Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-04-25
IlrrnM .hn Nsw York WorId.l

ImtAaBe Oh ElAtOO"1A CA~A PAs~--- W
4 CoIOred Igegiment Appointed
superintendeRt Of state SYSTEM
Eof Hsdmca iiOn for CoIored Child
rem, and How he Acquitted Isim.
self.
TALLAHAssEE, FLA, April 10.
1nelosed you win find letter from Gov
d. 5. Walker, in reply to communication
received by him from the Rev. A. Nj. Hobbs,
Superintendent of Schools for Freedmen,
under appointment of His EXcellency.
1t may as we'll be stated, for the iniorma-
tion of your readers, that Mr.. Hobbs, who
is PENNSYLVANIA, made disappearance In
Florida last year, with the troops by which
Tallahassee was garrisoned soon after the
surrender OF Joe Johnston. He was chap
lain of one of the "cOlored" regiments, with
which, for their sins, Providence visited
these people. For while he was Provost
Marshal OF this place, and subsequently be-
came connected with the 'Freedmen's Blu
reau, as one of its officers and agents. lie
was especially associated with, and interest
ed in, the efforts of the Bureau to promote
education among the freed people. BY his
zealand activity, exhibited In prosecuting
this philanthropic work, he won the confi-
dence of number OF the most Intelligent
and liberal minded Of our citizens, who
heartily seconded his endeaVOrs ana en-
courged his efforts.
During the session of our late Leglsla-
ture, the chaplain drafted, for their consid-
Grafton, bill for the organization and sup
port, under State authority, OF asystem OF
common school education for eolOred child
rem. The measure, coming from an AbOli-
ZIONIST, the chaplain OF a cOlored regiment,
and an agent of the Freedmen's Bureau, of
course encountered some prejudice, olCtRg
to It's source !. yet, aided by the strong rec
ommendatiOn of the Governor and some
outside influence from citizens residing in
or near Tallahassee, it became law. I'M
der the provisions of the act, the appoint
ment of Superintendent was in the hands
of the Governor and he gave it to Mr..
Hobbs.
Your readers can make their own COM
ments on these facts, and say how far they
warrant and confirm the reports so widely
disseminated by the committee Of Fifteen
aad through the Radical journals of a
presently existing and all-pervading hos
Utility and bitterness on the part of the
Southern people towards Northern men
and the African race.
Going North on business connected with
his office, principally to seek assistance
from the benevolent in aid OF State con-
towards the colored school sys-
TEN, Mr.. Hobbs appeared before Mr.. Thad.
Stevens committee, and there gave the
testimony which called forth the following
letter:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
TALLAHASSEE, FLA, April Z.
Reu. L. N. Hobbs, Lancaster, Pa:
SIR-Your letter OF 18th March was re-
ceived on the 3lst ult. You inclose your
testimony before the Reconstruction COM
mittee, which is as follows:
Rev. L. NJ. Hobbs testifies, that in
Florida the feeling against the Government
was bitter, much more so than 1t was three
or four months ago. There was a time
when the people seemed very much dis
posed to do any thing that the Government
would require of them. They are now
quite bitter, and say what they would not
have dared say three months ago. They
talk treason on the streets withOutany con-
cealment. The great majority of them DO
so, the majority OF the lower classes.
few intelligent citizens whom he regards as
honorable gentlemen deplOre the express
sion of such opinion, but they are very
much in the minority, and can have but
little influence in the affairs of the State
Government. The change in tone is be-
cause of the leniency manifested by the
present Administration"
You then proceeded to say that you do
not know what may think of this testi-
nony; that you hope yOu have not Offend
ID me nor lost my confidence, and ask i'll
you have ''thrown the fat into the fire" &c. |
After much anxious delibeTatiOn, in an
jwer | have to say that your statement be- |
ore the committee has given me more pain |
han anything else that has occurred since |
have been in the Executive office. In fire. |
luent conversations with myself and many |
Dthers, you have led me to believe that your |
opinions we're directly the opposite OF those |
rOu expressed before the committee. You |
lad frequently spoken to me OF the kind |
less with which you had been everywhere |
eceived in this State, and of the general |
disposition manifested by the people to aid |
n the great and good work in which you |
md were engaged, of educating the col
)red people. You had also spoken frequent
Y of the good order and quiet which pre-
rallied in the country, and OF the universal |
disposition of the people to adapt them
selves to the new order of things, and be-
come again good and orderly citizens of the |
United States. Only few days before you |
eft here for the North, you told me you |
would have occasion to make known these |
sentiments in public addresses. 1t was un-
lerstood between us that your addresses |
would be published and have good effect |
n disabusing the Northern mind as to the |
rue condition OF the South, and that you |
would send them to me, and | would have |
hem republished here with view TO give |
'ur people good opinion of No. IN
men.
After all this, the first heard from you
.fter you left here was the above recited |
before the committee. / have |
ertainly no right to complain OF your Civ
ng expression to any opinion honestly en-
ertained, either before the committee or
Elsewhere, but feel deeper regret than / |
an express that you should have imposed |
lpon me and abused my confidence by eX |
PRESSING one set of opinions to me, when, |
n fact, you entertained another. You know |
low earnestly desire Ito bring about an |
ira of good feeling and fraternity" and to |
make the people of the South feel that those |
)f the North are their brethren, not only |
N name, but in fact To use the language |
If the President, "If know my own heart |
md every passion which enters it, it is my |
lesire to restore the blessings of the Union
md tie up and heal every bleeding wound
which has been caused by the fratricidal
war" / had chosen you as an instrument
20 assist me in this great work, ty appoint |
ng you to the responsible office of Super |
of Schools Tor Freedmen in this
State. You have disappointed ME; your
course is we'll calculated TO tear open and |
make the wounds, which were fast healing, |
bleed afresh. Hereafter, whenever shall
speak of appointing to State office North
srn man, 1 shall be warned to remember
.he case of the Rev. Mr.. Hobbs. Hereafter,
when gentlemen from the North appear