The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-01
EVENING TELEGRAPH -PHIADEIPHIA FRIDAY MARCH l. 1867

! demolished railway trains cleared away so
! that those soldiers who were once there would
scarce scarcely recognize the old place, except by the
At Atlanta, Georgia, the condition of the
eolored people has very remarkably i'm Droved.
! In the city they are industrious and apparentiv
20 very well. The Government rations seem
10 be demanded more for white refugees than
| Tor the colored population.
In the counties north there have been lapless-
r,sdaS ness anu Irequent murders but lately these
The schools are in an excellent condition.
commodlous building has been erected by a
CONGREGATIONAL Society of Cincinnati OF which
Dr. Slows is pastor. This school is Established
under the patronage of the American Mis-
slonary Association. 1t occupies a beautiful
scnool-house, the best l have seen constrncted
in the South and wondered that for the sum
of six thousand dollars they could possihiy
have erected so fine building. went through
ditterent rooms, and found excellent teachers
they also have an Asylum for Orphan children
From Atlanta we went to Montgomery, Ala
bama. There | met delegation OF eolored
people rom various parts of the State, and
from this interview 1 was satisfied of the inn
provement in their condition within the past
year. Generally they yreceived fair wages. That
was their own testimony; but there are still
complaints from the practices of fraud in the
fulhlling OF contracts on the part OF the en-
ployers.
The failure of the crops has affected all classes
unfavorably, and dissatisfaction exists to
greater degree among the poorer classes of
whites than among the colored people.
The Assistant Commissioner. General Swayne
and his assistant, accompanied me to the
rious schools, and especially those of the Epis-
copal Church, which has expressed desire to
extend the work of education and intellectual
Improvement. The several schools are under
his supervision. believe there has been a de-
cided progress in this respect during the past
The meeting Of the colored people at Mont
gomery was a remarkable one, l met them in
large room near General Swayne's Office This
room was filled with men who were from the
city and from different parts of the State.
After various speakers had depicted to me,
somewhat in detail, the esufferings and ill-usage
to which they had been subjected by proud,
naughty, and domineering emen, asked them
suddenly, what is the remedy?" They said,
"Give us the rightto protect ourselves" then
said; "Doyou wish the colored people to voter"
With one voice they said, "Yes' tApplause.)
But one of their number, an intelligent young
man, said, Il don't want the colored man to
vote for five years; for want the radicals to
remain in power. Here and for twenty miles
around they will vote right but further off they
will vote for Massa William and Massa John to
get their good will" Hereupon an old negro,
with grey hairs, hobbled up, and with broken
provincial accent. said:-"Although we are an
(Applause.) We walked fifteen miles in war
times to find out about the battle We can
walk fifteen miles more now to know who to
vote for" Great applause)
The question was put, when an overwhelming
(majority voted for universal manhood suffrage.
Applause) Several then called out-"What
as ] do now, according to the strong affections
of my judgment, reinforced last Monday by
the complete success of the Georgetown elee-
ton. Great applause.l
BUTT is argued, DO you believe in ignorant
voting?, The only remedy is to remove the
ignorance, remedy which every true-hearted
American will work for. l mean by it educa-
ton. (Applause)
At Augusta 1 met the people in one of the
churches a large number assembled, and had
very familiar interview with them. They are
not as hopeful here as at other points. They
complain that they have not been fairly dealt
with by their former employers and, in many
places, seem not inclined to contract for the
coming year. They claim that the civil courts
afford them little or no protection, and have
suspicion of white people generally. Owing
largely to TINS, ana partly 10 the failure OF the
with planters, and have emigrated from North;
Georgia to ba Rppss and
the freedmen are common, and are frequently
reported to the officers.
In South Carolina the Courts seem to afford
no adequate redress, especially in the interior.
We met at the hospital an instance of strong
faith that impressed itself on my memory.
An old man. some seventy years of age, bowed
down with hardship, limped alongIwith attenu-
ated limbs & lie reSponIed 6 readily y SXr,NTd %6eH 1o1
have an inheritance" He shook his head and
said, "Oh! am poor very poor r,d But have you
and then responded, "Oh! yes, have an in
heritance up yonder rich one mansion
| is ready for me-
! We now visited Columbia, S. G. For a few
| moments let me have your attention, and Will
| relieve you. Columbia was formerly of tmpor-
| tance. We had fought our way into 1t through
| miserable swamps, and we entered the city in
! its beauty, and saw, before leaving, two-thirds
of it lying in ashes, However Just may be the
|
in the capital of = South Carolina without q
! feeling of depreciation and sorrow.
| AT Columbia l bad an interview with Gov
ernor Orr, who expressed much interest in the
welfare of the freedmen, and the freedmen eX-
pressed to me neutrality-suspicious. In him.
| He impressed me with the conviction that he
was eXerting himself to preserve order and
obtain law throughout the State, but the lawless
operations of many greatly prejudice the freed
| men, and dishonest employers resort to all sorts
of means to deprive them of their wages.
was satisfied that 1t was possible TO suppress
these evils, although perhaps not ehectual!y.
| l met the colored people in public assembly,
| and found them generally cheerful, and willing
| TO go through the season. Some complaints
were made of dishonest farmers who were act
ing against them, but l was surprised at the
progress the colored people had made in q SIN
gle year.
Several cases were reported to me in Georgia,
where negroes had been murdered, and the
evidence of both white and colored witnesses
was amply sufficient to commit them for trlal'
but the grand jury or the examining Justices
failed to indtct them, and they were discharged.
| With regard to the condition of the freedmen
generally, Will give. you the impressions leit
on my mind after having visited nearly every
southern State. There yet existing many
evils consequent upon the change in the state
OF the people and in the whole labor system,
Whlch time ana patient experience alone can
remove. The influence of work has generally
been very beneficial to both classes of people:
Many apparently prejudiced persons assatled
the Freedmen's Bureau in general terms, but
failed to inform me of specific objections against
IT,, or name any Objectionable case of its ad-
m1nistration-l mean to their own knowledge
To these men the Bureau was odious, because
! executing a United States law which they hate.
| Considerable destitution prevails in the lower
| Mississippi. In Georgia and South Carolina,
especially within the scope of the route of the
| armies, and where the crops had failed there is
| great scarcity. In scarcely any of the country
| paupers. This class are now provided with food
| and clothing by the Bureau. In several OF the
states which visited the laws have been so
modified as to make no distinction between
blacks and whites, and in the degree of punish