The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1866-03-23
General HOWard on the Freedmen
and the South.

| General HOWard on the Freedmen
and the South.
The lecture delivered in Washington
last Monday evening by Major-General 0.
O. Howard, Chief of the Freedmen's Blu
reau, was replete with interesting state
ments in regard to the condition of the
freedmen and of the South in general.
Cen Towards known moderation and
disinterestedness add force to his observa-
tons. After giving sketch of the ex-
ceeding difficulties which attended the adj
vent of emancipation to the four millions
of Southern slaves, he refers to the work
which the Freedmen's Bureau had to
take in hand. The first thing was to fix
the system of labor. Here there was but
one voice from the South, and that was
in favor of compulsory labor, and military
power made it a temptation to listen to
the advice. 'How," he says, "the let
tiers did pour in, urging this course
"Give us system - elk the wages -
You don't understand the negro-he
won't work." ETC., etc. Gradually these
letters diminished, and the cry, = Compel
him" Compel him." Is more distant
and less distinctly heard
1t is needless to say that the Bureau re-
ected all such advice, and turned It's at
tention to free labor alone, with the least
regulating interference that the circum-
stances would permit And such has been
tie decided success of the enterprise thus
far, that Gen. Howard says that if the
Government will adequately sustain it in
the future, "betorc five years, there will
be no more use of an agency of the Gen
eral Government in the Southern State:
than there is now in Ohio" In proof OF
this, he refers to the success of leases OF
lands cultivated by free labor the leSsees,
he says, never worrying themselves about
social equality, testimony in the courts
negro suffrage, negro schools, &c., tn,
great demand for labor springing up in al
parts of the South, and the increased bll>i
ness activity apparent in most places. O
the latter he gives the following lively
picture:
A place that was as much reduced by
war as any-Petersburg- as
visited it iii October. to have sprun. int,
new life You could see every sort o
vehicle that the army left behind ole
quartermaSters wagons repaired. and am
balances patched up, and harness made O
ropes. You could notice mules and horse:
that showed evidences of hard campaign
ing-haIt. lame and blind, and invariabl,
thin Yet the streets were full of such
in teams, hauling cotton. tobacco, an'
boxes of goods The stores Were open an,
trade was lively. found Il similar activ.
itv in almost every town between Wash
ington and the Mississippi river. Til,
great majority of the negroes We're at wort
at one thing or another. and cannot hell
feeling that, unless we run upon som,
political breakers and give the helm 10 on
enemies, another wears experience vii
lift many Il heavy load OF gloomy iorebod
ings. and, as | said. five Years, if not soon
cr, will, under Providence. place us tairl,
on the road to material prosperity"
But Gen. Howard maintains that mate
rial prosperity alone is moi -lliiicicnt-lh'
negro must be educated, or his cmancipa
ton will be incomplete. But the force o
Southern prejudice ;,rrayed against this i
truly Formidable 1t is the general opin
ION among the late Shareholders that TIN
negro cannot bear education that nc"r.
:, education, in fact. is Il mixed wron" an,
insult to the whites. and will be sure t,
E. Subvert the natural relations of the ivy,
races and result in great mischief Bu
this pre- udice is lcSSening in some quarters
and already there are some gratifying Ill
dividull exceptions. Gen. Howard seem
TO regret the failure of certain provision
: OF the lately vetoed Freedmen'> Bureau
, bill But he relies strong y on the CHART,
and steady support of the loyal nla>>c>
He admits that atrocities are still hein
t pcrpctrated against the black man. an
that the regeneration of the South Is n
llerculcan task but taking cvervthin. to
, gethcr. his views are quite satisfactory Il
regards the present. and very encouraging
, for the filture-Boston JOu1ul