The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-01-16
A Short Way out of a Disaculty.

A few weeks ago, General Gregory-who is
agent of the Freedmen's Bureau In Texas-at
the close of an address to planters and ne
groes telling them of the @new order of things"
announced that he would answer any ques-
tions put to him. Whereupon black man
came forward and asked If, under the "new
order of things" it was permitted to white
man to chase him with dogs? General Greg
ory replied that this was contrary not only to
the new order of things, but to the laws of
Texas. swell, Sir" said the negro, "there Is
the man who did it." The man was called
up; he came forward readily; he proved to be
one of the most prominent men of the coun-
try, large planter; and he did not deny that
he had chased the black man with dogs. 1t
was the custom of the conntry-what would
you have? st r-,s ~ 5-t-
When Gregory inquired further, he discoy-
cred that the offence had been much spoken Of
in the Countrywide blacks not disposed to
suffer in silence any longer; that a grand jury
met since it was committed, but had declined
to take notice oft; and that no agents of civil
justice thereabouts would set the law in mo-
tion, either to punish the crime or to protect
the blacks from other attacks. Thereupon
General Gregory declared the offending plant
er a prisoner TO the military force; and in re-
ply to writ of habeas corpus stated the cir
cumstances, and justified the arrest and deten-
ton on the ground that the civil law and its
agents would not act in the premises, and that
In one way or the other justice must be DONE
Not even General Schurz's report shows so
terribly the helpless condition of the freedmen,
the fatal disadvantage at which the planters
have them, as recent Illustration of Georg-
ian, who said, the blacks eat, sleep, move, live,
only by the tolerance of the whites, who hate
them. The blacks own absolutely nothing
but their bodies; their former masters own
everything, and win sell them nothing. Ira
black man draws even a bucket OF water rom
a well, he must first get the permission OF a
white man-his enemy. II he sleeps in q
house over night, it is only by the leave of q.
white man. If he buys LOAF OF lpread, he must
buy of a white man. Ii ne asks for work to
earn his living, he must ask u OF white man
and tbe whites are determined to give him
No work. except on such terms as will make
him serf, and impair his liberty. In differ
emf parts of the South the planters are already
combining for this purpose; they engage them
selves to each other not to sell or lease land to
a black man on any terms; not to employ
them except by the year, and on certain con-
ditions, and not to suffer them to live on their
places unless they submit to the planters con-
ditions.
The difficulty in this matter is that the ne
gro's necessities are immediate and pressing;
he and his wife and children must live they
must eat, drink, sleep, they need clothing,
medicine, shelter; the planter says to him,
Take my terms-or starve. That or nothing
is the fatal word it is plain that II the negroes
had any however sgar 1ne sitaa
olive them another chance besides that which
the planters offer, the relation of the two par
ties would be greatly changed; would, indeed
become natural. At present the blacks are in
the situation Of one stranded on rock, who
Is forced to sell his liberty to save his life.
Congress has the power to provide the need
ed alternative for the unfortunate blacks. It