The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-01-05
Adviae Of General Curtis to Virginia
Freedmen,

On Sunday night last, Majnr General
Curtis, by quest, delivered nn adde's to
the Freedmen oi Lynchburg, in the Atri-
can church in thar city The Tiyj,,ion
gives the sulj,ued sketch of his re-
marks
The General stated that lie hid been
frequently inquired of by letter and III
person gu the streets, and at his off sc re-
Sptclng the SUI jet that he proposed to
discuss, to vii : The rights, dutles, &c, of
the colored people.
In the outset he told them that they
were Tree aud that no human power could
remand them {" bondage. But there WIRE
rrcIlrocal duties involved in their new re.
'htl"h' lucy must hire to their employ
'rH Tor fair comp usa>I"n, aud rtmpmL r
/ that the condition of the country and of
Their f"rmrr owners was such us to pre-
Guide the pos iGbity o. til ir receiving en-
travagan' wages for their ahnr. H.. told
them that they would he required TO labor
an woa'd NOT bc permitted to rave about
ANA nrpred'te upon the people that they
must lead moral lives, aud respect / ,eir
marriage vows more than they had
done, aud that 1t was their interests tn
Keep their race pure. He said that 10
engaging With farmers they must hire
themselves By the year, Us II shorter term
was too precarlnu, and uncertain for the
t'rncrs, who MighC be left vii hout LABOR
at the very time when it was most needed.
lie encouraged them to make CONTRACTS,
which white men would he comyclIed to
abiie by, aud they also would bc required
to fulfill. These obligations he sail must
DC mutual. He said that the legislature
Of Virginia would doubtless confer upon
them tho right to testify in court and
thus, protected in person and prop rty,
they w,uId have all the rights that white
men have except hose political franchises,
OF which it did not become him to speak
and With which he had nothing to do.
IL reply to IN iutcrrogltory as TO
whether, IN the construction IF the new
courts for freedmen the coored people
w"ul1 be Obliged to select "a their repre-
sentative IL the court citizen OF the
county, or would be privileged to select ii
* ahkee. he told them that they had
Deter select some honorable gentleman, IL
citizen, well known to them and that he
telt assured, by the result OF his obseN H.
non aud conference with gentlemen of
high Iespcctahiilty, there Was every Dip =
Sltlon to do them nslce II said, mo,c-
over, 10 connection with the labor ques-
ton that if they refused to work for the
white people, laborers would come from
other sections to ill places, and thus de-
priVe them Of the means Of living There
were plenty of white men, he said, who
did not consider labor dishonornbIe and
they would come to work the Suuthcrn
lands. DE tod them ;hat he supposed
the idea that they were to have any pr
ton of the lands AMI houses Of the white
people vas pretty sell exploded.
They could ger nothing but what they
work for, AMI those Of them who hal
good homes, with former masters shonld
remain where their services are desired and
will be bett remunerated
A delicate aliu>iou was made to the
vague reports ofsIneditatcd imsurrvcton,
and the general told them that even
though they had three thousand stand of
arms they could not succeed in revolt
twenty-fOur hours before The government
would be felt To Cypress them, aud that
such purpose, carried out in practice
would be the doom Of their race.
We have thus attempted, only what
was promised, mere outline of the gen
erals remarks, which were both timely
and judici"u$, and seemed to be well re-
ceived by his auditors.
Such addresses from the representatives
OF the government, all over the State,
wouIl serve to dissipate many errors, aud
result in much good to the people, both
white aud colorcd