Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-09-26
The Church and the Admistra-
fiOn.

has the following able discussion of the
Presidents policy, and the duty of Christ
ians in relation to it:
Not that we believe our Church TO be
wrong in the position she is evidently as.
suming on national affairs, but it may need
defending. as Watson thought the Bible
and Christianity needed an apology. We
had hoped with the war to be able toretire
from the arena, which some have stigma
tized as political" and therefore affirm.
ed to be outside the sphere of religious
journalism. The time has come, howev-
er, when it becomes evident that if we
maintain our work at the South, with Pres
ident Johnson's policy, it must be at a
vast expense of treasure, suffering and
life.
1t is demanded that we shall be silent
and let the heritage God har given us be
laid waste, our ministers murdered, or
well nigh murdered, our people driven
from their homes and slaughtered, our
churches and school houses consumed, be-
cause to tell the cause of these evils would
be to introduce politics into our paper
If the power whose scepter was lash,
whose practice was to crush out free speech,
who attempted by notification and seces-
sion the nations life, shall again be re-
stored, without proper limitations and re-
stIaints, their nature will be found un-
changed. We already find it so. They
hesitate not to say that they expect the
triumph of President Johnson's policy
and the removal of the military, and then
they "will clean US out" We have before
us letter from one of our missionaries,
who says:
Had it not been from mortal fear of my
as the last resort, to the mill
tary for protection, the mob would, months
ago, have destroyed every vestige of my
work in this place"
A friend from New Orleans has lately
said to US: "We have lost since the riot
fifty or sixty Union families of worth and
position, and must lose more if military
protection is not given u.s."
A merchant in New York, doing extern
sive business with New Orleans and 9TH
er Southern cities, consulted US while on
our recent trip, as tc the propriety of get
ting out of the Southern. trade, "For,"
said he, "they begin insolently to demand
a surrender of my principles as the price
Of business" .r1ar.
Before the poor negro a still darker
prospect rises, if the power that broke the
rebellion does not subdue it. The Presi-
dent. whose veto of the Freedmen's Bu-
reau bill was constitutionally set aside,
now seeks to render the law Intellectual
by removing its present officers, and COM
hitting the poor freedman to those who
hate him because he could not love his
letters. The removal of Clinton B. Fisk,
already determined upon, will be follow
ed by the removal of Howard: and tell us
where in the nation another two like them
or this work, can be found. A private
etter from friend at the South is before
is, the following extract from which indi-
,ates the result: E.-E
Many planters, who hired freedmen
or the year, promising them fair wages,
IS soon as their crops were ''laid by,"- or
cultivated to dispense with la
,or, framed some pitiful excuse to dis
'harge their hands, and in some instan-
es they were turned off without any pay
or what they had donel Although the
rops have been cut off by the drought, |
ct many farmers are now boasting that |
hey will make more money than they ev-
r did before, because Hep get labor so cheap! |
f any of their neighbors remonstate
gainst their cruelty, they reply, The
ID Yankees made the niggers free, now
1t them feed them; as for me, Pll make
II can out of them and then let them go
-. The negroes sometimes go to
1e man they call the Bureau here, and
" their cases before him. He has not
} far, in a single instance that / have
card of, done particle of justice TO the
egro, but in every case decides in favor
the employer. He was furious rebel,
nd Is now a most enthusiastic supporter
the johnson policy. He is one of the
tterest enemies of our cause, and offered
ne of my local preachers twenty dollars
he would leave the Methodist Episco-
Il Church. OF course the offer was
,urned. -..
cat any distance from the towns, in the
'untry places, the poor negroes are being
murdered. These deeds are
me by class of men, who style them
Ives the black cavalry They disguise
emselves by blacking their faces and
lifting on shabby and fantastic apparel.
1en mounting their horses they set out
i their nocturnal expeditions, bent upon
10 murder of the poor, helpless blacks"
Scarcely Union man, in many sections
the country, but has received anony-
Gus missives warning him out Of the
untry. - F1. -..
The Advocate quotes some well-authen.
;ated examples of these outrages, and
ntinues: a
We have a right to speak on such sub
cts. We loiH speak Our Conferences
at resolved in the days of Buchanan d,
d thence forward, that we are citizens
the whole country, and have the rights .
d immunities of citizens everywhere, are
ain resolving in like manner. The peo-
3 are gathering their strength for the ;
of the true principle of nation
unity. In the Presidential tour the evil
mt favorites of the nation are the men :
10 subdued the rebellion; mere official :
'pect, and scarcely that, is awarded to
hers. Our Christianity demands that
should stand by the nation. 1t seems
feeling to say to our brethren in the :
nth, they must not abandon the field, :
ey must braye D,artyrdom, they must :
It by their lives II necessary, our claim
an entire country. Indeed, all this is
lie, and they will do it. They do not
an 70 be driven out of land redeem
to US by so much precious blood. No
I their voices come to US saying they :,
ready to die if need be, but the work n
lst go on. But we must not be indif- q
ent to their fate. We must demand for :
I'm protection. We must stand by them i
with them if need be. The history {
character of the Southern people n
wv that we must have guarantees. This
: Congress is asking, and we must sus-
n them in it. A unsnimity nearly as
as that during the war will, q;
believe, distinguish the Methodist a
iscopal Church on this subject. Speci- "
ms of Conference action will hereafter L
published. o .
1850. Il