The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-17

A Colored Man shows mp Hunnicutt.
The Fredericksburg Herald publishes
the following communication from James
Brooke, man Of color, but nevertheless a
man who has always borne an unblemished
character in Fredericksburg, and leading
member of the African Baptist church In
that place
Mr.. Editor: Mr.. Hunnicutt has been
writing about me in his paper, called the
Ne,o Nation.
was subscriber to the Christian Ban
ner, Mr.. Hunnicutt's paper, published III
Fredericksburg, and paid my Subscription
in work; and think l was the only r CO.
lored man who took the Banner. me
Banner was for open communion; l was
a Close Communion Baptist. MY "hite
bretbren used to tell me that by taking the
Bonner was keeping bad company out
7 told them that liked to hear a man e3-
nress his views independently. During
this time the Banner was trying to bulid
nm a new party in the Baptist Church, so
he opencd all his guns on the white
Raptists. but they did not return MS
fro when the white Baptists announced
huildinp a new church in Fredericksburg,
thew offered their colored brethren the
old church at a low price, and the colorcd
neople made an effort to raise money 10
buy it, so that they might have church
of their own, and have minister OF their
own selection. Many of the white citi-
GEMS of the town helped the colored people
in this effort. But Mr.. Hunnicutt, for the
purpose of frustrating our plans, turned
the guns of his newspaper upon US, ana
called us many hard names, and SAID we
were not fit to elect pastor, and ought
not TO be allowed to have a church ana
pastor of our own; and said that If we had
4 pastor we would pay for his support by
ill.gotten gains. Now, if any man wants
TO see this proved, let him turn to the files
of the Banner. Here, Mr.. Editor, is what
Mr.. Hunnicutt said of my colored brethren
in Virginia in his newspaper, the Banner,
published March 3, 1854:
1--WE are decidedly opposed to any and
all African churches south of Mason and
Dixon's line. In the present state of things,
and at this particular crisis, we think 1t
exceedingly impolitic in the southern peo-
Die to allow such organizations to exist in
our midst. The time for such unhallowed
,ssemblages is not yet. Nor is Virginia the
place of rendezvous for such dangerous,
schicvouS, ungodly masses of crude
mind and matter to congregate, to concoct
md execute their nefarious schemes of re-
igious villainies."
Again, in the same issue of his paper, he
says, speaking of the colored people of the
State and of The South generally:
"They are ignorant and superstitious to
| proverb. Depravity, ignorance, and
form dangerous compound;
Ind such compound is the black popula-
ion of Virginia"
And again, speaking of our contem-
plated plan of establishing church of our
OWN, he says:
can African church in Fredericksburg
Who is to take the episcopate charge OF
his African church at its ecclesiastical
An African, perhaps. Then
we are to have an African clerical tratcr-
lity imposed upon us. African parsons
,trutting up and down our streets, wearing
black Kid gloves, glossy boots, beaver
covering for their empty skulls, velvet
,loaks thrown loosely over their delicate
after the parsonic order, having
,arelessly in their hands ivory headed
,anes, and sporting with their golden
These clerical knaveS must
&c handsomely paid for their services;
hey must live the petted, pampcred, Afri-
IAN clerical lords of the land, having the
care of undying souls committed to their
rust sHush, says one, we are not going
% have a colored preacher Who, then,
ire you going to have? 'Why, some
clergyman of Anglo-Saxon blood, Of
course - Very well; in either case the
preacher must be paid, if the widows and
orphans are starved to death in order to
it. Where's the money to
ZONE from to pay for the ministerial ser
vices in the African church! Never do
you mind about that; we'll see to it,
Yes, the public will be taxed to raise funds
% support the Fredericksburg African
church, and the noduS operandi Of levying
his tax we leave our readers to divine.
We honestly believe that decently- con-
Quoted theatre in the town of Frcdercks-
Durg would be a curse of less magnitude
% the community generally than an Atri-
ian church, unless it were conducted on
proper principles"
SO much for Mr.. Hunnicutt's views and
opinions as written by himself and pub
shed in his paper in relation to the color
I'd people of Virginia and the South gene
ally.
Mr.. Hunnicutt says,li the Ne,o Nation,
that he is informed am Secesh. don't
know what is the real meaning Of this
word, but if it means am opposed to free
dom and to having all the rights of free
citizen, he must think that | am the big
gest fool that ever lived. Ny race did not
mingle in politics, and we considered our
selves as outside passengers on the politi-
cal cars but we did feel, while we were
slaves, that we had some rights and inte-
rests as Christians. But Mr.. Hunnicutt
turned his guns on us when we were slaves,
and |, along with many other colored peo-
pie, have been afraid and distrustful of
him ever since, and we don't feel sure now
what his real sentiments are, no matter
whether he wears Secesh or Union colors.
JAMES BROOKE.
A New THEORY OF THE TIDES.-The
If the tides has only been re-