The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-06-28
From the National Intelligencer.
The Situation in Florida.

L
asyoiat oommittee on RseonstrastiQn
! zsiRs Having been elected Senator's &c, and lll.
Representative from the State of Florida TO
the Congress of the United States, and be-
ieyino that the true interests of the country
REQUIRE that the committee over which you
preside should he correctly Informed OF the
condition of affairs in that State, we take
this occasion to address you this letter.
After the surrender of the Confederate ar
mics and the issue of the Presidents procla-
nation of amnesty and his proclamation of
reconstruction, the people of Florida belle
yed and, as they think, not, without good
reasons that upon renewing their allegiance
to the United States. and accepting in good
faith the emancipation of their slaves as one
of the results of the war, they would be re-
established in the possession of all the civil
and political rights which belong to the
people of any other State in the Union
With these conditions they have fully COM
piled.
In proof of this we refer you to the pro-
ceedings of the State Convention and the
General Assembly of Florida at their late
sessions. In the elections for delegates to
the Convention no person was allowed to
vote who had not previously taken the oath
prescribed in the Presidents, proclamation
of amnesty. Yet the aggregate mum Der OF
votes polled exceeded the one-haf of the en-
tire voting population, Notwithstanding In
most of the counties there were no opposing
candidates The election was as fully notl-
fed and as fairly conducted as any ever held
in the State. Every county but two was rep
resented in the convention, and in these two
delegates were elected, but failed to attend
The convention, therefore represented the
opinions and sentiments of the people, and
the constitution adopted by it rests on their
consent regularly expressed by delegates duly
elected The convention incorporated into
the constitution a clause declaring that
neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. ex-
cept as punishment for crime whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted, shall
ever thereafter exist in the State; and that
all the inhabitants, without distinction of
color, are free, and shall enjoy the rights OF
person and property without distinction OF
color, and that no person shall be incompe
tent to testify witness, on account OF
color, in any criminal proceeding founded on
an injury to a colored person, nor in any civil
matter wherein a colored person is concern
ed" 1t repudiated the State debt contracted
in support of the war, and annulled the ordi-
nance of secession. The General Assembly,
elected and convened under the Constitution,
ratified the proposed amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States, and apprecia-
ting the important changes wrought in the
social relations of their constituents by eman-
cipation, and recognizing the obligations
resting on them to pass the necessary laws
for the protection of the colored race, opened
the courts of justice to them and gave them
the same rights of suing and being sued, of
buying and selling, and holding real and per-
sonal property, and all other rights CT person
and property which belong to the white
race They also established liberal and eff
ficient system of education for the colored
people, regarding it as the interest of both
races that the colored people should have
s1a<1 g., Of alr
ton in order that they might progress in
knowledge and civilization, as their capaci-
les and circumstances would permit. The
General Assembly authorized the Governor
20 appoint a superintendent of common
schools for freedmen, with a salary of 81 900
a year, to be paid out of the State Treasury,
and levied tax of 81 a year on each adult
male colored person for the support of these
schools. Many schools have already been
established, which receive the active SYM
pathy and support of the people.
We do not think that hatred exists be-
tween the two races. During the war the
colored people remained, to large extent,
faithful to their masters. They accompanied
them as servants in the army, and shared
their feelings Since the war many of them
have remained continuously employed in
their former avocations. We believe that
impartial justice, tempered with kindness,
will be administered to all persons belonging
to the colored race by the government of
Florida in all matters where either their per-
sonal rights or property interests are concern
ed; and if extraneous influences are with
drawn, in our judgment the two races will
live together in peace and harmony, and the
legal and constitutional rights of each be
respected. -
There are no animosities of serious or
disturbing character existing between the
citizens OF Florida because of the part taken
by them respectively in the late contest
Harassed by the exactions of long war, and
Impoverished by loss of property, the people
are anxious for quiet and for the reorganiZa-
ton of their industrial interests. In this OBJ
ject all classes are earnestly engaged. They
arc tolerant of differences of opinion, either
in the past or the present, anC desire to cul-
tivate friendly relations both among them
selves and with the people of other States
In proof of this We refer to the fact that the
candidates chosen in the recent State cleo
tions were selected because of the opinion
entertained of their fitness anG not because
of the part taken by them in the war.
We submit these Statements for the con-
slderation of the committee as an act of
justice to the people of Florida and the 9th
er Southern States. We are confident of
their correctness, and if there is or should
be evidence before the committee of diff
ferent character, we think we may safely
pledge ourselves, so far as it concerns the
State of Florida, to disprove it.
We hope the committee will give the facts
herein stated proper consideration, inasmuch
as our only desire is to do justice to the peo-
pie of Florida, and to advance the full res
toratlon OF kind feeling and political rights
throughout the whole extent of the United
States ...
We have the honor to be, very respectfully,
your obedient servants.
.-.f WM MARVIN,
. .- WILKINSON CALL, -.
FERDINAND MCLEOD.