Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-05-30
Correspondence of the Ne,o Korl; Times.
How to Govern the Freedmen.
RED HOUSE PLANTATION NEAR BEAUFORT s. c.,
MnndaY AnriI l6. 1866.

| tage to the country, could certain jealous
minded men who are so anxious to benefit
the freedmen, come South and take charge
of plantation themselves for two or three
years. They would then perceive that there
is much rose-colored humanitarianisn touch
ing the negro which is so only in theory
that if he has hidden within his nature the
noble qualities of human kind he has also
its depraved nature-and will neither ap-
preciate or be benefited by any laws grant
ing special protection or favor to labor.
Coming from New York in February,
1868, have had the charge of them ever
since, under all circumstance and conditions,
as farming people, and there is not the
smallest doubt that they have the elements
of growth and development and good CON
dition of manhood, in this very generation,
if they are not fooled with. They show
favorable qualities of industry, of docility,
of thrift, and are entirely responsive in their
moral natures to just dealing and punish
ment, whether pleased with it or not. But
it is certainly prored fact that the more
they are helped, beyond being helped to
labor, the worse they are off The furnish
ing them land at other than fair price, the
supply of food or clothes, excepting only
those who are not able to help themselves
or have no kindred fairly responsible, the
advance of food or clothing to them on their
coming crop, and all assistance of charita-
bic nature, is an injury to them of the gray
est character; and for the simple reason that
it saps directly their selfreliance. They
give no value to what comes to them with
out effort, and consequently fail to turn it to
advantage These statements have been
proved here out and out / had the charge
last year of dozens of contrabands who were
fed on their coming cotton The result was
total loss of crop in spite of all that [
could do, even though backed by the author
tiles, on the part of pretty much all who
were fed, and what did get was obtained
only by the presence of armed soldiers on
the spot. Again, those who had credit last
year almost WITHOUT exception came back
this year for the same favor have had
them come to me by the score to advance
them money for "a bag of grits. 'We'l
pay you when de cotton pick, boss"
Again, those who own lands are worse off
in the majority of cases than if they had
none, for in that case they would work for
wages, would live on what they earn, and
would work more faithfully. As it is, their
crops go in any how, are taken care of any
how, are eaten up by February, and then,
when land needs attention for a new crop,
they dabble here and dabble there to exc
out subsistence. Of course the result is
they come to nothing before they start. In
finitely better would it have been to have
had land secured to them with more Difficult
ty, so that it could have been obtained only
by those whose thrift and industry would
have enabled them to turn it to good advan-
tage, while the rest could have labored for
others to the better advantage of all. Be
side, the value of the discipline to person
successfully striving for land is immeasura-
ble Taking all in all, there is a steady
growth but have mentioned these unto
ward facts-for facts they are-for the pub
lie enlightenment And in these times of
acrimonious strife over these people, it is
well to take heed to the facts as they exist
here Certain it is that, as general rule.
they need no assistance, only in furnishing
them plenty of work, or means of helping
themselves.
Certain it is, that no laws or regulations
should be made to discriminate in their
favor nor, on the other hand, against them.
Certain it is, that they should be held amen
able to the same laws as the whites, and to
the same extent. The quicker they are
nodded into the same body polite as the
whites, on principles of equity, the better,
and this cannot well be done if they have
recourse to seperate Jurisdictions for relief
or protection. They have intense suspi-
cions against the 'secesh, and rightly
and when to this comes to be added separate
process of law for their protection or aid
it will render all fusion into common inter-
ests of labor and the public veal almost
impossible. Only one thing Is needed-and
it has been done by the commanding officer
here-that no law shall be allowed to go
into effect so far as it discriminates on ac-
count of color, and no judgment of Court
based on color, shall be executed, and this
to be enforced under military law, of which
any State is to be relieved, whenever in good
faith laws are enacted and executed impair
tally as between the two races. Thus you
will leave the black people to work out their
own fortunes, as do the whites, according to
the capacity which is within them, and the
State will suffer from what it brought upon
itself, until in good faith it gives all its peo-
pie those civil rights which manhood and ca
pacity demand You may be assured from
our extended experience, that you can do
the negro no greater damage than to make
much of him or make him the subject of
special protection and aid. Protect him in
his lust civil rights under the laws of the
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