St. Mary's gazette., 1865-08-24
The Freedmen's Bureau.

The Freedmen's Bureau,
| I'm the lower ouniies ot MARYLAND the pro-
: PIE refuse 20 Civ" employment 70 the wives
: and children of The colored soldiers. and in
! Washington to obtain eurlo, ment. .nd in
snme csses become burden on the Gov
ernm.ni This has heen brought to the
: attention cf 'ha eodnct's Burean. and
! measures are being devised to compel the
: residents e the several couniie. in ,ha,
State to support all freed people who be-
come paupers from Inability to procure
work
Alas how this world is given TO lying
There i. not. We verify believe. a sim
gle syllstle ef truth in the charge atove
made neAins, any Of the lower coun-
tics Of Mary land" and so far as St,
F. Mnry's county is Intended to be in pli-
Gated By it, it is not"riously snd pre-
! po-tcrcu>ly uu.ru" We confidently as
! scrs. that lot a single instance cnn be
. cited in this county, and authenticated,
where employment ha. been refused 10
The wives and children Of colored SOL
jirr>" because hey were the wives
; and children Of colored soldiers, or for
any olkvr reason, provided they were
atlc to work a d were villirg TO work
; At fair wages. The fact il, spar: from
any disposition TO prescribe this or any
other class of our lnborins population on
account of politics. the necessities Of our
! people. since the destruction Of their la
Tor system by the act Of emancipation,
have Compelled them to catch up any
character Of labor within reach, whether
white or black, soldier or citizen. Ei,h-
or this or starvc, has been and is now
the alternative presented to them. Moro
over, il is within our own limited knowl-
! edge. tlet both the wives and children
| Of "cvlurcd so!diers" are finding ready
employment at rcmunerat.ve wages in
all scctiors Of the county With which We
have any intimate acqurir'ancc. In this
village and surroundings alone. We could
point out upwards Of dozen families whorc
;l';s description OF people arc employed.
aid We can point out dozen more
where they ran readily frd cmll"yment.
II they wish it. provided, Of course.
they urc able to work ahl willing TO
work al reasonable rates.
With regard to tie compulsory meas
ures against US. surroscd to be in ! ro-
cess of incubation Ly the Frccdman'- =
Bureau, VIC suppose tha, whatever else
they may mean. they DO na mean that
We shall be c. 'mpelled to support thcse
''frcei people" who arc able to work
but who are unwillil e to do 20. Refer
4. cnc". therefore. must te intended for
such freed people "a Gre in,apaciiated
from labor ty r a>on OF advanced age
or from physical infrnity or from other
causes. With r'gsrd TO these. then. We
: have so say. that we make the same
pnblic provision for their support as i
made ~ o'hcr Christian communities for
! he ,urpor. rf their inGrm and helpless
poor. Nor do VIC make any d;s,inc
! .i.'n lc'w,cn the white and black pau
! pr. or trwern he raupr wife and
! 'ho parl"r ,r>prsg Of 'hc "colorod SOL
/ aic.' s,d the aur.r tf,rrire ard vile
Of the "oolorcd citizen" Tie Ptor's
Houss is alihe npen TO al who are 3
proper ci arrc rron the charity Of the
{ county. al at his very m'ment is fl-
led almost TO r,rl.ti with in6rm and
iudic Of n'glo"s. whose former masters
supported th,n m in comfort urtil they
; tlens,lv.s were h"gcared by the act ti
emancipation. We trust that the Freed
mars Bureau or these WHO have charge
Of ia Affairs in this section will be ms.le
to let the lshnr AID charity Of this cour
y slone We 1--we lived TO but little
purpose. il We have lived thus lorg wi,hou.
lcnrnirg the Christian duty which VIC
owe TO the loor aud unfortunate in our
midst; and. Is 20 the regulation Of la
Dor. the w:sest course. We think, to rur-
sue iu regard to that. j, 10 le, labor rcsu-
late itself, az it does every where in ,hi.
country where marital law is NOT.