The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1866-11-09
soLILoqUY OF A soUTmERNER.
BY "BRICK" POMEROY.

here don't amount to little bit of
melody after all. Wewere buta hand
full of towards before the war killed off
half of us; yet the great big North is
afraid to have Us in the Union! We
uns helped to make the Constitution
and helped make our common country
great, and when we saw danger of our
rights under the Constitution being ig-
nored after we We're educated by Aboli-
tionists to believe we had the right to
secede, and to save ourselves did secede,
dog gon us if these same men who
wanted US out didn't want us back a.
gain! They said we were bill of ex-
pense to the Union-that it cost more
to furnish us mails, revenue officers,
&C., &c, than it came to, and when we
wished to relieve the liberal North of
this taxation on our account, dog gon
us but they incurred more expense to
keep US in than we We're worth while
we were in. And they didn't want US
to work niggers, yet were willing to
sell them to Us, and to buy ali the Mig
/ gers raised, and pay us in gimcracks
for the same. They drove us out of
the Union. They said we had better
go out. We took them at their word,
for such good christians as populate
the North must be honest, and they
sent armies here to driveus back. They
said WEI a right to secede, and advised
us to do So We took the North at
their word Then they said we could
| not secede.
And they sent soldiers and thieves
among US. While brave men fought
Us, thieves stole from us the things we
bought of them, and now insist on sell
ling them over. We could stand their
fighting, but dog gon lem, not their
stealing! When we sent our wounded
| home, we found our homes were burn
ed, or our goods stolen. They destroy
/ ed or sold all we had, then blamed us
for not caring for their wounded. They
carried on war against Us to drive Us
back into the Union. And when we
were driven back, they discovered that
we were out of the Union.
They wanted Us to send members to
Congress, and they sent them back
home. They say the war was brill
liant success. They say fighting, alone,
can restore the Union, and still, when
the fighting is over with, say war divi-
ded the Union. We have been subju-
gated, repudiated, ,dispossessed, disfran-
chised, contrabanded reconstructed
and desOlated.
We have quit fighting, yet are war
red upon. We want peace, yet are
| promised war. We want to be in the
Union, yet we are told we shall not
come in. They call us infdels, yet for
| get christianity themselves.
| If we are now without money, infiu-
ence, power or prestige, why is the
North afraid of us? If we are expect
cd to be good citizens why do not the
radicals of the North set the example?
II we are not in the UuiOn, why taxed
| by that Union? If we are not in the
| Union, where are We? If this is our
reward dfOrdisbandingo our serried ranks,
what was the use of disbanding? Why
not keep on fighting? If we are not
conquered, why not go on with war,
| renew the murderous crusade for cot
ton, mules, niggers, jewelry and furni-
| ture ? The men who fought us like
brave men now say that fair play shall
be the order of the day. The towards,
| thieves and plunderers who robbed,
desOlated and desecrated us, now are
anxious for another war upon us, so
the balance Of what we have may be
stolen of us, and their pockets still fur
thpr filled, and we are blamed for not
laughing at our own funerals. We are
asked to sing melodies while sitting on
bayoncts! We are asked to dance
while the slow match is burning still
brighter in our cellars. We are asked
to sit still and be insulted by the men
who stole from uS-WhO insulted our
wOmen-whost stole whileothers fought.
We are asked to be good citizens, when
we are treated like bad citizens. We
are asked to believe others who will not
believe us even in tears. We are ask
ed to grow flowers in the face of Win
try blasts yet piping from the North,
and to deck our graveyards with flow
ers while dogs are barking at our heels.
The North claims the religion of the
country, yet it jabs and stabs Us with
puritanical hate.
All we want is peace. We wish to
repair the damages the war has made.
We wish to live as brothers of a COM
mon heritage, yet we are treated like
servants. As one of the Southerners
/ try to bear all this-I try to smile-I
try to dance while our conquerers are
fddleing in drunken glee-I am ear
nest in asking for the peace which was
promised us, if we disbanded our ar
mies-I keep faith with the North, yet
the North will not keep faith with us.
And / tell you, if we can't have the
peace and rights promised Us, life is
burden and we had better lose it at
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