Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-02
ARKANSAS.

The Cincinnati CoHlBlcTcial has CORES
pondent in Arkansas. whom il endorses as
an old fashioned Abolitionist, who does
not extenuats anything or set down sught in
malice" As it may be interesting to our
readers to see what such person has to say
of the condition of affairs in Arkansas, We
make the following extracts from his letter
RECONSTRUCTION.
During n months travel in this country--ecn-
yersing with scores daIly-l have heard less com
plant and less denaneiation OF the Government,
than can be heard around the various corners Of
Vine aad Fourth streets. in your city. in any
thirty minutes. by daylight-particularly Of a
Sunday morning. That there Is an anxiety 70
know when. 4 ever, they are again to take their
places in the Union reconstructed States Is ey-
ident enough. but there = a modesty about this
which does not iil-become high -ton.d conquered
enemy. l speak Of the influential controlling
class.
That they love the Yankees very dearly.
would ba useless 10 claim. bat they have been
taught b, respect them which thegaiid not alsgays
do From ell that have been able to discover,
am satisfied tlNat II the State of Arkansas Was
admitted into tbs Union to-day with alI the rights
and privileges she ever enjoyed in t. except as 10
slavery. she would be much better governed in
the year to eome than she has been during the
year which is past.
THE FRxEpMEN.
4
fifteen OF twenty negroes IN sheir Sunday best
clothes" by the road side, when stopped and en-
tered into conversation with them; and about
their freedom, tool What change! Had any
man from the North attempted such thing five
years ago. the chances would have been ten 70 one
against his escaping with his life, asked
here , The The answer err was ~ We'll. USIn ssh.
da say we is, bat don't see but mighty little ar
ference We'll, but you get wages now. do you
some 500 year, some $50. some Sl0O, some
$50 and some nothing" To which last statement
" Good many dem sort am told that 4 nogice
came from the Freeimen's Bareau at Camden,
nees tas close * t.st ear. seauirieE ~ taa ps=
or before the 10th of January ensuing un1ef
certain pains aad penalties; and that many pars
ties who were irresponsible. frightened the na-
groes into contracts at merely nominal wages, and
that the agert Of the Bureau came down and rat
iied these contracts. many OF them af 81 per
month. and some % them even less than that.
A citizen said to me; n thai fhiag bad been
Ten 70 our county aUthorites, tkB nould hare done
much better for the they could get Aacs
done trorss." Many planters who owned from
htty to one hundred negroes. have not one letf;
while some who never owned negro. now have
six, eight or ten. Many of these negroes are dis
satisfied with their contracts. but they have no
remedy ior de 6nro man say We must stay iorde
field for missionary labor. IL some christian ef-
fort is not soon put forth upon gigantic scale.
they Will soon 90 the way of the North American
Indians. Ono of their most ruinOus vices is iceH-
tiousness. Who, that has been at all acquainted
with negroes under the slave system. does not
know that it has been the practice among slave
holders to keep mp strong plantation police, for
the express purpose of preventing n corrupt in
discriminate mingling Of the sexes, that they
might profit by the Increase? This barrier. created
fer such an ignoble end is now removed. and the
results are obvious. You viii hardly negro
infant in n days journey.
There seems 70 be little or no care By the moth
ers, for such offspring rs they do have At one
point passed on the Oqachisa was told that
three negro infants had been found in the river
within one week, What an account will eur phi
lanthropiss be able % give II they fail 10 accom-
plish as much for the sake of humanity as the
sfave-holder did, with the same material. for she
sake of dollars and cents Beside you are not
shut OUT from them now. Hoa rs safe here
there You need not believe in the bugbear
stories Of persecution and danger in the SoEth.
Such things are only true 10 those who hunt for
them. You can find bugbears here or there, II
you are 50 disposed. There are honorable oxcep-
uons to the gross imm0ralities have mentioned
among the negroes. but believe these statements
are true Of the masses of them and unless some
thing can be fone-more than at present seems
nkely to be done-the race, ere long, viii become
extinct.