Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1881 — “ The Best Governments the South Ever Had.” [ARTICLE]

“ The Best Governments the South Ever Had.”

“The oarpet-bag Governments were the best Governments thei South ever had.” So says Senator Blair, of New Hampshire, in his speech in defense of Mahone. Now let our readers remember that on the termination of hostilities the rebellious States were divided into departments. The work of reconstruction l>eg»u by acts passed in June, 1868. Tho Confederate debt, general and local, had been repudiated. The subsequent increase in the indebtmeut of the reconstructed States is, therefore, chargeable directly and exclusively to Republican rale and policy. The spoliation under the carpet-bag Governments may be appreciated from the following figures in nine States: State debt State debt in 1868. in 1871. Arkansan $ 4,»36,952 $ 19,761,265 Alabama 7,904,396 38,.8:11,867 Florida 528,858 13,797,537 Georgia 9,679,750 2 i, 137,600 Louisiana.... 11,347,051 41,194,473 MisHiasippi 1,796,971 North Carolina 15,779,045 34.887,467 South Carolina.. 4,407,958 29,158,914 Texas 384,569 17,000,800 Totals $50,069,477 $9 ife, 068,694 In throe years $166,000,000 were added to the debts of these impoverished States, just emerged from the desolation of civil war. The carpet-baggers stole and squandered most of this money. Nor did they stop there. The cost or carrying on the State Governments kept pace with the enormous inflation of their indebtment, and taxation followed in the train of both these excesses, almost to the point of confiscation. The local taxes of these n no States aggregated $11,217,639 in 1860, when they were prosperous. They summed up $26,020,232 when they were prostrated in 1870, In 1860 they had 88,698,996 acres of land under culture, valued at $1,207,687,867, and in 1870 they had 31,978,856 acres, valued at $545,977,916. These are appalling figures. Tho revival of the South in the'face of them, as exhibited by the returns of the present census, is one of the most astounding facts in the history of civilization. Now, alter the country has put the stamp of its reprobation on these atrocities and compelled the Republican party to denounce the third-termer, who was the instrument through which they were made possible, this New Hampshire Senator unblushingly advocates a restoration of that infamous rule in the South. —New York Sun.