the sequel of appomattox-第2章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


en　somewhat　lessened；　for　here　and　there　were　to　be　found　public　and　private　stores　of　cotton；　tobacco；　rice；　and　other　farm　products；　all　of　which　were　bringing　high　prices　in　the　market。　But　for　several　months　the　operation　of　wartime　laws　and　regulations　hindered　the　distribution　of　even　these　scanty　stores。　Property　upon　which　the　Confederate　Government　had　a　claim　was；　of　course；　subject　to　Confiscation；　and　private　property　offered　for　sale；　even　that　of　Unionists；　was　subject　to　a　25　percent　tax　on　sales；　a　shipping　tax；　and　a　revenue　tax。　The　revenue　tax　on　cotton；　ranging　from　two　to　three　cents　a　pound　during　the　three　years　after　the　war；　brought　in　over　68；000；000。　This　tax；　with　other　Federal　revenues；　yielded　much　more　than　the　entire　expenses　of　reconstruction　from　1865　to　1868　and　of　all　relief　measures　for　the　South；　both　public　and　private。　After　May　1865；　the　25　percent　tax　was　imposed　only　upon　the　produce　of　slave　labor。　None　of　the　war　taxes；　except　that　on　cotton；　was　levied　upon　the　crops　of　1866；　but　while　these　taxes　lasted；　they　seriously　impeded　the　resumption　of　trade。

Even　these　restrictions；　however；　might　have　been　borne　if　only　they　had　been　honestly　applied。　Unfortunately；　some　of　the　most　spectacular　frauds　ever　perpetrated　were　carried　through　in　connection　with　the　attempt　of　the　United　States　Treasury　Department　to　collect　and　sell　the　confiscable　property　in　the　South。　The　property　to　be　sold　consisted　of　what　had　been　captured　and　seized　by　the　army　and　the　navy；　of　〃abandoned〃　property；　as　such　was　called　whose　owner　was　absent　in　the　Confederate　service；　and　of　property　subject　to　seizure　under　the　confiscation　acts　of　Congress。　No　captures　were　made　after　the　general　surrender；　and　no　further　seizures　of　〃abandoned〃　property　were　made　after　Johnson's　amnesty　proclamation　of　May　29；　1865。　This　left　only　the　〃confiscable〃　property　to　be　collected　and　sold。

For　collection　purposes　the　states　of　the　South　were　divided　into　districts；　each　under　the　supervision　of　an　agent　of　the　Treasury　Department；　who　received　a　commission　of　about　25　percent。　Cotton；　regarded　as　the　root　of　the　slavery　evil；　was　singled　out　as　the　principal　object　of　confiscation。　It　was　known　that　the　Confederate　Government　had　owned　in　1865　about　150；000　bales；　but　the　records　were　defective　and　much　of　it；　with　no　clear　indication　of　ownership；　still　remained　with　the　producers。　Secretary　Chase；　foreseeing　the　difficulty　of　effecting　a　just　settlement；　counseled　against　seizure；　but　his　judgment　was　overruled。　Secretary　McCulloch　said　of　his　agents：　〃I　am　sure　I　sent　some　honest　cotton　agents　South；　but　it　sometimes　seems　doubtful　whether　any　of　them　remained　honest　very　long。〃　Some　of　the　natives；　even；　became　cotton　thieves。　In　a　report　made　in　1866；　McCulloch　describes　their　methods：　〃Contractors；　anxious　for　gain；　were　sometimes　guilty　of　bad　faith　and　peculation；　and　frequently　took　possession　of　cotton　and　delivered　it　under　contracts　as　captured　or　abandoned；　when　in　fact　it　was　not　such；　and　they　had　no　right　to　touch　it　。　。　。　。　Residents　and　others　in　the　districts　where　these　peculations　were　going　on　took　advantage　of　the　unsettled　condition　of　the　country；　and　representing　themselves　as　agents　of　this　department；　went　about　robbing　under　such　pretended　authority；　and　thus　added　to　the　difficulties　of　the　situation　by　causing　unjust　opprobrium　and　suspicion　to　rest　upon　officers　engaged　in　the　faithful　discharge　of　their　duties。　Agents；　。　。　。　frequently　received　or　collected　property；　and　sent　it　forward　which　the　law　did　not　authorize　them　to　take　。　。　。　。　Lawless　men；　singly　and　in　organized　bands；　engaged　in　general　plunder；　every　species　of　intrigue　and　peculation　and　theft　were　resorted　to。〃

