Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-12-25
M the union Men or indiana.
Il Curious Bill.

&
enough SO to frequently cat ito own
b wouA usv a fingers Queer bills are introduced and
passed The great aim of these rebel
Solons appears to be, to seem to do it
&c e "oaa and yet rot to do It, They are anxious
81 - - 1A to appear to President Johnson and the
avRa people OF the North as heartily in favor
= Of the reconstruction policy OF the
former, and cheerful acceptans VI his
EEOH - favors but ct the same time retain their
4acv old grasp of their slaves and the profits
arising from their compulsory labor
Among other measures recently intro
AMI rs duced into tlat Honorable body, and
0g1 eao' 2aa passed was an act entitled, "a bill to
protect the freedm en- of Alabama" IL
.asoareo provides that 'any white person or free
person Of color, or any corporation who
e IT, leases or rents, or otherwise let's to free
ggl persons of color any tenement or land,
for any length Of time, shall be respon-
- - s4''~ sble for the necessary food, clothing.
medical attendance medicine, and for /
all taxes that may be imposed or laid by
-9eT Law on such free persons of color during
..ssa the time such free persons of color are
s.sl permitted to remain in such tenement
or tenements, on such land" If the
party letting, &C., does not furnish all
aHmnS aEaathis he is declaSed guilty of misdemean
.sgs 1sEasz or subject to an indictment conviction,
and fine Of not less than fifty more
'.stt than one hundred dollars in each case.
sssal at basFor each conviction under this act the
Z - solicitor prosecuting shall receive fee
vrsW.9 81 of twenty-five dollars. The vote this
beautiful bill was-yeas, ST. nays, 20. =
That ia protection with vengeancel
H#& II virtually says that the freedmen shall
ELI is never establish homesteads for them.
.W selves but, if they desire to work rather
HHT than starve, they must remain with, and
4ahca work for, the panters,} receiving only
ue such compensation as the latter think
proper to allow them. -~,ss,s-
The Introduction and passage OF this
infamous bill proves most conclusively
that the planters of Alabama believe
that the negroes will work, and II al
-g9s4 lowed fair play, will rapidly become free
n0filA4 holders and landed proprietors They
could not have chosen more expedi-
80 y tious mode Of circulating this testimony
g-yr-1r to the industry and thrift Of their slaves
than by the enactment of such law.
.AgUA We're the negroes animated by no higher
ambition than to hang around large
plantations crowd into cities, snbsist,
-ne2 ras ling upon such little Jobs they might
-s.,.tf pick up, or steal when everything else
failed, we should never have heard of
sthia bill to nprotect freedmen"
But landed propretors usually
sEt4k
~ and are apt to be, as they have
esf4smA been, disposed toa1 assert their rights.
s78zsA ia just here opens horrid vista filled with
y hob-goblins and chimeras dire, well cal.
r IL cnlated to make each particular hair on
no Fae ra Conservative craniums stand erect like
quilts upon the fretful porcupne "Ne-
-tTsA 09 gro suffrage negro equality we hear
a'5sa them gasp while cold sweat protrudss
from every Conservative pore. IL was q
10 90 saaa forebodng of this kind, no doubt that
GOO ,09e@ induced the Alabama Legislators TO
strike down the only avenue to wealth
f-g $50 and greatness their State possesses,
The negroes are free. They can not be
forced to labor under the lash. They
80 a9l are ambitious of Improvement and if
permitted and encouraged to develop
the resources of the SOIL by having
40 s3saga rented to them, Eon reasonable terms'
sieaeA a small farms and homesteads, they will
increase the cultivation of cotton to an
extent never conceived by the imagna-
tions of the most enthusiastic and fanati-
.eA. eel of abotonists. But il, on the other
hand the sole aim AMI effort of the
former shareholders to crush out
these aspirations for independence and
rr--sasT selfsupport on the part of the freedmen
lest in future years they may become 50
improved elevated and intelligent as TO
-eef1ra IL desire, demand and obtain par
sa.sss S. ticpation. LIN the management O.
governmental affairs, they may re-
saetE& Stard the growth Of their States fol
years by keeping up dissensions-
continually breaking sout into open rup-
ture-that win not only drive the peace
able and law-abding from their midst
100 but intimidate immigrants who would
otherwise be disposed to settle among
them. Fearing purely imaginative
evil, they would bring upon themselves
trouble, anxiety and desolation, that
must forever blight their prosperity and
happiness Il was an imaginary evil
that induced the Southern people to re-
-ufT sig bel in the first instance. They ought
we should think, TO have derived more
instruction from that bitter lesson thar
lob .0a their present conduct indicates. tt
whom can the Southern people look fol-
labor but to their former slaves. These
they can no longer control by the instru
h~e Fs inequalities which compelled obedenet
in other years Other persuasives to la
Dor must take the place of the whiE
,Bi and the atocks G Yet Southern law-ma
kers act as though, by cutting off every
avenue of labor calculated in the leas
10 improve and elevate the freedman
they thereby secured his services OF
terms even more profitable to planters
Iaasl than when their crops raised b.
slaves A more shortsighted and suci
dial notion we never heard of
1t il evident the Alabama Legislature
needs little more Presidential train
ing. A dispatch Two from the Presi
dent would materially improve athei
present ideas of the kind Of protection
needed by the freedmen.
The Touisville Press saws the Ken