The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-05-30

The Veil Lifted From the Freed
mems Bureau.
AZ the anniversary Of the Freedmen
American and British International Con
mission, on Friday night Of last week
General Howard, Chief Of the concern tina
Generals Steadmar and Fullerton are nov
engaged, in the South, in showing up, il
Its true colors, drew q terrible picture
adapted to the occasion, of the suffering
of the Nations wards" at the hands of til,
poor, vile. whisky-drinking, gambling
cut-thronts" Of that section. According Il
General Howard, these prosecutors Of tn,
unfortunate negroes banded together un
der the name of regulators 'jayhawk
ers,' nigger-killers' or something Of thu
kind"-are the remains Of the Confederate
armies Who, after their disarmament, hav
ing no more Yankees to kill, devoted them
selves T. the task of Staying freedmen ani
prosecuting school-marms. They "inG
their counterpart" says the General, ssir
the pid1p0ckets, highwaymen and muir
derers Il the North" and it is they who
"drovethe lovers of peace from Randolph
County North Carolina; that have burned
colored churches in Marylond, Alabama
and louisiana; and have shot negro sol
diers il almost every State.'
The seneral, it must be confessed, draws
q verysombre picture, here, of the perils
that environ the wards Assuredly. &C
cordint to this exhibit, the concern known
as the Ereedmen's Bureau is a very ark 81
safetyto these unfortunates in protectino
them tom the Vaccinations of their enc.
mics, and from the bloody reyennes 81
"niggr-killers" and regulators AS
Generl Howard was speaking in the in.
terest of his department., it is not strange
that y should have grouped together the
most formidable array Of statements,
whereby it might be shown that, deprived
OF thebulwark Of the Bureau, the Southern
negr0s would be overwhelmed by the
poor vile, whisky-drinking, gambling
cut-tlfoats," who are either constantlv
drinking whisky and gambling falthnnoh
poor)or cutting the threats Of. their black
victils. That General Howard felt him.
self cmpelled to offer plea in defense Of
his iBtitution, concerning which, as he
himslf is forced to admit, ats friends are
sometimes doubtful Of it's expedieney,,''; is
natuhL 1t is also fair to presume that. in
making the declarations as above, he tru,
ly Believed what he said Of the workings
Of tb concern in the South. But when lie
shall Tread, as he probably will, the report
recetly sent in by Generals Steadman
and fullerton upon the condition of the
Fredmen's Bureau, as they found it after
patipt investigation, in Virginia and
Mort Carolina, it is to be hoped that he
whittier his opinion somewhat as to the
ide1iity of those who prosecute the me-
groa. SIS a6
TIE statements forwarded to General
Ho@rd by the agents of the Bureau upon
the inject Of these imaginary outra res.
andapon which he based his remarks to
bis liked audience on Friday night, can
be Understood at their true worth, now
that General Steadman's Report has been
senin. Most of the canting hypocrites in
chage of freedmen's affairs in the South
hay had their own little plans and pur.
poB, which were cloaked under their
ofilal positions, and to pursue which it
was necessary that they should accuse
othss Of their own infamies. A few of
thee have escaped the fate of the majority
OF TEN. and have come under General
Steaman's eye and are embodied in his
Relrt. From these facts we learn that
thehost outrageous expressions of the ne.
grot are the work of those who are osten.
sibl! invested with the authority to pro-
tecthem. Prom in mt among the actors
in tese persecl tic 8 and Outrages are
ioul two reverend sheep-in-wolves' CLOTH
ing4o the Reverend Fitz, in charge of
ansro colony near Newbern, North Caro-
llnatrom Massachusetts,; and the other,
theReyerend James, who is also, doubt
lessa citizen Of the same virtuous State
IhMost cruel and mercenary conduct 10
thplack sheep under their care is charged
to tese two rogues in General Steadman's
Reprt. The Reverend Fitz, the Report,
say has exercised the most arbitrary and
desotic power, and practiced the most
revlting and unheard of cruelties on the
Ihelless freedmen under his charge.n The
man purpose Of this knave was to extort
mqey from his victims, and when they re.
fnsd, OF protested against his demands,
heWould infict upon them punishment
waving from suspension for hours with
thltoes just touching the floor, to impris-
olhent for weeks and months at a time
Ell plea, on being detected in these out.
RAGS, was that another agent, one Captain
Sley, Superintendent Of Freedmen's AZ.
fas for the Eastern District OF North Car.
CHA, had instructed him to raise a thou
sad dollars per month out of his Colony
al to hand it over to him.
| The Rev. James, another prominent ras-
Ct exposed in the Report-a volunteer
aent Of the Bureau for his own purposes
is implicated with his clerk, in the sun.
| ped death Of a negro by shooting, the
presaid negro benign the act of running
Yay from punishment. In addition to
tbs, the Rev. James is charged with secl-
flg laborers for q farm upon which he is
gagged in planting, by sentencing NAL
tasant freedmen to work thereon Ian ex-
client means, and worthy Of New Eng
Ind parson, Of getting work done for
pthing! s9l
Of the many other enormities detailed in
te Report, and Of the prosecutions Of the
vetched negroes by these oppressors of
te Freedmen's Bureau, tits not our p,lr-
pse to speak. The conclusion to which
General Steadlnan arrives, namely: that
he transference Of the freedmeil's affairs
: the officers commanding the military in
| lie States Of North Carolina and virginia
advisable and necessary, though not the
roper conclusion which he should have
lached, shows, nevertheless, how pro-
iundly he was impressed with the thefts,
precautions and nurderous doings of Gen.
eal Howards saints, and how rotten to
| te core the whole system of Nring for
The Nations wards" really is.
| The true advice that General Steadman
sould have given would have been to
aolish the whole thing entirely 1t is a
nisance and an abomination thlt breeds,
! ttro,, rb ouob connn dra1o nc fba vox,oro,, 4 a