, 1865-08-04
Actual Condition Of Slavery In Kea.
1uc1J-LsttTr frun4 Gen. Palmer xu

HEADQUARTERS DEr'r OF KENTUCKY.
LOUISVILLE, Ky, duly Il, lSd5- i
To His Excel!eeey Andrew juhnson, P,esllen
Of th. United States:
!, sM-I havs already, b7 telegram, acknow.
irg copy Of a dispatch Of Mr. Peics, which
states that Provost 51arelals Issue stree
EapeIs" tc negroes lcdiscrininately. Irefer
yc11 to my d!spltch, In which saE no u free
pnptrs' are Issued hy any officer Of this De-
psrtl6ent, which, though literally true, does
net quito meet the facts aa they ara.
] forward you l0y General Oldcrs Nos. 80
and 49. Under these orders many passes
have bctn issued by Provost Marshal5, Ec.,
to negvecs who hold them aud, I uni tol1.
| ~ .'frte pnIers."
| The reasons for issufns Order O. will be
loaLd on the face Of the order, but the fea.
foos which influenced the Mayor and his
friends to apply to me, d. not. Large
numbers Cf negroes we've then in louisville
from tlh surrounding eduotry, wLb had e.
cared from, CT 1cp'udlatel thu authotlky vi,
thrir 1haaters.
The Mayor and Others desired ny appsov-
al Of plan they bad arrnpged fur the gene
zal enforcement of the laws asaicss :a.rlncy,
and the Law which fotbIds slaves to 70 at
large and hire themselves out ~ frsu persons.
10 have enforced these ln~s would have p-o-
duced great misery md alarm anaus thu
blacks. To leayc the negroes in tho city
would hare alarmed tue fea.a OF the citfz:ns,
presence would cause peati]cnc.. They
sou=lt to MAAo ua responsible for either
consequen nee.
To avoid both issued Order No. 50. I'm.
der 1t. ever five tlousaud negroes have
c1rssed the Ohio River at this place alcae.
Before the 9Th Of July IN impression got
abroad nmcbs tic negroes throughout the
Ntdt1 in +1tt tt>Ex-. 11 tf
ma1 { free. 1nla1ned BY this belief, thou
sahds of thtIu left their nasse1s' houses, aud
came Into our posta and different points in
the State. Every nook and hsdirg.placo a.
such places as Camp Nelson, Lexington,
EsahSsst @ En- HYxlT VII ihe G{ssn f9 An1so,s ,o1l
out work or neans and thr greater the
number. and the more destitute tEey were,
the more tho people resisted employing
item. l was comps He'd. from these causss,
to iasue General Orders No. 70. aud The ''f::c
papers" reir E1td to in the telegram OF Mr..
orrler.
I have bsen greatly cmb9rra essd In rcspec.
TO tha coloIed people, By the acts ara deela-
.atlens Of politicians snd Pr: ssts In thu aut.-
administrator interest. They have given
tEeneg1oes extraordinary ideaa CT the pug-
their speeches aid columns, that it was tho
tDscE ton o! tEs Government to free them all,
furnish them with foct and clothing, e11 rnt
them upon an equality with the whites. In-
yath.hly a conservative gathering in
ne5RhboEhocd is followed By u stampede Of
negroes.
think and respectfully submit that 1t ls
impossible, under The exlsti1. state OF E4cts
here, to enforce the laws Of the State In rel
erenee to slnyaa and siu7ery.
At the hCg1nutn. Of TIC var, Kentucky
had 4bous two hunated and thirty thou
rand flsYes.. Say ay...:..--.....,......, aso,Coo
Ocr reports e1ow number Of negro en-
l,etmeu,s. .-,................. 2s,sls
Estimated number Of " omen and children
feed BY resolution Of CcusEegs Vi Met
:. 1sGa, u for each n.n................ n ..,0i5
1M,s63
Yas