Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-12-28


: being paid out of the funds of the Bureau
e To support these schools the Command
o ing General of the Department Of th'
e Gulf, authorized the imposition of ta1
r upon real and personal property, inclu
, ding crops of plantations in each schoo
2 district, 10 be collected and turned ovei
? subject 10 the orders of the Assistant
= Commissioner of this Bureau. Between
] thirty aud forty thousand dollars have
) been collected, and steps have been taker
! TO secure the collection of the balance
The Assistant Commissioner reports that
there are now one hundred and forty-ont
= schools, with two hundred and sixty-five
/ teachers, and nineteen thousand scholars
in operation, and it Is hoped that the
, schools viii be still more extended over
the State.
In this State. as well as in Alabama,
the freedmen have the right 10 sue and
be sued, and to give testimony in the
courts, and, in consequence of tiiis privi-
, lege, other Special courts constituted to
try cases relating to freedmen exclusively
have been abolished.
During the month of September the
Assistant Commissioners issued fifty-five
thousand one hundred and eighty-six
rations TO refugees and freedmen.
Some time after Reorganization Of the
Bureau it was decided to change the As
sstant Commissioner, and as soon as the
change was determined upon, application
was made TO the War Department for
the assignment to duty in that position
of Rrevet Maj.-Gen. A. Baird, Z. 5. v,
with whom had been associated in the
army before the war, and afteTward
while he was a division commander IN
the Fourteenth Corps. He is a faithful
and able officer. As it was impossible
for him 20 proceed at once to his sta
ton on receiving the order of as
signment, Brew. Brighten. Joseph :.
Fullerton, of my staff, was dispatched to
New Orleans tOrelieVe Mr.. Conway, and,
temporarily, to act as Assistant Commits
sioner. Gen. Fullerton performed his
duties in accordance with his instrue-
tions, and has been relieved in turn by
Gen. Baird, who is now Assistant Com
missioner for the State of louisiana.
Previous to these changes, the military
and civil authorities and the agents Of
the Bureau had not always been work
ing harmoniously, but now / am in
hopes that the influence Of all will be
given to furthering the interests Of the
freedmen and planters as the only means
OF regulating the question OF labor in the
States. 81 -l-A- -
Texas.
Brev. Brig.-Gen. Z. NJ. Gregory,
Assistant Commissioner Of the Bureau
I for the State of Texas, only reached his
station the twenty-fiTst of September,
and the organization Of that State takes
/ date from that period.
This officer served with credit in the
/ Army of the Potomac, and was recon-
mended by Gen. Meade and others for
detail in the Bureau.
/ Although the Bureau has been in op-
| Grafton so short time in this State, Gen.
I Gregory reports quite afavorable DISPOSE
! ton on the part of the citizens to treat
/ the freedmen with fairness, and that the
I freedmen are working with evident con-
/ fidence in their employers. Cen Greg
ory is of the opinion t'that this years
/ crops Of cotton, corn, wheat, ETC., will
( be secured and saved to the inhabitants
of the State" and that there will be no
lack of subsistence in Texas, and ought
not to be much suffering among the
freedmen.
Gen. Gregory hassueceeded in securing
the cooperation of the civil and military
authorities, and expresses himself as well
pleased with the prospects of the freed
men in his State.
He has called upon the freedmen and
planters to make contracts, the one with
the other, for the approaching season,
and urges on the employer the wisdom
OF paving his hands each month, as the
suTest way of inducing them 10 comply
with their contracts, and he hopes to OBJ
tain for the freedmen the rights to puT-
chase and work hOmesteads Of theirOwn.
Gen. Gregory is organizing schools as
fast as possible, but complains that be is
greatly in need Of funds to carry on his
operations. lie has no abandoned
lands in his hands, and has to depend on
a small tax on contracts for funds to de-
fray his current expenses.
JIssissippI.
