The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-10-10
TIyoI.I.
Judge Aldrioh's Charge to the Grand Jury
Of Riohland.


We are greatly embarrassed in the
management OF onr domestic affairs. by
the presence and interference Of the
Frcedmen's Bureau. believe, if the
difficult and delicate problem of organiI
zing the labor of our former slaves was
entirely left 10 us. who once owned the
freedmen, md, rs'and their character
and feel Tor their condition, things would
be so managed ms TO enable us, very
soon, to regain their confidence and to
infuse into their minds feeling of secu.
riLy and protection, which will be mutu-
ally beneficial But, as matters now
stand, dlstrust is engeadered, the freed
men are taught to be Suspicious OF their
old a,astcrs-to believe that their inter.
ests are antagonist st--and encouraged to
distrust their. counsel, advice and aid |;
,il which would soon cease, if this inter.
!ested aud prejudccd Bureau was remoy.
ed. 1t is great, useless, expensive
and m;schievons machinery, which seems
70 DC kept up simply to grind taxes out
of the people for the support Of cunning
politicians, excited lnnatics and political
preachers. Our black people. "wards
of the nation" as they are called, whose
best friends are the men who reared and
owned them would receive little sympa.
thy from their new.found friends, as do
the poor white people Of the North,
were 1t not for the millions Of money
WEIGH the congress- has placed at the dis.
posal of the Bureau. All that we can
do, under present circumstances, is to
trost them Justly and kindly, encourage
them to work, and assist them in every
way to better their condition and i'm
prove their education. The State has
placed them rs fully under the protec-
ton of the law as the white residents,
and it ls not only our duty, but our in
terest to see chat they receive this pro.
ltection,s and are not imposed upon.
Here and there, l have no doubt, there
are instances where a feeling Of domi.
ncering is manifested against the negro ;
bnt theae instances are rare. and, will
venture to say, it will be found' on ex
animation, that the men who thus out
i.rage public sentiment are those who
never owned slaves sna were always
known as bulles and rowdies Such
violations Of the law are not to be en-.
couraged The ,egro, now, rs he was
under the old system, is protected by the
laws, and it is our policv, as. well as our
duty, to see that this protection is secur.
cd him. We must let him know and
feel that we are his best friends. that we
| will sustain him. when he ls right, and
thus encourage him to become Q useful
member ofysociety. In no. other way
can we make him a profitable laborer
in no other way can we induce him to
assist in developing the resources Of the
country. 1T is true. lie follows, now,
his old instincts, and there are frequent
| cases OF theft, which must be punished,
until he learns the duties and feels the
dignity Of freedom. In time, he will
4 discover that he must sustain the insti.
tutions Of society. as we'll as the white
man, and that it is his interest to do so
Ebut, Whenever he does commit crime, let
the punishment be administered in due
course oflaw, by the proper authorities
and Ire will soon begin to feel his respon
sibilities and fear the disgrace and pun
isbment which follows n violation Of the
lElaws ofsthe land. Ifa different course
be pursued, and the aggrieyed parties
take the punishment into their owr
hands, il will exotic a feeling of resen
ment and hostility, which will bring OF
collision, and may end in bloodshed.
! The respectable colored people--tllos'
|. who have always maintained good char
acters and secured the esteem and conf
4 dence Of tile whites--sllould stend III
for the Improvement and respectabiRtj
Il Of their race, and bring all violators 0
the law to justice. This is high duty
which they owe to themselves and t
the country, because il they wink a
crime and screen offenders, the disgrac,
oyfe ~ IN RI tha 1uhn1a raca and oil auf