The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-07-04

swindlers. Finally, however, a Captain Jewett,
not OF the Bureau, who WAS working plantation
tect. Unfortunately the proprietors Of the bank
got wind of tho matter and deoamped suddenly,
getting safe off with their booty, which amounted
they have returned to Boston, to lecture possibly
on tho wrongs of tho negro and tho dishonesty OF
tho Southern whites. The two worthless who per-
petrated this swindlo arc named Charges and IIig-
ginson."
We could multiply these cases to any num-
ber, but this will suffice. We will soy 9TH
ing of the suffers that swarm on our Sea
Islands, and get the last cent of tho freed
mems hard.earnsd wages for glass beads and
pinohbeok jewolry. We will say nothing of
the three dollars bushel for corn wrung out of
theoe helpless creatures On one of the noigh-
boring islands, when corn could be purchased
at the time at one dollar aad twenty-five cents
in the city of Charleston. Nor will we speak
of the many devices resorted to by the minis
ters of religion to extort the last dollar from
the poor, ignorant, oredulous freedman. A
great deal might be said on this topic; but
as the parties concerned would be certain to
distort our remarks into an enmity to reli-
gion and the Church in general, which we
have no wish even to appear to be guilty of,
we forbear any further remark under this
head.
The foregoing facts, which we could in
crease to any required number, and all sus-
ceptible of the most incontestable proof-if
they 60 to show anything, should demon
strate the utter absurdity of the present
much agitated scheme of forcing universal
suffrage upon this class of our population.
We say forcing; for it is we'll known to
every candid observer of the freedmen of the
South that, with very few exceptions, they
know nothing of the question involved, and
of course care nothing whatever about it.
The pauper in every community is disfran-
chised ipso faeto. By the Legislation of Con-
gress, the entire oolored population of the
South is made to occupy this status. They
are termed "the nations wards" They have
q most thorough and intricate system of
guardianship established over them. Nor
this only; but the Freedmen's Bureau is at
the same time species of Grand Almoner.
Now, with what face can we be asked to
give the privilege of an indisoriminste cleo
tive franchise to q class of persons who are not
supposed to be able to support themselves
who are not permitted to enter into con-
tracts, except under supervision of their guar
dians,-and who are supposed to need special,
extra-constitutiona legislation and judicial
protection9
OF course, in the foregoing remarks, we do
not wish to be understood as saying that all
the colored people are paupers; we only
maintain that the legislation of Congress has
put this stigma upon them. We know there
are excellent people among the oolored free
men and freedmen; some who are models of
thrift; intelligent and industrious; men of
character and property. But the several
Freedmen's Bureau Acts make no distinction
between them. The entire colored popula-
ton is put on the same footing
Those excellent logicians in Washington
reason thus: Fred Douglas is colored man
Fred. Douglas is Intelligent ergo, all COL
ored men are Intelligent, and if intellige
quite competent for the proper exercise of
the elective franchise. This is good logic,
doubtless. But, on the other hand, we have
another syllogism which slightly runs ooun-
ter to this. 1t goes in this wise Pompey
and Dinah are poor, ignorant and shiftless,-
unable to take care of themselves Pompey
and Dinah are colored people; ergo, ell col
ored people arc thus unable to take care of
themselves, and must have bureau. A
"Philadelphia lawyer" may perhaps succeed
to put these two propositions together with
out finding them clash, the one with the other.
We candidiy confess that we are unequal to
such delicate piece of balancing.
We have much more to say on this subject,
but must leave it for the present.