Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-17
JAMAICA-THE EXAMPLE.

Within the past two months the negroes
on the island Of Jamaica-freedmen by
British emancipation-have made an out
break against the whites, and horrible
massacre, sparing neither age, sex, or condi-
ton, has been committed. The accounts are
more or less known 10 our readers.
Some Of the papers Of this country, who
deal largely in sensational matters, and de-
light to do so, regardless Of consequences, are
indulging in speculations as to the probable
lily Of similar outbreaks in the lately slave
holding States
They greatly misunderstood the temper of
both races in this section, who can, for mo-
ment imagine, or fear any such conflict, be-
tween the late shareholders and slaves of
the Southern States. Every man who knows
what he is talking about, utterly discredits
both the probability and the possibility Of
such an occurrence. The people who can
be made TO believe in either, are those who
know nothing Of tho matter, and who, by
former Misrepresentation, have had their
prejudices strongly excited against tho for
mer labor system Of the Southern States.
The conditions necessary to produce re-
suits Of this kind, have never existed in the
former slavoholding States and they cam
not come to pass now, except by misgovern-
ment, which il would be mild to call crime
Before the war, nothing in the treatment of
slaves by the white race, was unsuitable
incentive TO revolt and war upon their own
ers and protectors The few instances in
the long period Of slaveholding, in which
anything Of this sort occurred, were eXag-
Grated, and were due more TO purely special
and external causes, than 10 anything in
herent in the system Of slavery existing here.
When history shall sum upand scrutinize the
facts, the world will know this TO be the
truth The blacks as n class, were ignorant,
indoleut, docile, and tractable. The whites
in their position as masters wero kind, in
dulgent, and provident. Exceptions existed
in both eases. Both parties were satisfied
in the main however, and neither had cause
for fear from the other.
During the war, the cnslavod class could
not be induced by the most innammatory APP
peals, to rise upon those, who, by the exigen
cies Of the civil war, were almost Powcrless
in their hands. In the general demoraliza-
ton which attends wars of that kind, many
ofthem become infected, and, as was natural,
were made participants in various capacities,
on either side Of the struggle hut the stu
dent Of the history of these eventful times
will not fail to mark that the negro dill no,
seize the opportunity, 50 temptingly Offered,
90 effect his freedom, or CRAFTY any other
feeling which he may have been supposed to
cherish against the dominant white race;
and he will not fail also TO see in this fact
ample reason TO discard as false, the pyramid
of calumny which has been piled against
those, whose good or i'll fortune il was to oc-
cupy :ho relation Of master.
The result Of the war has not altered the
temper Of the races toward each other. Ii
is cherished purpose Of certain class TO
excite and nurture 4 hostility between them,
or at least, 10 represent that IT exists. But
we assert. and every candid man will sus-
tain us. that il does not exist. There is no
reason or ground for il in the past attitude Of
the races towards each other, and II can only
he made by oficious interference with the
ouestion as il now stands The black man
will labor with and for, and ccnhde in the
Southern white man, if let alone. While
from the nature of the case he feels
his in!erioyity-he Is willing to trust
himself and can safely do 50, IN
.ha hands Of the superior races and
l.. whether Of his own or the white race,
Tho attempts to persuade him otherwise, is
Ms enemy. But this cannot be done. The
-. i domestic and kindly in his nature.
he knows and feels that the white man. as
his master, was not his OppressOr. He feels
!. -, ;n.t;netive attachment TO his old home
md its associations. He has no wrongs 10