Journal of freedom. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1865-186?, 1865-10-14
THE POOR WHITES OF THE SOUTH
AND THE FREEDMEN.

v sn0 A'"O""e' arc exercising themselves
about the poor whites of the South. Tn
the sharp, caustic and pointed manner
which has characterized that sheet of
late, the first article of the Tribune on
this subject bluntly told many unpleas-
ant truths. The listlessness and apathy
of this truly pitiable class of people was
truly set forth as having been caused by
that greatest of all national evils-slave-
ry. Their lack of ambition and charity,
together with their almost utter worth
lessness wa depicted in language as for
chile as the subject required. While
these articles are In the main true, they
are liable to mislead casual readers, for
the natural inference from them is that
all Of the poor whites in this section are
OF the same description. We honestly
believe that the Tribune had no desire to
misrepresent our people, but fell into the
almost universal error of American Jour
naliSm, viz sweeping and unqualified
d~enunciations.
The truth of the matter is that there
are thousands of poor whites in the South
ern States who evince activity and ener-
gy, which is most p~raiseworthy, consider
ing their surroundings. The would-be
lords of the cotton field arrogated to
themselves and their circles the title of
polite society, and with lavish expendi-
ture of money sustained their preten-
sions to o great extent. But netwith-
standing the influence of the ever potent
dollar there were many localities where
true merit and intelligence were acknowl-
edge, irrespective of property. In the
South, as we'll as in the North, men have
overcome the difficulties of poverty and
have risen frem obscure origin to the high
est pinnacle of fame. ANDREW JOHNSON is
an instance. In North and South Carolina
and in Tennessee-cursed with bona .fde
''poor white trash" more than any States
except Geergia-he struggled against
prejudice of class and wealth, and finally
is the acknowledged leader of one of the
strongest political parties now extant.-
It 10 useless to refer to other instances, as
this is strikingly to the point:
The question which bothers our New
York friends, is what shall we do with
these people, and it is answered plainly
in the career of Mr.. JOHNSON. Educate
them. How to do this is the puzzling
question. Even if there were school
house as thick as the grog-shops now are,
they would not be patronized by the
poor whites, except those Of which Presi-
dent JOHNSON was a type. Tall, lean,
hollew-chested, hollow-cheeked, cadav-
erous specimens of humanity that they
are, they seem of a different race from
the nervous, energetic people generally
known as Americans. They have none
of the characteristics for which we are
noted, and show palmer evidences of deg
radiation frem the influence of slavery
than the Freedmen themselves. They
are wholly oanbttioHlcss. Aside from the
which has been forced on to
them by the war, they have 40 ideas of
the world, of the country in which they t
or of the government itself. They t
are practical know-nothings. Too lazy
to get feod by work, they often pass t
months without the taste of meat, except '
when it is gained by theft, and they are G
too indolenG to steal. Hunger 4
drives them to fishing at times, but as a p
thing they have no visible means O
# support, and how they live is a mys- b
cry to a civilized man. These people t.
will never, of their own accord, accept 7
he benefits of even a free school system, n
nd their poverty prevents any other Il
rom being of service to them. They are p
ools in the hands Of applejack dealing Il
r land-ewning politicians, and instead az
f being a benefit to the country they are in
Is greatest curse. Believing all the I'll
ough-faee stories told them about their of
uperiority over the blacks, their ~intelli- tn
ence as voters, and their advantage to lie
ur commercial prosperity as the yeo- til
lsnry and bone and sinew of the land, &C
ley are nearly all pro-slavery in their cl'
sentiments. They hate a he
.ack man, because, as they say che is as
niger" The negro returns the hate tn
cause he 10 conscious of his own supe-l Go