The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-07-26
The Social Condition Of the South.

The Buffalo CoDsmercia! I{esrt,ss, says:
D." The following eAuact ola letter recently
received by gentleman a lhis city, from
Dr. Hunt formerly one OF the editors Of this
paper. and now surgeon in the army, ha,
been kindly furnished Us for publication:
HRADQr RrKHs lsr DIV, l6th A e.,
SEINA, A. a June 1895
This region YOU know is the heart of
the slayeOcracy. Estates are large. lands
fertile aud the blacks constitute about TWO
tAirls of The population. II had entirely
escaped the horrors of war. Tie poor
whites were al forced into the army. The
rich staid al home M what are called bomb
proof positions that d. detailed on
some humbug pretenSe Of serving ~ agents,
contractors, commissioners, etc. These
latter grew rich apparently richer than ev-
or before and showed their zeal 10 the Con-
iederacy by hunting down the poor cOnscripts
and deserlers, Who We're numerous, parllc-
ularly iu the barren hill region toward Tai
ledega. DeSertion was has hardly crime
i'm the case Of these poor fellows They
knew that their families We're starving and
neglected 10y the peculiarly selfish arstOcray
aud every instinct led them hOmeward,
even though they knew they would be out
laws and iugitiYes. and hunted down ac-
tually with dogs.
such was the condition when Wilson's
raid came through, eyangellZlng the bomb
proofs. as a Confederate surgeon called the
Wild saturnalia OF that terrible campaign.
The phrase indicates his feelings OF spite
toward the citizens, which he shared with
nearly ali sincere and whOle-hearted Con-
tolerate officers. This cold. unsympathi-
zing, arrogant arIstOcracy. which mad neg
lected every duty to its army, and had
smiled superciliOusly at starving women
and children, got 4 lesson strictly evangel-
ical, to use the doctors phrase; and how
they hOwledi Ia one day they fell 10 pow
erty. real or pretendes. What with the eX
olus OF their slaves AMI the work OF plnn-
der and the flames, they went under very
rapidly.
Then came our more quiet and bette
disciplined occupation, and the momen
they fOuId us civil they became arrogant
until they found that with all our clvilitI
we were a gloomy and a terrible engine o
the power OF the Government. Then CANE
ODsequlOusness
But | am wandering from the point
wished TO illustrate. The next scene III tn
drama was the return o. the parOled arTnle
of Lee and Johnson. These prisoners q
war affiliated OF iranterized at once Wit
our troops. Il was really al era Of goo
feeling based Oh mutual respect.
But. on the other hand, they came bac
J breathing vengeance on the 'DOmn-prOOi
: i was up among the nils, seventy nile
from here. alone and without escort O
: guard, and saw and heard much from bot
SIDES. Ola citizens were fleeing from the
-. 81. q Id r|stl
} know il We could not send troops 10 the
: rescue. The soldiers were openly dehaI
- 10 what they themselves called the d
D old secesh, rOOJiug them Of mules, catt
Z and provisions. and with QuiverIng lips te
e ling me OF all the long catalogue Of wron
] ana outrage Of the last four years sewers
r murders had already occurred and NAL
: more have since happened They that too
< the sword have fallen by the sword La
: saturday two wealthy and prominent CT
r zsns we're hung anu the gang have al
u nouucel = proscuOe1 list OF SIX other.
= Understand. this Is not guerilla waTi4-e-
+ i Corsican vendetta. I can and do Z
e freely through all the country without tal
G ger. But the rich cannot
! The slaves. Oh the other hand, beha'
Y well. through all the deOasement and !,
= J norance Of the blacks there i a CArist-Lt
J. element in their character, q gentle and 10
h giving spirit. which is wonderful Ih'
!. know aud insist upon their freedom, b
they have already learned that liberty IL
plies lob0r, and are mostly al work aga
- tor WAGES. And their teTIOr-strlcken m4
n tars. hunted down by the returned soldier
; turn timidly to the niggers' for pretectio
4 The great problem OF Liberation Il Oy
= means solved-but We know al least Ia
: the blacks are dOclle, and will be as wax
b; our hands, if they are only properly a.
wisely governed -