The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-09
Glimuses of Southern Sentiment.

| 0lluApSCo VI pUublClh HSAeAAsOAes
| N~NN0NNN~oFSN~ro
agate writes to the Cincinnati Ga
zette gleanings from his conversations
with prominent Southern citizen
In giving the other day, the talk of 6
| South Carolinian, just appointed to helI
| in the work of reorganization, was
compelled to leave out some miscella.
neous statements of his, which may still
possess an interest for many.
"Was the South exhausted of men
when the rebellion broke downW ]
asked. "Was it really impossible to re.
inforce Lees army; and if so, what citi-
zens have youno for your recognizing
except the rebel soldiers-unless, indeed,
you reckon the negroes ~
'The South was never exhausted OF
men, sir; there were plenty of them
everywhere. Disaffection, WEAKNESS,
indisposition to the long strain of an
effort that took more than four years to
accomplish its purpOse-that was what
broke down the Confederacy. There
were plenty of men all the time, but
they logged the conscripting officers,
or deserted at the first chance they got"
EX-Speaker Orr said something Of the
same sort: "You never subdued us on
the battlefield. You did it in the Trea-
sury Department. Then our people, i'm
petuous at the outset, but not enduring
in their passion, got weary and discour-
aged, and the thing broke down."
At the dinner table, by the way,
another South Carolinian was rally
ing Orr on the material results of
the Rebellion in his individual case.
"Before the war Orr was, for an ex-
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, quite respectable man. He
comes out of it with a homespun coat
and leather buttons on his vest, and is
worth exactly one thousand dollars, all
told, clothes included. That's pretty
estate for gentleman in his position in
the country, and at his time of life, isn't
?v And the red-faced ex-Speaker
looked as if there was some tWitting of
facts in the conversation.
i" I tell you the South could have con-
tnued the war for ten years if it had
had your Northern gift of persever-
ance.o Thus said the South Carolina
delegate first mentioned. 1--WE were
neither exhausted of men nor of provi-
visions; it was only that the flame of ell.
thusiasm had burnt out. l have myself
travelled within the past month";" he
continued, through sections of South
Carolina from Greenville to Columbia,
and thence northeast and northwest, so
as to know accurately the condition of
the crops in one-half the State. There
is no trouble about starvation. The
people are not suffering, except in such
isolated cases as you will always find,
and there is a larger breadth of grains
planted than ever before. With reason
able care there ought to be no suffering
this winter
asked about the relations of the ne
groes and their old masters.
"In the main, the niggers are work
ing just as they used to-not having
made contracts of any sort, because there
was no competent officer accessible, be
fore whom the contracts could be APP
| proved. A few have been hired by the
day; and some others have gone to work
for a specified share in the crops. In O
great many cases the planters have told
them to work ahead, get their living out
of the crops, and what further share
they were entitled to should be deter
mined when the officers to approve con-
tracts came. Then, if they couldn't
agree, they could separate"
"Have there been no disturbances be-
tween the negroes and their former mas.
ters-no refusal to recognize the destruc-
| ton of slavery?'
Z" In our part of the State, none. Else,
| where have heard of them asyou have
| With us the death of slavery is recog.
| nized and made basis of action by
everybody. But we don't believe thai
because the Niger Is free he ought to be
saucy; and we don't mean to have any
such nonsense as letting him vote. He's
helpless and ignorant and dependent,
and the old master will still control
him.
have never been large slavehold-
er myself-for the last year or two ]
have had but twelve, little and big.
Every one of them stays with me, just
as before, excepting one, a carpenter. ]
told him he'd better go off and shift fol
himself. He comes back every two OF
three nights, to tell me how he is get.
ting along; and the other day he told me
he hadn't been able to collect anything
for his work, and gave him a quarters
provisions, to get started with"
I" had to give him." he significantly
added, "a sort of paper, not of course
pretending to be legal, certifying that he
was working for himself, with my con.
sent, in order to enable him to get along
without trouble"
There was world of meaning in the
phrase, to enable him to get along
without trouble" though he was as free
as the man that gave the paper. But
that was in the "loyal" part of South
Carolina about Greenville. What ttrou
BILE" the freedmen may encounter in the
heart of the slave region, this South
Carolinian could not assume to tell