Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-25
THE FREEDMEN.
General Steedman's Mission I'm the South-Tne
Freedmen's Bureau-The Labor Question In

General Steedman's Mission in the south-The
Freedmen's Bureau-The Labor question IN
Virginia.
By order of the War Department, commission oil
snonirv has been issued into the working OF the
p-aodmsn,s Bureau in the South The commits
s;onars amounted are Major General j. B. Steedman,
of Ohio and Bngadier-General J. s. Fniler'on' y,
II;sson,i two officers said to be emnently quahned
to discharge the duties assigned them Inc in'eSu-
cation will probably be pursued over all the lately
rebelious States, from Virginia to Texas and Will
embrace the extent and character of the relief af
forded to freedmen in the past, the amount of as
sstance deemed necessary in the future, the effect Of
the system on the relations Of the white and colored
population its cost to the country and the necessity
or otherwise Of its continuance Generals Steedman
and Fullerton have commenced their Investigations
in Virginia. and correspondent Of the New York
Herald states that their experience thus far is den
teal with that of General Grant, and shows con-
clusivey that the representations of radical leaders
and papers, alleging antagOnism between the races
and outrages upon the weaker one are exaggera-
tons of individual cases. and wholly inapplcable to
the people generally. The correspondent Of the
Herald, who accompanies the commission, thus
writes from Charlottesville, Virginia, under date OF
the 10th instant
Everywhere have yet been have found the most
kindly and friendly relations subsisting between
blacks and whites. have seen former slaves work
ing cheerfully for their old masters still calling them
''massa" as of old; former masters supporting the
aged and nirm of their former slaves; perfect con-
fdence existing on the one side perfect reliance on
| the other. 0utrages, such as have been described
| in the Northern papers, committed by white men
upon negroes, have undoubtedly occuredi but they
have been exceptional cases, and are no more indi-
| catiVe of the general sentiments of the population
than are stray porter house shooting ARRAYS ndca-
tive of the moral state of society in New York
A REPRESENTATIVE PLANTER.
In the Charlottesville district there is large col
ored population engaged exclusively in agricultural
pursuits. About forty of the principal planters
| waited, this morning, upon General Steedman and
discussed with freedom their position and prospects
One of the number, Mr.. w. p. Parrish a leading
! Virginian, who served as a colonel in the rebel
army, related his experience, which may be taken
as fair example of the general feeling of the peo-
ple He stated that at the end ofthe war he had one
hundred and eleven negroes most OF whom he still
retained in his service as we'll as several house SER
wants who pleaded poverty and begged to be al
lowed to remain on the plantation. Only last week
he sent his wagons over to Buckingham to bring
over another set who had no other claim upon him
but that they the father and mother, brothers
were now working for him at monthly wages,
without written contracts, and were working
contentedy and well. al have changed my
opinion entirely" said Colonel Farish, ere
garding the negroes. used to think they
would never make valuable members of So
ciety. But they have behaved so admirably dur
ing the war, they have shown so much good feeling
towards the white population, so much good feeling
has been exhibited by the whites towards them, and
the new order of things has worked so happily and
so we'll, that have changed my views entirely
The presence of the Freedmens Bureau, though it is
we'll administered here, only tends to promote bad
feeling among the vicious" In these views all OF
those present concurred. One or two gentlemen ac-
knOwledged that the bureau had been of considera-
BILE service in the past but considered that its con-
tinuance longer than another six months would on
y tend TO introduce elements of discOrd where none
now existed. ] conversed subsequently with num-
Der of colored people, and found that they were eve
nv whit as satisfied with their former masters as
their employers were with them, and were no more
anxious for the perpetuaton of the freedmen's
court.
. TEACHING A CoLoRED SUNDAY SCHOOL.
One of the most remarkable illustrations Of the
good feeling prevailing in the community witness
ed on Sunday afternoon. In large schoolroom
under the Baptist Church. about three hundred col
ored children of all shades from nearly white to
ebony black, were assembled, and thirty or forty
white persons, many of them belonging TO the trst
families in the country and most OF them the sons
/
in teaching them. The superintendent of the school
was Mr. A. p. Abel, of the National sank
Among the teachers Miss Ann Gimer, sister OF
Governor Gilmeri Mrs. Thompson Brown, wife OF
colonel in the rebel army and Mrs. ii. z. Loutham,
widow of the late Professor of Richmond College
and a number of ladies connected with the Al
bemarle Female Institute. Clear away in one
corner of the room distinguished and learned
law professor of the Virginia University PRO
lessor Minor was laboriously engaged in hing
one brghteyed little darkey his letters, and quite
number of the students of the university were pur-
suing similar avocations. The children learn with
wonderful aptitude, and have already made conslue
rable progress They taught spelling, reading
and singing, and it is intended soon to add writing
and ciphering Thus has education OF the blacks
been going on for some months past and meets not
only with no opposition from the old slave-owners,
but is done by their express desire and with their
active co-operation. As many as five hundred
children have been in school at one time, and the
average daily attendance is nearly three hundred.
FROM LYNCHBURG.
The same correspondent writes from Lynchburg,
Virginia, as follows:
The record of Lynchburg only differs from that of
Charlottesville by being, if possible, little more sa-
tisfactory There are six schools established mere
and not only negroes but the children of the poorer
whites are being educated by these agencies, and
the teachers are native Virginians. The freedmen
are working well, at fair wages. short time ago
the freedmen bought church for sllbOO, and IN
less than month they have been able to raise half
the purchase money.
The criminal business of the freedmen's court,
throughout the entire State turned over to the
civil authorities seven weeks ago, and 1t has been
found that the local magistrates have disposed oil
the business brought before them in manner that
has given universal satisfaction.
There is one everpresent sense of dread in the
community which paralyzes to a great extent the
progress Of the country and the return of peaceful
industry, and that is the dread of further legislation
on the part of Congress in the direction of the civil
rights BILL This is felt to be the only real danger OF
the South and the only disturbing influence. The
constant agitation of the negro suffrage bill and
other kindred topics agitates the blacks and unset
ties the whites-it stops the influx of fresh capital
into the country, and prevents the profitable invest
ment of such capital as already exists here.