The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-05-12
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C..s,abaaas -Thets sod Fate.
~. Yankees, % fertile in excuses for thcil
....sea Ia this war, very readily Invented
oa .nnn,ic.sion OF the term "contrabands'
' southern slaves. They determined to
" ,he step Of stealiDg these slaves from
go, owners, to whom the ancestors oi
''.. - .1me Yankees cold the slaves afore
'. .sa and iu order that the stealing nigh!
s '~. somewhat the semblsnce Of order and
a,hor,ty, they declared the slaves "contsa.
s..as and 1t was further declared unlaw-
s', % return them to their owners.
= n !. remarkable, however, that even after
...r are taken from their hcmes and their
M M~.:,er.--aftez they are enjoying association
..,ucb freedom - they have among the
x,rsees-shey are still called contra
,,.,.n A cannon is ''contrabaud Of war;
y y. route to the enemy's ports; but If It
.c,p,ured, and put in use BY the captor, 1t
: No longer contraband 10 him. The poor
s.,,o however, has different fate He g
..;n a doomed ''contraband." The name
..,ess TO him as term Of derisiou, after he
.,.ssstc he, under the authority Of such
TO A. the Yankees have for him. "contra
land" Yet this Is not all: he continues In
~. and practice "coutraband." He is not
.aoxed his promised equality. His Yankee
v,.ster denies him the privileges of freedom.
u. subjects him to indignities and menial
service, and if he adorns him with uniform,
81. puts gun 10 his hand. it is only that
,s NAV become breastwork to shield the
Yankees from Confederate bullets; or to be
,se minister OF some barbarities, which his
lyoorance OF the usages Of war, and his rude
us.iucis and passions, very well fit him
for.
We have seen enough In this war to know
sba. cruel, selfish, and malignant spirit it
d that controls the people of the North, in
heir measures relating to the negro. They
s,re nothing for him. They only use him
10 lpjars US, and thus gratify their maligni.
Is. They have no mercy for him, and will
throw him of to seek his home and liveu-
hood IS be may. They will then cry, "Lo,
tae poor negrow as they cried "Lo, the
poos Iniian!" after they b I'd robbed him of
biz rich domains, and sent him to the West
rn forests, covered with sores and cursed
sith the vices of civilization!
The Illustrations of the misery the Yam
lees are bringing upon the hapless children
i fAtrica-those american citizens of Afri.
an descent" as the hideous monster at the
lead Of the Federal Government styles them
mockery-are of daily occurrence. An
astancs just to hand is afforded in an order
ssued by A. W. Kelley, Yankee Surgeon and
Health officer at Natchez, approved by Brig.
Gen. Tuttle, in command. This order We
published In the Dispatch yesterday morning.
10 this order the negroes are pronounced
slazy and prefigate, unused to caring for
themselves, thriftless for the present, Inn.
aprovident of the future" He adds: "The
"aost of them loaf idly about the streets
and alleys, prowling In secret places, and
lounge laz!ly In crowded novels, which
soon become dens Of noisome filth, the
hot beds tit to engender and rapidly dis.
"nsut diseases"
To remedy these evils what does the Yam.
lee surgeon, approved by the General, pro-
pose? Why, In effect, to return the negro
70 bis state OF slavery. Indeed, to subject
hin to rigors he had never known when un.
ts his lawful masters authority. Every
"tontrsblnd' thus the order styles them,)
Is required Immediately to hire himself or
heneli to a master, and to sojourn under
iha. masters roof and nowhere else, the
master or hirer being required to become
responsible for the contraband he so en-
poy5. II further declares that mo contra
land will be allowed to hire any premises
IN this city for any purpose seaateDer and
no other person shall be allowed to hire
such premises for the purpose of evading
This order, nor allowed to hire or harbor
"My coDtraband who cannot satisfy the
health officer that he or she neeSs the ser
vice Of said contraband in some legitimate
employment" What amiable and humane
administrators of law and police these North
! ve'nphilanthropists are! Surgeon Kelley tells
Mand singular, In this notable order, that an
attempt to e0ads the order twill be punished
more severely than the direct infraction of
IL" Of course, there could be NO heeita-
LOO as to violation by evasion or open dis
obedience. 1t is somewhat departure from
iAnkee ethics, to denounce the sin OF evasioss
SgFaates than that of open violation. Thei iage.
mug oil success By iudirection, has generally
eals''ed praise, where the folly OF open re-
sS'aace has ever provoked the censures Of
zoe wise Paritans. But we like the bold
discrimination Of this Yankee surgeon eva
''0n is mean and contemptible, and dese rv-
.as naisner punishment than direct opposi-
10n' which has at least the virtue of frank
uas' II bis principle OF law were estab. |
'aaso 10 the land Of the "saints," 1t would /;
bic!
,a Du' oi lhe poor negro, Kelley does not dis. |