Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-11-08
from the Cincinnati Commercial.l
Address of Gen. TillsOn-The Pol.
icy Of tine Governments Toward
rp,e Freedmen of GeOrgia.


the Freedmen of Georgia.
MILLEDGEvILLE, October Is.
pr AT half-past 2 last night the members Of
the Convention assembled in the Hall OF
Representatives, In accordance with their
resolution of the previous day, TO listen TO
General Tillson, Agent of the Freedmen's
Bureau for the State of Georgia. l think
every member of the Convention must have
been present, as the hall was densely crowd
ed. and the galleries filled with mixed au-
dience. among whom were several ladies.
General TillsOn spoke at length, but as his
speech was necessarily of more interest to
Southern than Northern readers, will con-
dense it. He said that there was wide
spread misapprehension among the South
ern people as to the nature and objects OF the
Bureau-mOst people believing that it set It.
self up as the champion of the negro, be he
right or wrong, and in opposition, to the
white man. This was great mistake--the
Bureau aims entirely and alone to deal ont
simple, honest justice TO all, white and black
and OF this no better, no stronger proof
could be needed than the personal charac-
ter of the man who stands at the head of it.
He paid noble and deserved tribute to the
christian character and excellencies OF Gen.
Howard. 4, =,
Now you will tell me, said he, that you
are the friend of the negro, that you wish
well to him, that you will give him wages,
and help him In various ways, but all OF
this is of no avail, for he aciH not work for
wages. This is exactly the difficulty, aud
none knew it better than himself; and none
knew better than he that the planters, or
some one else, must have the right TO pun
ish the idle, and make them work. But
they must not whip them; that could not be
allowed. Flogging was not allowed in the
army or navy, neither could it be here; but
they do stick bayOnets into men who at
tempt to do certain things, and they even
shoot men who are incorrigible; and there
are some negroes with whom nothing else
will avail. Ifa negro has a chance to make
fair contract, contract from which he
can make aliving for himself and his lam
lily, and will not work then, he must be made
to work-there's no other way for it..
The white man, the planter, is entitled to
protection and security equally with the
BLACK; he has interests to be protected as
well as the negro-the Bureau will protect
him also-it will give him justice. On the
other hand, there are some military officers,
even agents of the Bureau, who pander to
the planters prejudices, disparage the Bu-
reau, speak roughly to the negro, and drive
him from their offices. He had known such,
but it was not well for them when he found
them out Let any officer or soldier be
proven to him to have done such things,
and he would use the whole power OF his
office to remove him and disgrace him.
The General believed that the task of
making useful and industrious citizens of
the blacks, would be found far more DIFF
ficult one than to succeed in inducing the
white people to treat them with kindness
and Justice. He had not the slightest doubt
If if 10 ha1 ho6 10 nj M
the negro; he knew him thoroughly by ex
perience; he did not wonder that the South
ern people frequently became discouraged,
disgusted and exasper8ted with the negro,
nor blame them for it-he knew that he
himself would, if he was in their places,
often. so provOkingly indolent and insolent
are some of the negroes.
The negroes must be routed up and driven
from the cities, unless they have some per-
manent employment there, which promises
them support for some time to come. This
one thing-the negroes hankering to crowd
together in cities, and live in idleness and
silly chit-chatting and little snatches of
works. intolerable; it is one of the ne
gro's greatest curses. In Augusta, his
headquarters, he had twelve negroes en-
ployed as confidential agents, to circulate
among the negroes and find who among
them were honestly at work, and who were
only idling about and pretending to be
"hunting work." and all these latter he
compelled to 60 into the country. There
are multitudes of them; they come in and
carry their axes on their shoulders to de-
ceive people, and they block up the streets
with their petty huckster- shops, when they
ought to gointo the country and go to work
The great majority of free negroes ,oiU not
,cork continuously for pay alone. The negro
must be left perfectly free to choose his
own employer, and make his own contract;
when that contract is made, the planter must
haze the potCer to hold hin, TO that contract, and
10 compel hin, to labor.
He didn't stand there before them to
say that they must let the negroes vote for
he believed no such thing; neither did he
tell them that they must at once admit him
to all the rights of a white citizen-to sit
in the jury-box, for instance-for he be-
lieved no such thing. 1t was utter non-
sense to talk of such things; the negro is
totally unfit for it. Silly, blathering twad-
dlers have done the negro more harm than
good, by telling him that the land was to
be divided among them; that they were to
vote, and have all the rights of citizens at
once. Show him the man who came down
here from the North TO make noisy, Aboli-
ton speeches to the negro, now that he is
lEtt, duu Jeli uliu bndt nc UuSuJ w fOJc-
and that the land was to be divided among
them, and he would arrest that man at once,
Such folly Is monstrous. The poor, credu-
lous people are deceived; they refuse to &c
to work, expecting that they are to be pro-
vided for. Private soldiers, marching
through the country, had done great mis-
chief by telling the negroes such trash
| Nearly all the negroes In one whole county
| down near Augusta, got these absurd no
tions in their heads, and focked into the
city; he succeeded at last in ,undeceivine
them, and got them to go back to work.
He wanted them to direct their County
0rdinaries and Justices of the Peace--suct
of them as he should select-to become
Agents for the Bureau. 1t would be fol
the interest of Georgia to do this--it would
beI for the interest of the Bureau. He
hoped the day would come speedily, Goi
grant it! when the Bureau could turn this
matter over to them entirely. He wa
tired of it; il was the most vexatiOus, te
dious and embarrassing task ever set befors
| him. He should have no reference to pas
records in making the selection. If amar
was the biggest rebel In the county, h,
! would not be deferred from appointing hin
as an Agent If only he would treat th,
freedmen honestly and justly! npcase
| where negroes were concerned, negro testi
mony must be admitted, if offered, but h
would say to them that it was one thing t,
| tell them they must admit negro testimony
| and another and quite a different thing {,
| tell them they must belieUe it.. They coul,
believe so much of it as they liked; and h
/ knew the unreliability of their testimony