The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-02


and permanent peace. #.te--t q
b. 1t is suicidal TO any State or nation to
disfranchlse part or her natural-bo
SONS under the rule of freedom where
school houses, churches, and an unmo
tested gospel are allowed. go 8.r
My labors are gratuitous here, and for
the general good Of nil, Irrespective of
color or sect.
\ line oftWo from you, occasionally,
will be read with pleasure, and | will
report anything Of interest, &C.,
Please find two copies of the Address. |
Yours, &c. THOMAS BAYNE.
AlExANoRl,, Va sept. 9th, 1850.
Rec. Dr.. Thomas Bayae, Nolfolk, Ia. i! |
DEAR SIR In reply to your request
that ] would give your people Il word OF
advice and encouragement, as well as 10
several similar appeals recently received
from much respected religious teachers
OF our colorcd fellow-citiZens, I answer
that am fully sensible that you are great
~ distressed by recent occurrences you
feel that the Governor of the State has
turned his back upon you; you fear that
the pledge Of our martyred President, to
"recognize and maintain your freedom, ~
will not be kept sacred and inviolatc; you
need comfort and consolation in what
! seems TO you q time of darilnes and dis
enlargement You fear that the govern
mcnt for whose establishment coiorcd
men have poured out their blood like wa
ter, - about 10 deliver you over bound
ana helpless, TO thccrUel custody of your
late masters, who are, more than ever,
disposed To treat you with oppression
and inhumanity, because they charge
their late defeat IN arms upon you es-
peeia!iy, affirming that Your weight,
thrown into the scale of the Union, de
C.ied the contest against them You fear
tua. Che infamous black code, still stand
i44 on utE siNtHta books may be enforced
I JsaiD-t Neu, and lhIt IH v8gra0cy and
! apprenticeship laws Gd laws tesula-
ting the price oi your labor, Won NAV be
reduced to n condition more mtoiCiaht
than the slavery from which you have
been in name, though, perhaps, not IN
substance, emancipated. IN one word
| you fear your late oppressors retain the
| will and may soon have the power {,
prove the correctness Of their old predic-
ton, that freedom would bea curse ia
the colored people of the State "
will not pretend that YOU have no
| am most reluctantly compelled 10 adj
y
alarming circumstances; and freely ae-
knowledge what son say, that without
the right Of suffrage there is great dan
Ger, nay, almost absolute certainty, that
You Will be oppressed by tyranny and
gross injustice. | should expect 10 see
many more of you murdered by base
men, now smarting under defeat and
eager for revenge on you for having,
as they Faithfully assert been the
browning cause Of The failure Of THEN
attempted assassination OF our country.
| do not believe the God of Justice would
have permitted the success of our arms
until we had humbled ourselves and
asked your aid with the full promise Of
fidelity 10 you in the future. | should
expect also that many white men would
suffer persecution and, perhaps, martyr
dom, as they have already done, for dar-
ing to assert your rights and to ask 10.
dress of your wrongs, and for expressing
honest convictions on the subject of YOU
slavery and the equal claims of our com
mon humanity. Indeed, I should look |
for an endless course of WRONGS retalia- |
tons and repeated injuries, filling oul |
land, like st. Domingo, with tears and
blood.
But I do not believe the American peo-
pie are willing TO become infamous before
the nations of chriaenddfn by the com
ofsucls enormous wiclSednessand
Of ingratitqde. pray You to
take . more cheerful and hOpefnG view |
5f HE q SignSuf the times" ~fhe great |
in which we are now engaged |
is Il legitimate consequence of the war,
which has,ledyou threngil The FED Sea |
of blood end dcifverance, and our Al |
Ill, "a. hi 1gsf Il
terposftion, viii not leave YOU To- staifye
and perishin the WILDERNESS by the cum
ming craitness. of legaiiaed expressions
by the same leaders who We're alike ar
rayed in arms against ms all,
Everything really valuable in'' this
world Is the result of long aud Iaboriolls
effort. Let IFS, then. never weary IN,
well-doiDg, but'thank God for what he
has done; brayely struggling on, foy
with Him on our side we are in a'mafor-
ity against the w6ritl, andaH the 1ISyN
ers of darkness, and shall come ontyvic:
torious. Let US resolve, that come wbai
may we will be true 10 God, county and
with full confidence in tho
great Bible truth, that az we .so,s' We;
shall finally reap i'll the good Providence
above, around and before us. And let
IL be understood that we charge no I'M
usual cruelty or want of goodness upon
anybody or class OF men in this State.r-
Human nature is everywhere substan
TALLY the same, under like eircum
stances. We shall, as yet, look in vain
Tor a heaven UPON this eartll.-
ON the contrary, all experience has
shown that where the laws ana |
customs OF a country give to one |
class power over another, bad men al |
ways in the majority in spite ofthe, good
men found in every country, ana Ger
tainly in ours, will abuse their power
Hence the absolute necessity OF limiting
the power of any and every class Of
men, to prevent trampling upon the
rights of others. Humanity says let the
poor and feeble vote. and let those whc
want their suiIrages feel the necessity OF
practicing love, Kindness, charity, and
Justice, to secure their votess
| oh. that we were all so heavenly
minded as to feel and act as if we be-
lieyed there was more glory in raising
than in rising, aud that We never can at
tain SO noble an elevation as when we
stoopto lift the lewly and unfortunate.
For this blessed state of society we must