The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-02-07

| school system was looked upon as very
doubtful expedient some years ago, but
if the South had gone into this work as
| heartily as the North. we would not have
been compelled to fight them to-day.
Noble-heaIted woman had gone from the
North to attend to the wants of the
| freedmen; if they were not compensated
now, and by this ganelltinn. they would
Dc hereafter.
Mr.. Bittinger, of Pennsylvania, said
that the past fifty years or more there had
been people in the North who had been
praying, writing, speaking, and print
ing for the breaking of the yoke OF bon
dage from the necks Of the slaves of the
South We now hear the glad sound go
ing up from Washington, and resound-
ing through the land that the shackles
had been thrown off and the blacks were
free The nag would soon wave over
the slave But now that fifty years la
Dor had effected the grand object We had
not the slave, but we had the negro four
millions of blacks had been thrown mp
on our hands, and would have 10 be
maintained. We could not push the
blacks from the country, as we had done
the Indians; there was no place to push
them TO ii we had the heart and desire
10 do SO. The negroes had been the main
support of the South, and would contin-
ue to be-only the blacks would be free
and educated.
The last report of the Commissioners
of Freedmen in the Southwest reported
l3 900 men under their charge, Of which
number 10000 had learned Ia read and
write Louisiana footed up near $4,000,
at Roanoke, Florida, the blacks had erect
ed saw mill, in the basement OF the
Baptist Church at Savannah there WAS IA
colored school containing 500 children;
! in the District OF Columbia there were
| 5000, aud at Nashville about the same
number These unfortunate people de
mand and should receive onr attention.
We talk about filling our country by
foreign immigration. When the Irish
come here We place them upon the rail
roads, and in the course OF a generation
| they conld be learned to read and write
and thus become AmericaniZed. You
take foreigner, and give him Ills natur-
alization papers, hut this does not make
him an American citizen-eXcept politi-
cally. Here we have the negro already
iii our midst, who speaks our language,
understands our customi &c Why
then should we rely upon foreign immi-
grafton to fill up our country, when we
had population here, already Amefi-
canized?
We talk OF sending missionaries to
Africa. We had an Africa here Wedid
not need to learn foreign language to
teach in our Africa. The blacks woald
understand the Word of God as well rs
we. Brethren we should consider this
matter, and do our duty 10 God aud our
fellow man
At the close OF Mr. BittiugeI remarks
Mr. Travelli moved the appointment OF a
committee to take charge OF the matter,
wren the following named gentleman
were appointed: Robert Crangle, Rev.
:. b Barnitz; Rev J. T. McLure, J. {.
Orr. Daniel Peck, Dr. T. H. Logan. Rev.
ID w. Fisher. Rev j. b. Bllkcney, Rev.
John Moffat, A. W Campbell Dr. Drum
mond, c. d Hubbard and Thos Horn
brook.
\ meeting Of the committee was ali
nouuced for this evening al four o'clock,
at The Merchants and Mechanics Bank.
Mr Barnitz then delivered short al,
dress, and Mr.. Moffatt closed the meet.
ing with pronOuncing rhe benediction.
The following letter Is taken t,om the
if;t,burs Conmvc,d of Friday la,,
| TliE FREEDMEN LETTER FROM \ PITTS
BURG GENTLEM IN N NASHVILLE.
Mr.. EDITOR. The following extract
from a letter from Nashville, just Te
reived, will be interesting to many
friends of the Freedmen i'll this section
oi the country:
NASHVILLE, Jan. q, lct5.
DEAR JusEPH: Unless YOU have been
through regular process of initiation
Won can hardly imagine the veAatloH>
delay one has to undergo lii travelling IN
side the lines at a military district. ",
were delayed III Louisville 10 receive Il
pass from the commandant at this point
and on Saturday we were all ready to
proceed To MurirecSh0ro', when we dis
covered that the officer, whose duty II
was Ia furnish passes, put lis OF with the
explanations thar there We're no blanks "u
hand So We are here Vet We expect
to get OF today 10y the two clock train
the blanks fortunately have been filled
up We took 4 walk yesterday out Il
see the Conuahand camp. When at the
headanmters 1T the Commanding Gen
eral, on SATURDAY morning, we accidentIy
met Mr. Mitchell, and received from him