Year: 1872

mittees Of the Liberal and Democratic organizations
understand this and do not make the mistake .,npi .
Massachusetts, and South Carolina & as aasdmuistraon
essy delivered over TO the control oI tde hut from
an that can learn from conversation win men oi potn
paI.es anu ma rosnects indge that the party that
| works the hardest will gain the victory


RESULTS OF CARPET-BAG DOMINATION.
THE STATE EXPENSES LARGELY INCREASED
HEAVY COUNTY DEBIs-rhE bLiuh1 of NE
GRO GOVERNMENT.
| FRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRIBUNE
VIcKsBURG, Aug. 1S.-Mississippi is an ex-
centop in one respect to all the Southern States that
have suffered from carpetbag rule. Her debt has not
been greatly increased Before the war she had no debt
or at least acknowledged none having repudiated what
she owed many years before In 1863 after three years
of what is usually spoken of Citizens Government"
there were drawn upon the State treasury out
standing amounting to s2l1 S5. The debt is nearly
Oo-very large it is true, considering the small re-
the State has got for it, but insignificant when com
pared with the indebtedness Of other Southern States
three assigned by different persons for the
exceptional good fortune Of Mississippi in tins regard
first, that the whites Of the State wholly gave
up the Government into the hands of "the stranger
and the spoiler," the Governor OF Ala
bama recently styled the carpetbaggers, but took an
active part in politics, vglanty watching the Legisa-
ture and opposing from time to time the various plum





clause inserted in the Constitution of 1859 prohb-
iting the Legislature from loanng credit of the State
to railroads; and third because the States credit was
so poor that market could be found for large issue
bonds Probably each of these causes has had some
thing to do with preventing the carpetbaggers from
loading the State with and fraudulent debt
Their failure 10 do so reasonably be ascrbed TO
the possession OF any remarkable degree OF honesty on
their part They probably no better and no worse
than the members Of their tribe who left stranded
by the army others of the conquered States or drfed
into them after the war in search of fortune


ExTRAvAGAST EXPENDITURES.


If the State not been greatly increased, how
ever the yearly of the State Government are
enormously in excess of what they prior TO the
war; and during the years after the before the Re-
construction acts gave the negroes and carpebaggers
the power The total disbursements on account OF the
State Government for the 10 years from 1850 to 1860
averaged but little 100000 year. From Oeto-
ber 1868, to May 1856, they were s2962S5 from May,
1866 to April 1867, s555.627 from May, 1861 to April,
1863 SI9233S In 1870 under the regime the ex-
penses were $957 1876 they amounted to over
S1OOOOO Now 1 am not one OF those who
attach much value TO comparative tables OF
the expenses of State Governments or OF
the National Government before and since
the war; made up to demonstrate that the party which
spends money the most honest and patriotic


believe that civilization progresses the proper func
tions Of government become more complex and ex
tended and the expense attending their discharge nee
essary greater can how the emancipation Of the
slaves increased the cost Of government in all the South
ern States for the that great portion of the
population that had before been governed on the panta
tons and punished for minor onses by the master and
oyerseer came as free men under the jurisdiction Of
courts MAGISTRATES, juries and sherf who dealt before
almost exclusively with white men, The increased cost
of applying civil and criminal law 70 the negroes fell
upon the counties and towns, however and very little Of
n
ertheless some moderate increase OF State
penses would have been reasonable, but when
we see them trebed there is prima Jacie
evidence Of extravaganza and good ground 10
pect fraud The indictment against the carpetbag
Government in Mississippi is made stronger by the fact
that the State is far less able to bear the burden OF taxa
ton placed upon meet these heavy expenses than
she was before the war. Then her taxable property
amounted 10 S6OoOOO0OO it is only SS5OO0o0o Tax
alton has been enormously increased while the
of the people have been crippled their property greatly
diminished in value, and their for paying taxes
seriously reduced This is especially the with the
planters whose fences and buildings were destroyed
during the war, who have not yet fully adapted them
selves changed condition Of labor and whose
dton, once auent is one of comparative poverty


LOCAL DEBTS AND TAXATION.


The property owners in the counties where the
groes predominant have suffered heavily from the
mingled ignorance and rapacty Of the local authorities





carpebaggers Of lower class than those who get State
Offices 20 Congress. They have piled heavy debts
upon the counties and municipalities for bridges build
ings and other improvements for which they pay two
three prices, In Order TO have liberal margin Of
profit for division among themselves and they levy
travagan taxes to pay high salaries 10 few useful and
many useless officers. The taxpayers are absolutely
without remedy for this grievance Take for example
county III which there four five negro 10
one white man. The negroes own no property, and
they elect men office who 1t is nothing to
these newmade voters how high the taxes are and IL is
for the interest OF the officials TO make them high as
they dare. The money they collect the greater
their fees and the greater their opportunities for steal
ing The total cost Of assessing the property Of the
State in 1871 was seventeen times great
as in 1SGO The towns suffer than the country dis
tricts from negro rule, because not only are they
pundered and taxed to DEATH but their growth s ser
ousy retarded is Vicksburg for instance. with
an unriyaled situation and facilities for trade suTpass
ing that of any town between Memphis and New
Orleans She ought to have population Of $1,000 at
least She only about 120O and this is increasing
very slowly the main increase aimee the arising
from the immigration OF negroes who have focked In
from the country avoid field work, and have built
themselves little shantes in the suburbs. AL the bust
ness men give the same answer, when asked why the
town is not prosperng proportion 10 its opportunities
Bad government and heavy taxation disarranRe the in
yestment of capital enterprises, they say. Out
side capital will not come here and citizens who have
money hesitate 20 invest buildings other property
| that can be put upon the assessment lists.
| THE TYRANNY OF NEGRO RULE.


An old citizen who, by the way, made the first speech
In Mississippi for Greeley and Brown, talking with me
on this subject said: we have the best location for
city on the lower Mississippi We surrounded by the
| finest cotton country in the South We are the
through line from NewYork Texas, and TO California
by way OF the Southern Pacific Railroad. We are 400
miles from Memphis and about as far from New Orleans