Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-11-05

~
ne conditions Of their existence have been the same
they have had no aluremen to honesty Take the plan
Iauons occupied BY resident owners who pay wages
from one 10 three dollars month In the first place
from onehaf to ourhs OF the negroes have decamped
and eneamped under the stars and stripes For this
son the crops have been neglected and the master is
Obliged 10 pinch to get along Their food and clothing
with the exception Of the abandonment of the whip and
stocks, are nearly the They know not what the
next year may bring forth they have suffered much this
last year; they may suffer the next. They must
look little ahead and therefore they steal az they used
toony they steal more the country is much dsorgan-
lied Take these cases. like neighboring Mr. Brots
pacethe plantations of Mesdames La Branche Pierrot
and Sheppardwhere out of two hundred and fifty ne.
groes they have but about eighty left Their crops have
gone entirely to ruin Their roads grown up with
weeds six feet high their seed rotted and there is
nothing prosperous except little which the negroes
have cultivated for Themselves The other day of
them came to the place above this and stole copper kettle
worth two hundred and fifty dollars which, if they had
not been discovered they would have cut up and sold to
the thief carts for twenty five dollars They broke into
Madame La Branches house and stole all they could find
below stairs aud she, who two years ago used to o in
fine carriage drawn by four creamcolored horses and
whose family OF young ladies' had one or two similar
rages EACH obliged to take the last piece of salt meat
out OF the barrel and carry stairs that she might not
starve in three days In similar up the Yazoo
the planter shot negro and the next night four
went to the house and shot him. This is fine state Of
things But the negroes responsible Not that
see The whites are simply paying the penalty for gen.
eratons of oppression.
EyToRTIoNs AND FRAUDS
Take now the operations Of the Government officials
and the whites who have come down from the North.
am not going to blame the Government the depart
ment commanders for these outrages. They insepa
rabe from of invasion and the necessary incidents
Of the and disorganzed state of affairs under which
we now live In this department perhaps than in any
Other They cannot be avoided but by experience and
careful management we shall be able in time to mitigate
them
Our army is, in respect of discipline when OF du
t little better than mob, and so, from the neces
sty OF the case in the West than the East Last year
the crops taken from many of the plantations by en-
ploy6s of the Government The negroes were collected
from the camps retained the plantations aud set to
work. They were promised wages if they would work
and relying the faith of the Government and the rep
reservations Of officers in the uniform the United States
army they harvested the crop and made the sugar In
many cases they fouy, cruelty deceived They had
done every thing that required of Them and done il
cheerfuly and we'll But when tho crop was gathered
they have IN many cases been sent eff and not paid
cent
Soldiers rob negroes of money jewery and every thing
OF value man came to the other day and complain
ed that he was stopped at Kenners provost marshars
station, his torn up and two watches taken from him.
In vain he told the officer that watch his and the
other belonged to friend for whom he had taken it
New Orleans to be cleaned. They declared tSey would
not return It till he had shown "a receipt" for It, though
ne could get no explanation as to what sort of receipt
was required. Provost marshals charge habtualy one
dollar each for passes through the lines They do not
charge officer, they charged me- nor did ever
show pass at all; but they always charge negro
cept when accompanied by some white In some
cases poor widow women impoverished by the rebellion
have begged to have these passes given them for dol
lars and were refused Now, understand it, United
States 'cer has right to take any money except his
pay for any thing he does in the line OF his duty If extra
civil duty put upon him he may possibly sometimes be
allowed extra compensation but provost marshal is
not on extra duty any than the officer of the day.
and this charge for passes is shameful outrage. The
mania for getting rich runs through the whole army
Now, there are two observations to make upon this
state of things. We alternating the affections of all the
negroes Those unhappy creatures, who looked forward
to our coming with so much hope and delight, who well
coined us with open and tears joy learning
distrust United States officer and hate Northern man
much "a they do their old masters They be
made slaves againhey will die in their tracks frat but
unless speedily do something change the conduct Of
our officers, shall make than slaves of them
we shall convert them into vagabonds and highway rob
bers, gypsies and desperadoes / am shocked beyond
conception at the state of affairs here 1t ia than
any where ese because the whole OF the Vast wealth Of
this country, compact, accessible, aud close TO market
has into hands suddenly and there has been but
little fighting compared with the territory conquered In
Grants department all trad. has been prohibited which
proves though at first disappr0ved to have
been sautary His soldiers plumber and de-
stroy 10 any extent but the army has been constantly
moving and fighting that it difficult for the officers to
fortunes There has been something this in that
department but the lofty and pure character of Gen.
Grant infinitely it above crrupton has kept specu-
ators and swnd,rs away from him. No cotton trader
ever spoke to HIM but once and after speaking him
once never wanted to him again. fear other Gene
rails have not been either so rreproachable unap
proachab!e
1t is mournfu, inexpressibly mournfn, to know that
such things are, but the fact ndputsbe They are
certain extent, unavoidable. Suffering and horror al
ways follow in the wake Of army but there
why they should be accompanied by petty extoron and
wholesale plumber 1t is enough to subugate this people
and break their Internal pride have no mercy for them
Let hem suffer the penalty OF their madness but let
also remember that there is germ Of loyalty that shows
itself wherever armies advance timdy at first more
boldly aerward Let test that loyalty by the sevcrest
trials but let us not destroy it by outrages unworthy
civilized people.
In conclusion let say that the experiment Of free
has nvn1 anian ,cM pr,tt
success; and not only here but as / am informed on
many others, which managed in the same judcious
In other cases, it has from the causes have
indicated above proved comparatively failure not from
any fault of the negroes but because having been once
cheated, they did not to risk it second time and
cannot any thing ia that indicating shess character
or depraved nature.
,nrA