the sequel of appomattox-第34章

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on；　political　experience；　and　property。

The　conservatives；　hopelessly　reduced　by　the　operation　of　disfranchising　laws；　were　at　first　not　well　organized；　nor　were　they　at　any　time　as　well　led　as　in　antebellum　days。　In　1868；　about　one　hundred　thousand　of　them　were　forbidden　to　vote　and　about　two　hundred　thousand　were　disqualified　from　holding　office。　The　abstention　policy　of　1867…68　resulted　in　an　almost　complete　withdrawal　of　the　influence　of　the　conservatives　for　the　two　years；　1868…70。　As　a　class　they　were　regarded　by　the　dominant　party　in　state　and　nation　as　dangerous　and　untrustworthy　and　were　persecuted　in　such　irritating　ways　that　many　became　indifferent　to　the　appeals　of　civil　duty。　They　formed　a　solid　but　almost　despairing　opposition　in　the　black　districts　of　Mississippi；　Louisiana；　Alabama；　and　South　Carolina。　For　the　leaders　the　price　of　amnesty　was　conversion　to　radicalism；　but　this　price　few　would　pay。

The　new　state　governments　possessed　certain　characteristics　in　common。　Since　only　a　small　number　of　able　men　were　available　for　office；　full　powers　of　administration；　including　appointment　and　removal；　were　concentrated　in　the　hands　of　the　governor。　He　exercised　a　wide　control　over　public　funds　and　had　authority　to　organize　and　command　militia　and　constabulary　and　to　call　for　Federal　troops。　The　numerous　administrative　boards　worked　with　the　sole　object　of　keeping　their　party　in　power。　Officers　were　several　times　as　numerous　as　under　the　old　regime；　and　all　of　them　received　higher　salaries　and　larger　contingent　fees。　The　moral　support　behind　the　government　was　that　of　President　Grant　and　the　United　States　army；　not　that　of　a　free　and　devoted　people。

Of　the　twenty　men　who　served　as　governors；　eight　were　scalawags　and　twelve　were　carpetbaggers；　men　who　were　abler　than　the　scalawags　and　who　had　much　more　than　an　equal　share　of　the　spoils。　The　scalawags；　such　as　Brownlow　of　Tennessee；　Smith　of　Alabama；　and　Holden　of　North　Carolina；　were　usually　honest　but　narrow；　vindictive　men；　filled　with　fear　and　hate　of　the　conservative　whites。

Of　the　carpetbaggers　half　were　personally　honest；　but　all　were　unscrupulous　in　politics。'　Some　were　flagrantly　dishonest。*　Governor　Moses　of　South　Carolina　was　several　times　bribed　and　at　one　time；　according　to　his　own　statement；　received　15；000　for　his　vote　as　speaker　of　the　House　of　Representatives。　Governor　Stearns　of　Florida　was　charged　with　stealing　government　supplies　from　the　Negroes；　and　it　was　notorious　that　Warmoth　and　Kellogg　of　Louisiana；　each　of　whom　served　only　one　term；　retired　with　large　fortunes。　Warmoth；　indeed；　went　so　far　as　to　declare：　〃Corruption　is　the　fashion。　I　do　not　pretend　to　be　honest；　but　only　as　honest　as　anybody　in　politics。〃

The　judiciary　was　no　better　than　the　executive。　The　chief　justice　of　Louisiana　was　convicted　of　fraud。　A　supreme　court　judge　of　South　Carolina　offered　his　decisions　for　sale；　and　Whipper　and　Moses；　both　notorious　thieves；　were　elected　judges　by　the　South　Carolina　Legislature。　In　Alabama　there　were　many　illiterate　magistrates；　among　them　the　city　judge　of　Selma；　who　in　April　1865；　was　still　living　as　a　slave。　Governor　Chamberlain；　a　radical；　asserted　that　there　were　two　hundred　trial　judges　in　South　Carolina　who　could　not　read。

Other　officers　were　of　the　same　stripe。　Leslie；　a　South　Carolina　carpetbagger；　declared　that　〃South　Carolina　has　no　right　to　be　a　state　unless　she　can　support　her　statesmen；〃　and　he　proceeded　to　live　up　to　this　principle。　The　manager　of　the　state　railroad　of　Georgia；　when　asked　how　he　had　been　able　to　accumulate　twenty　or　thirty　thousand　dollars　on　a　two　or　three　thousand　dollar　salary；　replied；　〃By　the　exercise　of　the　most　rigid　economy。〃　A　North　Carolina　Negro　legislator　was　found　on　one　occasion　chuckling　as　he　counted　some　money。　〃What　are　you　laughing　at；　Uncle？〃　he　was　asked。　〃Well；　boss；　I'se　been　sold　'leben　times　in　my　life　and　dis　is　de　fust　time　I　eber　got　de　money。〃　Godkin；　in　the　〃Nation〃；　said　that　the　Georgia　officials　were　〃probably　as　bad　a　lot　of　political　tricksters　and　adventurers　as　ever　got　together　in　one　place。〃　This　description　will　fit　equally　well　the　white　officials　of　all　the　reconstructed　states。　Many　of　the　Negroes　who　attained　public　office　showed　themselves　apt　pupils　of　their　carpetbag　masters　but　were　seldom　permitted　to　appropriate　a　large　share　of　the　plunder。　In　Florida　the　Negro　members　of　the　legislature；　thinking　that　they　should　have　a　part　of　the　bribe　and　loot　money　which　their　carpetbag　masters　were　said　to　be　receiving；　went　so　far　as　to　appoint　what　was　known　as　a　〃smelling　committee〃　to　locate　the　good　things　and　secure　a　share。