These　agents　turned　over　to　the　United　States　about　34；000；000。　About　40；000　claimants　were　subsequently　indemnified　on　the　ground　that　the　property　taken　from　them　did　not　belong　to　the　Confederate　Government；　but　many　thousands　of　other　claimants　have　been　unable　to　prove　that　their　property　was　seized　by　government　agents　and　hence　have　received　nothing。　It　is　probable　that　the　actual　Confederate　property　was　nearly　all　stolen　by　the　agents。　One　agent　in　Alabama　sold　an　appointment　as　assistant　for　25；000；　and　a　few　months　later　both　the　assistant　and　the　agent　were　tried　by　a　military　court　for　stealing　and　were　fined　90；000　and　250；000　respectively　in　addition　to　being　imprisoned。

Other　property；　including　horses；　mules；　wagons；　tobacco；　rice；　and　sugar　which　the　natives　claimed　as　their　own；　was　seized。　In　some　places　the　agents　even　collected　delinquent　Confederate　taxes。　Much　of　the　confiscable　property　was　not　sold　but　was　turned　over　to　the　Freedmen's　Bureau*　for　its　support。　The　total　amount　seized　cannot　be　satisfactorily　ascertained。　The　Ku　Klux　minority　report　asserted　that　3；000；000　bales　of　cotton　were　taken；　of　which　the　United　States　received　only　114；000。　It　is　certain　that；　owing　to　the　deliberate　destruction　of　cotton　by　fire　in　1864…65；　this　estimate　was　too　high；　but　all　the　testimony　points　to　the　fact　that　the　frauds　were　stupendous。　As　a　result　the　United　States　Government　did　not　succeed　in　obtaining　the　Confederate　property　to　which　it　had　a　claim；　and　the　country　itself　was　stripped　of　necessities　to　a　degree　that　left　it　not　only　destitute　but　outraged　and　embittered。　〃Such　practices；〃　said　Trowbridge；　〃had　a　pernicious　effect；　engendering　a　contempt　for　the　Government　and　a　murderous　ill　will　which　too　commonly　vented　itself　upon　soldiers　and　Negroes。〃　*　See　pp。　89　et　seq。

The　South　faced　the　work　of　reconstruction　not　only　with　a　shortage　of　material　and　greatly　hampered　in　the　employment　even　of　that　but　still　more　with　a　shortage　of　men。　The　losses　among　the　whites　are　usually　estimated　at　about　half　the　military　population；　but　since　accurate　records　are　lacking；　the　exact　numbers　cannot　be　ascertained。　The　best　of　the　civil　leaders；　as　well　as　the　prominent　military　leaders；　had　so　committed　themselves　to　the　support　of　the　Confederacy　as　to　be　excluded　from　participation　in　any　reconstruction　that　might　be　attempted。　The　business　of　reconstruction；　therefore；　fell　of　necessity　to　the　Confederate　private　soldiers；　the　lower　officers；　nonparticipants；　and　lukewarm　individuals　who　had　not　greatly　compromised　themselves。　These　politically　and　physically　uninjured　survivors　included　also　all　the　〃slackers〃　of　the　Confederacy。　But　though　there　were　such　physical　and　moral　losses　on　the　part　of　those　to　whom　fell　the　direction　of　affairs；　there　was　also　a　moral　strengthening　in　the　sound　element　of　the　people　who　had　been　tried　by　the　discipline　of　war。

The　greatest　weakness　of　both　races　was　their　extreme　poverty。　The　crops　of　1865　turned　out　badly；　for　most　of　the　soldiers　reached　home　too　late　for　successful　planting；　and　the　Negro　labor　was　not　dependable。　The　sale　of　such　cotton　and　farm　products　as　had　escaped　the　treasury　agents　was　of　some　help；　but　curiously　enough　much　of　the　good　money　thus　obtained　was　spent　extravagantly　by　a　people　used　to　Confederate　rag　money　and　for　four　years　deprived　of　the　luxuries　of　life。　The　poorer　whites　who　had　lost　all　were　close　to　starvation。　In　the　white　counties　which　had　sent　so　large　a　proportion　of　men　to　the　army；　the　destitution　was　most　acute。　In　many　families　the　breadwinner　had　been　killed　in　war。　After　1862；　relief　systems　had　been　organized　in　nearly　all　the　Confederate　States　for　the　purpose　of　aiding　the　poor　whites；　but　these　organizations　were　disbanded　in　1865。　A　Freedmen's　Bureau　official　traveling　through　the　desolate　back　country　furnishes　a　description　which　might　have　applied　to　two　hundred　counties；　a　third　of　the　South：　〃It　is　a　common；　an　every…day　sight　in　Randolph　County；　that　of　women　and　children；　most　of　whom　were　formerly　in　good　circumstances；　begging　for　bread　from　door　to　door。　Meat　of　any　kind　has　been　a　stranger　to　many　of　their　mouths　for　months。　The　drought　cut　off　what　little　crops　they　hoped　to　save；　and　they　must　have　immediate　help　or　perish。　By　far　the　greater　suffering　exists　among　the　whites。　Their　scanty　supplies　have　been　exhausted；　and　now　they　look　to　the　Government　alone　for　s