The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-01-31
saaslrille 9tInion.
WN. CAMERON & co.. Publishers.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 81, lsss.
Coy. Orr on the Sea Island Planla-

|, der date OF January ~, 1900, addresSei
, g long letter TO the President, in rels
ton TO the Sea Islands lands, from
which the following extracts are made
In the lower part of the State, scarcel,
: 3 contract has been, or can be made
The delay in carrying out your instrue
tons of last October positively, whicl
has continued from General Howard
visit TO Capt Ketchum's return, within
the past few days, renders the freed
men. as q body, incredulous of any re
storation. They have in many places
quietly but firmly refused to accepf
any terms: but, l regret TO say, tea
within the last few days they have IL
some instances resorted to violence
burning down dwellings, destroying
bridges, entrenching themselves IN
their quarters and refusing either e
contract or give way 70 those who will
And in these cases, il is proper to say,
that the contracts offered them have
been approved by the United States
authorities as liberal and Just This is
not unnatural, for as long as the freed
man has reason to believe that the
Government will give him homestead
of forty acres, he will not voluntarily
work for wages. 1t cannot, think, be
denied that the action of the Freed
mems Bureau in this State has largely
contributed TO this unfortunate result
Without entering into the minute de
tail of its administration, am constrain-
ed to say that there Is, 20 my mind sufi-
cient evidence of an unwillingness to
cooperate cordially with the policy
of the Government Certificates of title
have been in some cases granted 10
persons filling none of the conditions
even of General Sherman's order, and
have been given to chance visitors TO
the islands for lands, not only for them
selves, but for their friends who had
never been away from their homes in
the interior. Great delay has been in
terposed in the execution of the forms
necessary to restoration, and the Bu-
reau has indeed gone far to defeat the
very object of your orders, for it has de-
cided that where q freedman refuses 10
contract on any terms, however Just,
that in such case there can be no mus
| tually satisfactory arrangement, and his
! refusal acts as q bar TO restoration. In
addition TO this, the whole of the parish
of ST. Helena, and q great portion of
| St Luke's, comprising the body of the
estates which, in intrinsic value in their
former amount of product, cannot be
surpassed by an equal extent of coun-
try in any State Of the Union, have
been appropriated by the Government
under the provisions of the direct tax
act These lands are occupied by freed /
men; some under the pretense of allot- |
ment; some under prstense of pur-
chase: some under pretense of Gen
Sherman's order, and most under no
pretense at all The Tax Commission
ers charged with the execution of these
acts have manifested the same sympa-
thies as the agents of the Freedmen's
Bureau, and this whole section of coun-
try is held out as not only home of
the refugees, but is land of promise
for every indolent freedman in the
State /
Finally, bill has been reported 10
Congress, and is now under discussion,
by which the titles granted under Gen.
Sherman's field orders are to be con
firmed for three years. | do not think,
therefore, that | am risking either an |
extreme or doubtful opinion when 1 |
say that the chief cause of all our diff !
Guilty, in finding q solution of this ques-
ton of labor, proceeds from the action |
of the Government encouraging the be- |
lief that the sea coast region of South |
Carolins is to be confiscated for the pur- |
pose of establishing system of iade-
pendent colonization for the freedmen.
If this is not so, then the interests of |
this State require that this impression, |
80 generally prevailing, should be au- /
thoritatiVely denied, and that those |
who, for purposes of personal interest /
or of political agitation, are endeaYor- |
ing TO prolong and to exaggerate our |
present embarrassment, should be de /
prived of SO effective q means of mis- /
chief Can any reason be found why |
the planter on the coast, who was /
driven from his home in 1861 or /
1852 should now have the lands |
appropriated for distribution, while his
fellow citizens of the middle or upper |
district, whose estates have been un-
touched, whose industry has been un-
disturbed, but has participated as fully
snd heartily in the war, shall be con-
frmed in the possession of his. The
policy of which, as a representative of
the State, | complain is the partial and 1
unjust confscation of the property of
q small portion of citizens, including
large number of unoffending widows /
and orphans, to be given in the same
spirit of Injustice in which it is taken,
to persons having no claim for special
i haT IL h.
introduction of the bill for confirming /
these titles has had an immediate and |
injurious effect 1t has checked the /
energy which was beginning to mani |
fest itself; suspended the contracts |
which were in process; arrested the /
spirit with which the planters were pre- |
pairing to go to work hopefully and |
heartily, and stopped at once the in /
vestment of all Northern capital which /
was beginning to find profitable EN-
ployment in Southern fields. Now if |
the occupation Of these lands in the |
hands in which Gen. ShermAns order /
placed them is confirmed also, and every /
day will make il worse, one of two /
things will follow-either this section of /
the State will nearly be abandoned TO |
its fate, and its miserable population, /
dEindling sway from diseases, and /
wsnt and crime, viii after few years |
of mischievous ysgabondsge disappear /
from the land, or by fraud or force /
they will be repelled But if these /
lsnds are restored, their capabilities. I
the certain remuneration Of successful |
cultivation, the fact that the freedmen /
are accustomed to the soil, mode OF !
culture, and habits Of employer, viii Sc I
cure to such freedmen successful con
tracts and the most liberal wages. The |
planters who can return, and the for Z
eign capital which will occupy the /
places OF those who cannot, will BY 4
energy soon recover these waste places, I
and the country will reap the benefits. |
This letter OF Gov. Orr was brought {
here by special messenger, who was /
too late, however, 10 influence the I
action Of the Senate on the section OF /
the Freedmen's Bureau bill relating 10 /
the Sea Islands. The bill went to the /
House st an early hour to-day, and q
motion sfterward made to recall IL on
account of this letter was defeated by
about three 10 two What its effect
upon the house will be remains 10 be
seen
GEx. GRASr.-The Wa.hington correspon-
dsnt Of ;he New Bedford Mercury thus do
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