From　1868　to　1870；　the　legislatures　of　seven　states　were　overwhelmingly　radical　and　in　several　the　radical　majority　held　control　for　four；　six；　or　eight　years。　Negroes　were　most　numerous　in　the　legislatures　of　Louisiana；　South　Carolina；　and　Mississippi；　and　everywhere　the　votes　of　these　men　were　for　sale。　In　Alabama　and　Louisiana；　Negro　legislators　had　a　fixed　price　for　their　votes：　for　example；　six　hundred　dollars　would　buy　a　senator　in　Louisiana。　In　South　Carolina；　Negro　government　appeared　at　its　worst。　A　vivid　description　of　the　Legislature　of　this　State　in　which　the　Negroes　largely　outnumbered　the　whites　is　given　by　James　S。　Pike；　a　Republican　journalist*：

*Pike；　〃The　Prostrate　State〃；　pp。　12　ff。


〃In　the　place　of　this　old　aristocratic　society　stands　the　rude　form　of　the　most　ignorant　democracy　that　mankind　ever　saw；　invested　with　the　functions　of　government。　It　is　the　dregs　of　the　population　habilitated　in　the　robes　of　their　intelligent　predecessors；　and　asserting　over　them　the　rule　of　ignorance　and　corruption　。　。　。　。　It　is　barbarism　overwhelming　civilization　by　physical　force。　It　is　the　slave　rioting　in　the　halls　of　his　master；　and　putting　that　master　under　his　feet。　And；　though　it　is　done　without　malice　and　without　vengeance；　it　is　nevertheless　none　the　less　completely　and　absolutely　done。　。　。　。　We　will　enter　the　House　of　Representatives。　Here　sit　one　hundred　and　twenty…four　members。　Of　these；　twenty…three　are　white　men；　representing　the　remains　of　the　old　civilization。　These　are　good…looking；　substantial　citizens。　They　are　men　of　weight　and　standing　in　the　communities　they　represent。　They　are　all　from　the　hill　country。　The　frosts　of　sixty　and　seventy　winters　whiten　the　heads　of　some　among　them。　There　they　sit；　grim　and　silent。　They　feel　themselves　to　be　but　loose　stones；　thrown　in　to　partially　obstruct　a　current　they　are　powerless　to　resist　。　。　。　。

〃This　dense　Negro　crowd　。　。　。　do　the　debating；　the　squabbling；　the　lawmaking；　and　create　all　the　clamor　and　disorder　of　the　body。　These　twenty…three　white　men　are　but　the　observers；　the　enforced　auditors　of　the　dull　and　clumsy　imitation　of　a　deliberative　body；　whose　appearance　in　their　present　capacity　is　at　once　a　wonder　and　a　shame　to　modern　civilization　。。。。　The　Speaker　is　black；　the　Clerk　is　black；　the　doorkeepers　are　black；　the　little　pages　are　black；　the　chairman　of　the　Ways　and　Means　is　black；　and　the　chaplain　is　coal　black。　At　some　of　the　desks　sit　colored　men　whose　types　it　would　be　hard　to　find　outside　of　Congo；　whose　costumes；　visages；　attitudes；　and　expression；　only　befit　the　forecastle　of　a　buccaneer。　It　must　be　remembered；　also；　that　these　men；　with　not　more　than　a　half　dozen　exceptions；　have　been　themselves　slaves；　and　that　their　ancestors　were　slaves　for　generations。　。　。

〃But　the　old　stagers　admit　that　the　colored　brethren　have　a　wonderful　aptness　at　legislative　proceedings。　They　are　〃quick　as　lightning〃　at　detecting　points　of　order；　and　they　certainly　make　incessant　and　extraordinary　use　of　their　knowledge。　No　one　is　allowed　to　talk　five　minutes　without　interruption；　and　one　interruption　is　a　signal　for　another　and　another；　until　the　original　speaker　is　smothered　under　an　avalanche　of　them。　Forty　questions　of　privilege　will　be　raised　in　a　day。　At　times；　nothing　goes　on　but　alternating　questions　of　order　and　of　privilege。　The　inefficient　colored　friend　who　sits　in　the　Speaker's　chair　cannot　suppress　this　extraordinary　element　of　the　debate。　Some　of　the　blackest　members　exhibit　a　pertinacity　of　intrusion　in　raising　these　points　of　order　and　questions　of