The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-10-03

he moved that it should be referred to the
Committee of Public Safety. This quashed it
at once, but the readers lie was saved"
THE NEGRO AND HIS LATE MASTER.
The city negro and the country negro are
as much unlike as two races. So, too, the city
white man and the county white man ara much
different. The latter, however, is Just Waat he
chooses to be. while the country negro is just
what slavery and his late owners have made
him. Tell me what you will derogatory OF tne
country negro, and very likely / shan assentto
most Of the language you use. He is very often,
and perhaps generally idle, Vicious, nnproyi-
dent, negligent, and unfit to care for himself
In himself, he is a hard, coarse, uniovciy fact,
and no amount of idealizing can make him
otherwise, Yet for all THAI, he is worth moro
than the average country white; and that Is a
wholly false view of the situation which sees
only the negro, and, in the conclusion, practi-
cally ignores the white. The white makes him
self, or at most is made by circumstances over
which he can exerercise some eontr0L The ne
gro is made without his own agency in any de-
gree i even doubt if he is, in many cases, NOR
ally responsible for his acts. With him there
is no theft when he takes small property from
the white; there is, of course crime ia the eye
of the law, but there is none in the design or
consciousness of the negro. Has not.every day
of his existence taught him that robbery is no
crime? So, too, if this u1coutll freedman, just
from the plantation, falls into passion and
half kills somebody, you wili utterly fail in your
effort to make him understand that he has
committed a grave crime. Has not his whole
lie been witness of just such right and lawful
outrage on humanity. -
sat, yesterday morning, in the Office of the
captain in charge of the contract business, for
an hour. There came in finally, with score
of others, planter living in this district but
some sixteen miles from town. He had woe
ful tale of an assault upon himself by one Of
his "niggers"-Ha a boy who / broughten up,
and who's alters had a good home down ter my
place." While the boy was coming in from the
street, the man turned To- me and explained, g it
never don't do no good to show favor to a Mig
ger, for they's the most ungrateluIe ,ereeturs
in the world" he dreadful assault consisted
in throwing a hatehet at the white man by
one of a crowd of negroes who were having
some dispute among Themselves, and suddenly
discovered, in the early evening, somebody
sneaking along by the fence. The boy said it
wasn't hatchet, but bit of brick, and add
ed that the man was so far away that no one
could tell whether he was white or black, and
that he didn't throw the brick till after he call
ed out and told the man to go away. j fol-
lowed The negro out after he had received his
lecture from the officer, and had some talk
with him. @D-n him, said he, referring to
+ his employer, he never done nufin all his
d-n life but beat me and kick me and knock
me down; am / hopes get eben with him
some day." .ia6
Coming up in the cars from Chareston / had
for seat-mate part of the way one of the dele
gates'to the convention which meets at Colum-
bia tomorrow. He was very courteous and
agreeable gentleman, past middle age, and late
the owner of twentY-negroes. He was good
enough to interest me at some length in re-
spect to the character of the Negro You
northern people are utterly mistaken In sup
posing anything can be done With these ne
groes in free condition. They can't be gov
erned except with the whip. Now on my plan
tatlon there wasn't much whipping, say once
a fortnight, but the negroes knew they would
whipped If they didn't behave themselves, and
the fear of the lash kept them in good order''
He went ON to explain what a good home his
negroes always had-laying stress on the fact
that they had dnever to care for themselves, but
were always tenderly cared for both in health
and sickness, "and yet these niggers all left
me the day alter the tederals got into Charles
ton" 1 asked where they now are, and he re-
Piled that he hadn't seen anybody but his old
cook since they ran away, but he believed they
were all at work except two who had died.
Yet am told constantly that these ungrateful
wIetches, the negroes, cannot possibly live as
free people. s4t i err ga .r57ei WsA
Il lost sixteen niggers,D said a Charleston
gentleman, 'sbut don't mind it, for they were
always nuisance, and you'll find them so in
less than year" asked, as usual, what they
are now doing. Two or three of the men
went into the army, one of the women had
gone north as cook, another i5 chamber
maid on a steamer, and he found three OF tie
men at work ON one wharf the other day
But, said /, laughing thou yht the Mee ne no
I1l-.1A -
3rary state of affairs and they'll all be idle be-
ere winter, and don't look for notAing else
when cold weather comes but to have them
all asking me to take them back, but shan't
do it, l wouldn't give ten cents apiece for
them" N
Iscarcely talk with any white man about
the negroes, who fails to tell me how anxious
many of them are to return to their old
homes. In this ride from Charleston heard
Of no less than eleven in this condition, and
mention has been made TO me here in Orange
burg Of at least a score. The first curious
circumstance is, that none of them are allow
ed to return; and the second Is that can't
ind any of those desirous of returning /
presume have asked over hundred negroes
mere and in Charleston If they wanted to
20 back and live with their Old masters as
slaves, or if they knew any negro that did
desire to return to that condition, and have
yGb 10 uQQ the uTSb one WHO uce1tdtcS h1 ul-
slant in answering "No." spoke Of the
dificulty have in finding single negro who
loved slavery better than he does freedom to
an Intelligent gentleman whom ! met here
last evening" member Of the Rllett family
Il am surprised to hear that said he, "but !
supposeit's because you are from the north,
and the negro don't dare to tell you his real
feelings" Riding with an e41onfede1ate
! Major, We stoppedat house for water. The
owner Of the property, which 'aAwas very
handsome one, was absent, and it was In
| charge OF dozen negroes, former slaves of
the proprietor. aNow here'' saitlsthe late Off
Ger, there is place where the negroes always
| had tho pleasantess sort ef a home every
thing to eat and drink and wear, and a most
Kind master and mistress . Pompey, aaed
about twelve, came to bring US the water
f"Pompey,1 said the Major, @Pompey. hew do
you like your freedomgh He hung his head
and answered, "Dtn know, nassa.s 80, wen,
speak right out, don't be afraid ;ten US lust
dow it Is, now" said he again, 4 Whereupon
Pompey; Likes to be a free man, sab, but
we's ali Werkin' on yer like We did afoIe.n-
ssThat's right, Pompey,n said |, ~keepon work
ing; don't be a lazy boy.p "Itwont do,p said
me Major; "he'il grow up idle, and impudent,
and worthless, like all the rest" No sah,"
answered Pompey, aFse free nlgger now, and
rse goin' to work.s'-l Dixon" in the Boston
Aduertiser, -