The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1866-01-26
NEGRO TESTIMONY.

il ofIeSpunuluBty Ceneut'oA0. nv hbHs y
this uncompehsated toll was in danger ola
nulment by the increasing sentiment in fave
Of his manhood, and the claimants Of hi
right, took up arms 10 arrest tho progres
Of this " misguided PHILANTHROPY az the.
termed il, and thnS doubly secure the eteTnu
rnthrallment Of the negro. Dus the drst gu
they fred At the hyira.hsadsd nonEst, :" =
called, born in the irigid regions Of th
North, thundered their own doom, and III,
proclamation Of the negroes freedom. IL
Of himself, had 90 little TO DO ia bringing
about the war, and was as passive Aspeeta
tor oft as the ueancst serfin Europe.
With his patent of freedom, dating from I
thousand battle-6elds and sealed with 81,
ngis Of the Constitution, the negro has Ia
ken a position in society. This freedom i
intended BY God, whose long chain OfrrOyi'
dences overruled all hindrances to itS attain
mcnt, 10 elevate him in the scale Of %seniisn'
being, from a mere combination Of physical
power and adaptation to mental service, with
ont purpose and NEGATIVE, doing Moth
ing more than TO cave his back from the
lacerations Of tie lash. That freedom is in
tended which stimulates e%Iertion with the
Cusrgy of reward and the real Of personal
benefit. That freedom he will have in com
mon With all the slavery-debased Of earth
"for God works and none can hinder"
The negro canao, shrink iaborifho Ives
in honest case and comfort, and he csnSo, ss-
cure these unless be Is protected BY The laws.
1t is jus. aS impossible for a man TO artumu-
late wealth, or better his condition IN any
respect, without the means Of compelling the
Svaricious and unjust to recognize and re-
gard his rights, as to raise the world fron It's
axis with a lever. Freedom witbOu, proper
rsisguArds is slavery Itself. But such is the
meatltss bone upon which many q poor ne.
gro ia now wearing away his noltrP.
As tho case now stands ia Tennessee, biz
condition is far wor5. than in serVi,ude, AZ
Ccpt in the few localities, where he has re-
course for redress Of wrongs to the Freed
meas Bureau. The statute disquslifying his
testimony, C1cep. in causes 10 which his own
color ia concerned, bias rsver been repealed
This law permits white villains whose
hearts are blaeker than the ska Of the negro
10 rob, cheat and defraud him with impuhi-
", and be labors without the leastlesL "a Ar
antse Of an undisturbsd enjoyment o: lis re-
suits. For instance, be purchases q horse
aud pays for II, the seller, II he DO fortunate
enough to have 4 white-washed elay-tene-
~ eut, can reclaim the horse by making osih
that be has received DO compensation there
for, and the defrsudsd negro, who bias inner
tied the ineapacity Of being AZ truthful as a
white man, is com: elled 20 return the horse.
A band Of white thieves can rob a negroes
howell Of the few neessssrieS Of life and mis-
erabic excuses Of household eonveHieD ees,
which he has collected by hard lieks" and
this has happened more than oneein Washing
ion county TO our certain knowledge and 10
is a legal impossibility to convict them upon
lis oath, nor can be identify bis ftolen pro
perry. Ifthis enactment was Of recent date,
and meant for the present tiues, il might be
called with the utmost propriSty, = rla's leg
~islation With a Vengeance. Bot rs long
80 II 10 OF "b hiding force, y ilS not the
prssent Legislature as eulpabls Of gross To-
considsfatsnsss Of the negroes wants and
rights 10 his new rPbsrs, sSifii enacted the
law ITSELF We Thick so.
Humanity and justice 10 tie negro, whose
present condition AZ we have before stated,
is entirely ehargeahls to the white mau, re.
quire the immedisie rsuloval q al lsEisla-
tive barriers to hisprosPsrity aud the full sI-
srcise Of bis energies. II there 10 logic in
vents and experiences 10 truEty counsellor
for the future, legislation should recognize
equal and eIae, justice 20 ell men, aud tend
rs rapidly as possible to is accomplishment
fiilsn the negro is unable 10 cops With the
man 90 American soil, and 10 driyen by
he Intellectual superiority Of his advsrsay
hack again TO the barbaIouJ shores ofhiI pa
land, he or somebody else viii be 10
blame, most sSSursdiy BOT biz AnsIO-ssIop
fee.
We are liberal snOggb TO think that our
Legislators are ipepdisg time and the Pso-
pies money 70 what they conceive 70 be the
Of tbs State, but We would suggest
then, tia. " Ihsy are ssekisg character
'or pOIities as,utsasi' aud profound ksowi-
Of the snEsseisS Of the boar, they
Ihould not oTerlook that nsw element Of COR 4,
whose boPc5o Of welfare under q civil !
ADMINISTRATION dsPeud sstirsiy upoa their !
srorsbis dsibsrsaout Ths LsEsls,ufs Is {
o blahp for %, rese'ion oftss fsnusss.s ]
islsgsuoB IN cosgrssE. The Govsnmsut [
reed the ilsvss and 10 astsrnissa 70 pro. 4
EFT tbsn 10 The sujoyusss q ibtir hssloS ,
Il requires % q eonsitiou Of tbs ttnission q
spr,sspAh7ts from q States isseiy 10 rsbsL
ion, =" the, hey ssisBd esssls e.ri rEhiS '
o the negro, rroninsnt u ybEb 10 u, ngb, !
4 inbnorJ. IDS tbs Tsapsftss L,gihi o