self government
they have got it, and these local self gov
ernment authorities are the rebels


What are you going to do about it? |
will tell you Of case. In the year


1868 the State OF Arkansas, among
other States, was reconstructed uu4er
our Republican Legislation. Thoy
reconstructed a very large portion
If her people probably one half of the
whole people being DISTINGUISHED, not
allowed to vote; that is, the poor whites,
whom they regarded of no account,
voted, while property holding whites
were disfranchised, and allowed no
voice in the administration of their
Government. So, then, Powell Clay
ton a Kansas man, who came In there
as commander of regiment OF our
soldiers, or else following in their wake
and one of the leaders of the carpet
bag crowd was elected Gov Of the State
The Constitution then prescribed that
all whom Congress had DISTINGUISHED
should be denied The right to vote.
Well, Congress preceded very properly
though tardily, to take off this dis
reimbursement, 30 that the ninety-fve
or ninety mine, certainly ninety five
out Of every hundred of those who
had been disfianchised as Rebels were
>enfranchsed by Congress but the
carpet baggers said no. Congress has
nothing to do with it Our State Consti-
tuition, which we framed in 1868, ,dislran
chiscd these men whom Congress
had there disfranchised. Now Congress
takes off the ban we 60 not. We
are going to keep them tight. They
appoint this Governor Clayton; he
appoints the Board of Registration for
every county, and from the decisions of
Of that Board there Is no appeal, and
they pat in the registry just whoever
they please. ! met thirty or fotty
citizens of Arkansas in Louisville two
or three days ago, and they told me
that over 10000 Of the property ~bold.
ers and land owners of Arkansas were
now disfranchised, KEEP. off the register;
not that the laws require SO many, but
where the laws did not, the Register
did. They had the power, and they
would put on such as they chose, and
no more; and when they found they
were not going to got the majority
without striking of, they would strike
off, so as to have the vote kept right.
That is tho government under which
the reople to day are living there. The
land. holders ought to be enlranchised
but they are disfranchised by the carpet
baa Government, Which means to cause