The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-03-22
THE FREEDMEN OF THE SOUTH.

This is prolific subject, and receives attention
from almost every writer, North and South but
few write dispassionately and beyond the reach OF
local or sectional prejudice, and fewer still under
stand how to solve the great problem OF what IS to
become of the freedmen Enough views Utopian
for the most part, are put forth every day to fill
volumes on the subject, and still the question is
yexed, and o vexatious one, too. THERE'S so much
sound, practical sense in the following extracts from
the Richmond Times that it is with pleasure they
are reproduced in this column, affordng an cx-
preston of the views We entertain, and made more
forcible by the able manner in which they are set
forth In commenting upon the Freedmen's Bu-
reau ind the condition of the freedmen in Vir-
ginia, which is equally applicable here, the Tunes
says:
oThe negro having been for forty years the
passive, unoHending cause of that terrible sec
tional Quarrel which eliminated in civil war, we
felt no unkindness towards him when he was lib
Grated as consequence of our defeat. When he
seemed intent last year upon going to the dogs, we
deeply deplored his infatuation, and we are ex-
ceedingly gratifed at the accounts which reach us
from the rural districts of his improvement in in
dustry and forethought.
GAS our farmers must, necessarily, for large
number Of years, depend upon the negro for labor
1t is to their interests to win their confidence and
esteem by just and liberal course towards them.
eIf tho negro is to remain in our midst as
s.freedman," it is not only important that we
should strive to make him honest, viruous, truth
full and industrious, but sce should labor to accom-
psh this by appealing to his self-respect and bet
ter feelings. We emphasize the word ''ce,' because
this would be done by those by whom he was once
owned as slave, and among whom he is likely to
spend the rest of mis- days. The regeneration, re-
formation and general improvement Of the morals and
elevation of the freedmen should rcceiue the constant
and uigilant attention Of the Vrgina people. They
should be taught to place confidence in the justice
and integrity of their former masters, and not to
look to the Freedmen's Bureau for redress. No
Viginian who cheats, overreaches, and dishonors
his State by unfair dealings with the negro should
be tolerated or permitted to escape the scorn and
indignation of the community in which lie lives; (;
for every we'll authenticated act of outrage and in
justice to the negro serves only to protract the
reign of martial law in Virginia, and to prolons
the life of the Radical party.
"As but few foreign Immigrants have yet found
their way to Virginia, and as there are fewer ne
pro laborers in the State than there were before
the war, we shall have hereafter to depend upon
labor y-saying machinery and educated labor. Our
old and clumsy system of agriculture belongs to
the past and we must improve the intellect OF the
,gro or get rid of him. The work which is before
us can no longer be performed with the old-fash-
iopcd plow, the hoe and that most stupid of bpeds
the corn-6eld negro. New and complicated Ia
bor-saying machinery requires intelligent labor,
and if we cannot obtain whiteslabor we must take
immediate steps for developing the intellect of the
negro.
"However reluctant, even during his year of
Jubilee the emancipated slave was to undertake
any sort of manual labor, from the first moment Of
his liberation he has exhibited consuming thirst
for learning, nearly three millions Of Webster s
spelling books having been already consumed by
black scholars From oil sections of the Union,
and from the correspondents of Mr.. Sumner, as
we'll as from those of every Southern editor, the
representations of this eager greedy desire of the
negro to learn to read and write invariably the
same. Young middle-aged and old are oil de-
sirous of learning. This is most cheering sign,
the most encouraging of which we have heard and
it is very much to our advantage we'll as to that
of the negro, that he should be speedily lifted from
the abyss of ignorance and superstition in which
he has grovelled for so many centuries.
..What we have deemed it our duty to freely cx-
press as our opinion about the cmancipated slave.
and our duty towards him, is far from ill-timcd.
Although the liberty of the negro has been secured
by the late constitutional amendment, the Radi-
calls still seek to make capital out of that prolific
source of sectional strife, by plausible accounts OF
our persistent and increasing injustice and cruelty
to the freedmen Upon that harp of single
string they arc never weary of playing, to our
prejudice and to their own advantage.
GAS the truth cannot be concealed always the
fact that the Southern people are the freedmen s
best friends, will eventually be made palpable to
the whole nation. Let us do what we can, in the
meantime, to hasten this much desired enlighten-
ment of the public mind"
DEATH oF REV STEPHEN ELLIOTT.
On1v q fe1v veeke since we recorded the demise