Early in eighteen hundred and sixty
three, Gen. John Eaton, ir., was assigned
to duty As General Superintendent of
Freedmen in the Mississippi Valley, and
continued in the discharge of those duties
until May, eighteen hundred and sixty
five, when this Bureau was organized,
and the States ef Mississippi, Tennessee,
Missouri and Arkansas We're constituted
separate districts, and Assistant Commits
sioners assigned, under the act of Con-
gress, TO the supervision of freedmen's
affairs in those States.
Gen. Eaton beingrelieved, Col. Samuel
Thomas, sixty-fourth L. 5. c. l., was APP
pointed Assistant-C Commissioner for the
State OF Mississippi, and since the organ
iZatiOn of the Bureau, has discharged his
duties with zeal and ability. He has had
many difficulties 10 contend with, and
preiudices 70 overcome, In his District
and althoufh working in hearty eo-Op-
Grafton with the military authorities, has
not secured the entire cooperation with
the civil authorities.
Col. Thomas has had quite a large
amount of abandoned property in his
possession, from which he has derived a
sufficient revenue 10 carry on the Bureau,
without calling on me for funds for his
current expenses, but, as in ali the other
States, this source or revenue Is dimin-
ishing.
The desire all freedmen have to obtain
homes for themselves, and their willing
ness toNTork these places, when once Sc
cured in possession Of them, has been
tested most thoroughly in Mississippi
and with reference TO the freedmen who
are cultivating the land on their own
account at the Government farms or coli |
inies, Col. Thomas says, in one of his re- |
ports to the Bureau: "The freedmen !
working land assigned them at Davis |
Bend, Camp Hawlev, near Nicksburg,
DesOto Point, opposite, and at Washing |
ton, near Natchez, are all doing well. /
These crops are maturing fast; as harvest |
time approaches, l reduce the number of |
rations issued, and compel them to rely |
on their own resources at least ten |
thousand bales OF cotton will bs raised 1
by these people, who are conducting cot /
ton crops on their own accounts. Besides /
this cotton, they have gardens and corn |
enough TO furnish bread for their fami-
lies, and food for their stock till harvest |
time returns. \ more industrious, en-
ergetic body of citizens does not exist, |
than can be seen az the colonies now.
Again, Col. Thomas says with refer |
ence TO whetherthe freedmen will work:
"I have lately visited a large portion of !
the State, and find it in much better con- /
dition than I expected. IN the easterna
part, fine crops of grain are growing, the
negroes are at home working quietly
they have contracted with their old mas ,
ters at fair wages all seem TO accept the 1
change without q shock.n IL win be /
seen, from these extracts, that the freed /
men will work steadily when working |
for themselves, and eau still be depended |
on, when working fdf others. The main !
thing requisite TO insure their working in |
Mississippi, or in any other Of the States, /
is to treat them kindly, respect their 4
rights, and pay them promptly, as agreed I
upon in the contract,
Col. Thomas reports that his schools |
are in good condition, and that there |
are IN the State forty-six teachers, thirty /
four schools, and two thousand and forty |
eight pupill,
The number OF freedmen receiving ra-
tons from the Government during the /
month of August was three thousand two |
hundred and sisty-tW'o, and refugees for /
the same month four hundred and seven, |
making in al three thousand six hundred !
and siXty-nine; but the September re- 4
ports show quite a reduction in the num- [
Der, viz two thousand eight hundred and {
fifJy-five freedmen and two hundred and !
twenty-five refugees, makii.g a total Of /
three thousand and seventy-seYen. hting 4
a reduction efsix htndrei and sfxty-nine |
persons drawing Tations from the Gov /
ernment, in Mississippi in one month.
My instructions TO Col. Thomas have
been 10 induos ne freedmen to ehterintoH
contracts with the planters as rapidly as
possible, for the coming year, SO as to
keep the GoverpIaeat relieved from the
sups9rt olati a5le-bodied freednien, and !
have also directed him TO use his iudg I
ment in restoring land, upaR which the |
aged, intirm and iadigent are tempora-
rtly settled, 10 that they shall no. be I
turned out to die, before suitable proyis-