, 1866-08-07
MISSISSIPPI.
Connluon or the Ffeedmen-Helatlons
OF the " hites and OF the Coiored Poo.
ple-StRIe ofPollsfcnl EeeIInr

Condluon OF the Observation-Disclosures
OF TIE ~ Niles and OF the CoIored Peo.
ple-StRse ofPolisicnl Feeling,
Correspondence Of tLe y. y Tr.hune.1
~NicKsECco, Mtss., July 70, 1856.
The situation Of the freedmen. according
to the statement Of the Htra'rs corrcspor1-
dent. who accompanied Generals SteadIuan
and Fullerton, Is deplorablc Indeed. But my
observation has been Off different character
hare noticed that in localities where the
they are succeeding better than the whites.
In Phillips County, Arkansas, there are is, Coo
blacks and i 600 whites. Ofthe blacks only
three or four owned any property at the be-
ginning Of the war. the rest being slaves
are blacks, and more than one-half the cot
ton that is being produced in the country is
owned by them. Quite number have
leased plantations, and the rest generally
are working for half the crop Although
pie are quiet and orderly. Captain Sweeney,
the Bureau agent, informs Ine that Of the
number Of blacks who have been killed by
the whites this spring, he has fouud, atter
Investigation, but one who was in fault, and
that ope Was under the Influence Of liauor~
Many Northern men have told nc of out
RACES committed upon the freedmen hut IS
they were planting they all desired me- to
withhold their names
In this State, think my opportunities for
observing the condition Of tie two races and
the workings Of the Bureau, have been far
superior to those Of Gems. Steadmau and Full
lerton and their clerk correspondents. Those
gentlemen were not in the State over six DAYS.
get their clerk, the correspondent Of the
Herald, says It Is s'now Us Ii was before the
war, the hardest and most law1ess State in
the unfon," and in the next paragraph he
denOrnces the Bureau and saws the freed
men would be better off without Govern
ment wet nursing than with it.' These
statements conflict. If the citizens arc such
lawiess characters {and it must be admitted
they are,} the freedmen would be in Il deplora-
BILE condition indeed without some protection
from the General Government. And even
with It, they. US we'll Us agents Of the Bureau,
arc frequently murdered.
Agent there, and some ten or twelve ne.,rnes.
il pretty good indication Of what the result
would be the troops and Government oils
cials were removed. I can now count up u o<
black men who have been killed by whitette.ns
this State and Arkansas during the last s..rv :.
months, and only three whites who : -.
been killed by negroes. nnl in two Of ~ "@
three cases the homicide WIS clearly pt' t'1n81n8
to have been In seifdefcnce. The ay2u1atass
ratc Of wages In this State II 3i6 per month =
this of course includes board, washing. quar-.
tiers and medical attendance The citizens
generally express themselves uninterestcl in
ihc matter oi Congressional representation.
Most of thcui say ''they don't care an
whether their representatives arc admitted or
not, US they hnve no desire to a.llliate with
fnnktcs; nor do they wish to participate In
Government that is both flrri:.Il aul w1iou6
to thcm." This expression have heard used
At least fhOnsnnd times, aud TINT. ton. by
the representative people uf I he Spt,th,