New-York daily tribune., 1866-02-19
GEN. HOWARD.
Msjor-Gcn. Reward's Lecture on the
Freedmen at the Cooper Inst''"te-
Remarks by Mr. Horace Greeley

Remarks by ftOrate
Maior.Gen Howard, according to announce
ment delivered lecture on Saturday evening in The
large Hall Of the Cooper Union, before a large ana
fashionable audience composed of both sexes and COM
plexions The doors were not thrown open until very
late hour and much dissatisfaction was expressed by
the early comers who trembed in the chilly oreeze,
vainy knocking for admittance After prayer by the
Rev DR.. Hitchcock, Gen. Howard was introduced TO
the assembly and spoke substantially as follows La
dies and gentlemen the subject have chosen on which
to address you is that Of tie freedmen have chosen
il because believe il more appropriate for myself and
invested with more universal interest at tlis time
than anv other | could select. What j sss u
| have 10 say must be commonplace. yet we Ce
in the very midst Of the solution Of problems new 70 rs
as people, problems that must be studled'and solved
by us though England and France have been before
Us and although their theoretical and practical solu'
tions are already before the world. As our peoe are
different, our form Of Government different our sys'
TEN OF Slavery different from those in any ioregn state
we NAV us infer that exgorcies will arise altogether
different IN character from what you would anticipate
by an intimate knowledge OF the history OF emHncipa-
ton elsewhere. beginning our emancipation career ai
close OF long and exasperated conflict carried on
against the aecOmpl sbneDt Of that emancipation We
have given a new birth to freedom un1er the worst
possible auspices Lees army surrendered then JOhn-
son's then Kirby Smiths; the war is over, and sud
denly all the chains Of Slavery are broken and between
three and four millions Of slaves are emanopated in the
midst of a people full Of resentment and prejudice.
| Hostile 10 liberty they raised large armies,
fought with DESPERATION they are conquered,
bat th n y mot not Pc Ir00ETts Tscv IN .S,cudey day
Slavery inch by inch anu piece by piece, out they VIII
not give il up altogether until constrained TO Do II ty
the power Of freedom itself Compulsory labor Is
| stamped upon every plan yet proposed their whole
thought seems 10 be- How can We white men main
| tain our authority over those black men how keep
them from renting land, from having dispntes with u.s.
and tesifyDg against rs IN courts OF law and having
voice in framing aud executing the laws The great
majority Of the SOGtbern people ayow all this Il is
truth apparent TO every thinking man. On the other
hand there is large class at the North brought mp
under Influences who in this way; Slavery is
great crime, and therefore all shareholders are con
sciOus criminals No kindness is shown that class !;
they are denomipated fanatics and other approlrious
ephets, &C." Those who believe III this way are
wrong. They are inerusted py pIIejndces quite as
much the Southern extremists. The question Or Us
| is, "WBAT IS THE TRUTH =
The truth is that the large body OF the Southern
are sincere. Strange il may seem they disbelieye
IN freedom for tho negro. They regard emancipation no
curse OF God cast upon them The Souiherner regards
his Northern brother as carried away by dciuslon
founded on Ignorance OF the negro character There
is another class Of people quite different from that IN
the South who have been accustomed to reason and
argue with us but they axe so overwhelmed by their
losses caused by the devastation Of war that they reject
very little these things and seem 10 have lost AL
energy and hope There are also men OF culture and
refinement there who are now sanguine advocates Of
free labor The newspapers keep harpng on the ques
tion all the time. One OF my assistants sent a
nicatiOn TO several Southern editors short time ago
saying, Gentlemen you do not allow inc an opportu.
niy speak OF the faults OF the negro YOU keep me oil
the time on the defensive and since then they have
ceased, in a great measure. their attacks.
But the great body OF the emancpated will be purified
aud strengthened by the experience they are now
lest they lack the ability as 10 enjoy the fruits Of
their own labor. never yet found man that did not
wish TO be free Applause | asked them, why do
YOU wish to be free :" and the nyariabe answer was
" / wish TO enjoy the fruits of my own labor" ZAP
plause. There are thousands of poor women with
families, without husbands. children without fathers
who have one TO care for them. In Virginia, where
large numbers OF children were reared for the slave
market there is naturally large surplus and YOU
can have idea how much they need. not food and
clothing but sympathy kindness encouragement and
guidance. Our soldiers, as they marched along. told
them that they were to have their mstteTs estates.
houses horses mules &C. until ii became the universal
belief among the freedmen that such would he the fact
the termination Of the war Their Joy at seeing
army was unbOunded. II seemed to he a very preya
lent idea with our soldiers that all the white men
in the South who had fought against or took
part in the Rebellion had thereby forfeited all their
rights 10 property. Before entered Savannah the
was TO be evacuated the next day The Generals OF
army knew nothing about IL, but the colored people
were acquainted with the fact and held OF their
peculiar festivals on the Anderson plantation, singing
songs, rejoicing ana praisng God that their freedom
had come to them. There was aTeactiOn afterward
and heard strong men cry out: ' Is this Freedom
what walk hundreGs OF miles for freedom and get
nOthngr great many refugees, white and black.
followed our army. Al one time there were 200 whites
and 81 U0 blacks. They were sent away from tie arny
and at time il took three four hours for column
OF them to file past my quarters might bring before
you many scenes that would Oppress and harass you
but II you have caught my meaning that there are
dispaiities which are occasloned by bad dis
positions OF the negroes bad qualities Of the whites
II ~ sufficient. | mean disabilities growing out OF
the nature OF the case. Now what do propose
We have destroyed Secession and Rebellion appllusel
we have broken the picture OF State supremacy, and
slavery, n0Inaliy al least dead. IA pplaGse And
what do we propose 10 do If understand it, II is 10
fa aAFYnu nuli ita nf,..
certain blessings; TO all people black and white
certain lnaienable rights contained in the old DOca
ration OF Independence lspplausel the rights 10 life
liberty and the pursuit OF happiness lCeecry Can we
now solve that old problem in the midst OF the dicul
ties that surround US, There are the white men of
the South with their prejudces aud predictions en-
gendered by antecedent Slavery on the hand and
The emaucpated. almost helpless. on tho other The
Government stands forth with It's gigantic re-.
sources as an intermediary agent between the two
classes. At The close OF the i was placed at the
head of what grent General has called Bureau of
ImpOssibilitles." Laughter. But went 10 worl 10
do what could 10 solve, help solve the problem
the South could not forget all the feelings of hate AZ
tfe South the batte.feds. prisons desoiated bones
aud devastated farms sacked cities and pnndered vii
lages; but particularly 10 be remcmbere were these
crowds and crowds Of negroes. Ny first decision was
labor must be setedthe first thing tO attend 10 ~
The physical wants of the people. and five would not
have starvation that question must be settled mmedi
ately. IL wns very tempting 20 put hand on the
freedman and compel him. IL was very easy by mill
tary power TO regulate matters in this way. |
Letters recommending that course poured in from
necessary that the Blacks and Whites should |
relTfIn together Twas ppcessary show the nrop