Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1866-02-15
MisteIIanp.
Land for the Ere ,dmen.

The report of Gen. Schurz shows
that the colored people Of the South,
now that they are declared free, de-
sire two things. above all others, viz. |:
land and observation-disclosures, and the
means Of maintaining them, the Bible,
q newspaper, and the ability to read
them. Were every negro Solomon
or Moses, fully learned, not only in
all the wisdom of the Egyptians and
the Hebrews of ancient times, but
also in the uninspired elements of q
complete modern university education,
they could not frame wiser or more
reasonable wish. They ought all to
have the means Of obtaining land and
education, and every facility which
can lift them up into intelligent free
holders should be extended to them.
The obstacles existing in the way of
this consist perely in the popular an.
ti.negro slavehulding sentiment of the
South, which must gradually succnmb.
These obstacles are formidable, be-
cause, even though we annul the State
municipal laws against negroes own
ing or leasing land, we cannot annul 80
easily the prevailing sentiment OF
which these laws are the Legislative
expression. A community, which If
let alone would pass laws preventing
the blacks from owning or having rea
estate, will, If such laws b, tverrul
ed. still refuse very generally to sci
or lease land to negro. This is The
effect in Mississippi That feature OF
the black code which forbids negro
to own or hire land, is annulled from
Washington. but few or no white men
would dare disobey the spirit Of that
law. Hence at present no negro in
Mississippi can buy or hire land for
any money. In Georgia, where a law
has been enacted that every white
person selling or leasing land to ne
gro shall be responsible for all the
debts he incurs while he remains upon
it is an outgrowth Of the same ,senti.
ment, il is almost useless to annul the
law unless the miscellaneous and des-
potic motive which prompts it can be
abolished. We may yet learn that a
mistake was made in not carrying on
the work OF confiscation to an extent
which would have inspired a more
wholesome sense Of change from the
old order of things among the whites,
aud at the same time provided the
Government with the means of provi-
ding lands for the freedmen. The ne
groes seem to have expected some
thing Of this kind, and very naturally, |
for the rebel Journals proclaimed this
TO be our programme throughout the |
war. Is it strange that what all the
whites ., so'emnly reiterated. the ne.
groes believed to be true But in the
absence of confscation, we have eight
millions of whites owning all the land,
aud substantially unit on the policy
OF not selling or leasing dollars |
worth If il to the font! millions of ne.
grocs This outrageous pulley is
av"wedly based on the determination
that the negroes must never become
freel,olders, but nlnst re.
main homeless, landless plantation |
laborcrs forever. Such a policy is
iraught with untold mischiefs and |
dangers to The South. 1t will as Ger.
tainIy involve the country in another
civil war. as it shalt be adhered to. |
Exactly what kinds Of procure are to
be brought to bear To rid the South OF
its incubus, we are not prepared to
state. But until it shall be fairly
eradicated, no Southern State is fit
for association with tue free States of
the North. We doubt If it will be
eradicated. should Congress consent
to regard the negro as an outlaw, by
readmitting the Southern States on
the present voting basis. But should
they place all the reconstructing
States "or Territories under one
general enabling act, prescribing a
new and more democratic basis Of
suffrage, which shall include all intel
ligent tax.payiug citizens without dis
tinction of coloras voters, it will work
vast changes in the Southern sentiment
on the question whether the negro can
own or lease land, have a home, work
at mechanical trade, keep a store or
learn to read.