The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-07-11
TO THE COLOitID PEOPLE
OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.

w. P'O'iiioNN vs.
would attend Il meeting Of the coiored
people at Winchester, but finding it i'm
possible, from the fact Of an appoint
ment having been made for me by my
friends in my old county, (Maury,) l
have concluded to write you a letter,
giving you briefly my views about the
public matters in which we are now
interested.
| am n Conservative, and for many
weeks have been hard at work to con
vince my colored fcllow-citizens OF
their true interc Is, and to show them,
rs far Us | could, how important it was
for them to act with the Conservative
party in the coming election.
l am doing this through no design
ing motive, but for the good Of my
people. / am an old man, and have
not long to live. | have spcnt q good
deal Of my time at Washington City,
and know many Of the public men o!
both sections Of the country, and be-
licve the true interest Of the colorca
man is to live in friendship with the
people among whom God in his Prpvl-
dencc has cast our lot. Our people
are scattered over eleven States, and all
number about 100000
Our final home is obliged to be
among the white p~cople--who number
ten or twelve millions, Of these eleven
States. The climate North does not
suit our race, and if it did, the people
there are not (ayorably inclinodtoward
our emigrating there. If we were in
the Northern States in large numbers Il
violent opposition would spring up by
the laboring classes fthat country be-
cause We would be competitors for en-
ployment. We will never be content
to be sent away into an unsettled
country and colonized, though this is
what Governor Brown!ow proposed to
do with us since he has been Cover
nor, and before he concluded to make
voters of us in order to keep himself
and his friends in power.
This country is our home. Here we
hope to be buried: and in this country,
and among these ten or twelve millions
of white people, we expect to leave be-
hind us, when We are gone, our chill
dren.
Now, the great question is, and the
one Which has given me lately SO much
trouble, has been my constant thought
by day, and my dream by n%ight-Shall
the two races, living here upon the
same soil, be friends or enemies If /
turn against the white people and help
to keep them down, and deprive them
of their rights, just so that Il few Radi-
calls can hold office, | know that when
they get free they will curse me in their
hearts, and that not without cause.
The Government of the United State.
has pardoned almost everybody who
had anything to do with the rebellion
and in the States South Of us only 4
few ofthe people are cut off from yo-
ting. But here, in Tennessee, the Rad
ical party seems to be Il thousand times
more bitter than anywhere else in the
United States, and they are already de.
fying the United States, and are impo,
sing terms on the people much more
severe than the United States is doing
They have, for the time, deprived
most of the white people from voting
and yet they make all pay heavy take,
and support the Government,
After making 4 law which is n very
severe one, they undertook to confer
upon the Governor the rigm to sci
aside all the voters in any or all thl
counties and the whole thing Of voting
they undertook to put in the hands Of
the Governor. This is an absolute dies,
poti8m, and of course it cannot last
longer than it will take to get it leci.
died. by the high Courts.
Now, suppose we help Brownlow in
this effort to take away the liberties OF
the people. What will be our condi-
ton when the white PEOPLE get frceF
This cannot be long. Nearly all the
people in the State, except the Office
holders ofthc Radicals, here and else
where, are beginning to say they will
not sustain such ~dcspotism rs this is.
Men are getting their eyes open every
where, and they are coming out against
such acts Of despotism. This reign OF
despotic madness can't last.
Why, in many of the counties the
Registrars just disregard the law, ard
set themselves up to determine who
shall have certificates. If we help
these men, or seem to stand by them,
or go into the leagues with them, we
must expect the white people to look
upon us as enemies, for We are their
eneNies. Whenever we help to deprive
the people OF the South of their right
to vote. and join in with men who dis
regard all law just for the sake Of
office. we may expect bitterness by the
people injured towards us.
In the first place, it is not right that