Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-09-23

mnnichuOn Win lno outer WOrlu nuNS
narrowed down the expansion OF his
mind, and the news he digests are only
those of local character. What is the
removal of Stanton to him, or the great
national interests at Walrussia, or Con
gress, or poor Andy Johnson, or Pope's
Wholesale suspension Of officers of a
whole county, or the set of laws for the
more efficient government of these parts,
when the boil and army worms are threat
ening his crops-his very vitals2 Out
side bis home, his traditional pleasures
are gone. His gatherings, pic mics, or
hunting parties prove failures, and often
end in quarrels. Legal contentious, the
desertion of negroes from one and their
engagement by another Have sapped
their mutual good fellow feeling and
enthroned distrust instead.
The demagogism as practiced with the
negro is really suggestive of the times.
What between the bureau and the planter
there will be left Of his good qualities
time will show. Both tend unwittingly
to undermine his usefulness in their re-
spective ways the former in its ready
bestowal of undue attention to irrelevant
and petty complaints, thus feeding his
vanity and furnishing him excuses to
leave work and to go to town; the latter
in his anxiety to retain him over in
dulges, breaking down all discipline. 1t
must be q very worthless case should he
dismiss him. His wish for horse to
ride to church, or for his employers gun
or anything in reason will be gratified.
Barbecues for his benefit have become
feature, and planters endeavor to eclipse
each other in these Everything is re-
sorted to to foster popularity with him.
Already he demands half of crop, half of
Saturday and an extra patch and he
gets it. With all this, he kills his en-
ployer's hogs, sheep, cattle, and, the
fearful havoc he has made amid the first,
will turn to the benefit of some other
section than this, To establish evidence
of guilt among a race so clanish and so
universally thievish is next to impossible.
Not long ago, neighbor Of mine, seeing
his mules that he knew were well fed,
losing flesh from day to day, sus-
pecting something wrong, ordered his
overseer to watch at night by their feed
trough. He did so, and not very long
after negro made his appearance, who
gathered up as much corn out OF the
trough as he could carry in his arms.
The overseer halted him, but on his
refusing to stop fired, and the shot,
aimed at random in the dark, penetrated
his heart The overseer was acquitted,
but in the minds of the freedmen poor
Jessy'' died. martyr. The freedman
has a natural horror of anything that
is like routine or discipline. They are
fetters to him, and in his ignorance en-
croachments upon his freedom, which he
is ever ready to remind you of.
The proverbial hospitality of the South
has become myth, The familiar
"halloo" at his gate and the pressing
home to him ofthe customary drgumenta
ad hominem are of the things that throw
CONSERVATION into his family. He may
yield, but with bad grace and i'll con-
cealed hnmor, The cause of this is his
inability of retaining servants about his
house after nightfall; the scantiness of
his larder, the exposition of which he
breads, and peculiar shyness OF
strangers, which has taken possession OF
him since his dethronement
Another from Lynchburg, Va, says:
There can be no question that this
race is rapidly decreasing in numbers.
If my recollection is correct, General
Howard shows by his report that the
decrease among the blacks since eman.
cipation is upwards Of 100000, and
what / have seen and heard in Virginia
fully confirms the report. Under the old
} reqime, however severe it may have been,
+ they had the necessary clothing, food
and shelter furnished them aud their
children by their masters; they had no
thought for the physical essentials of
life; and, in addition, it was the highest
interest of the master to have nurtured
into healthy maturity the offspring OF the
slaves Now it is vastly different; the
colored people have hocked from the
country districts, where they were born
and raised, to the idle revelry and dissi-
patton of the cities and towns; they are
crowded out of employment, suffer for
food aud clothing, become diseased and
in consequence, as am reliably informed,
the number of births have wonderfully de
, creased. Add to this the fact that
, the care and trouble of the children
, are now as a general thing thrown upon
the mother just relieved from thoughtless
; slavery, and we have at least a slight
reason for the horrible extent of intantl'
, eide that has been developed in the last
, few wears. | am told by gentlemen OF
the highest veracity in the cities through
which / have been, that this revolving
crime has reached astounding proper
lions. There is one fact in regard to
{ this race which at once excites the at
tention of one who goes among them
their absolute itching for politics; they
seem, amid their new franchises, to love
it; and if one allows them in converse.
ton the bent of their minds, they will
, talk about religion and politics alone, in
very crude style, it is true And there
is another fact equally as remarkable
tthe number offuent negro speakers who
. were so recently in bondage. Numbers
! of these men have been irregularly can
, yassinc the State for the past year, ming
: ling sermons and political harangues in
the same breath, some conservative and
many extremely radical; and the style
of numbers OF them reach an eloquenc6
which is of wild and peculiar order.
Another, from YazoO City, speaks as
follows: y.-
Your paper has taken position which
commends it to every patriot throughou
the land There is an attempt in this
State by a few white men from the North,
by the aid of the black race, to ostracise
all the men of wealth and intelligence in
the State. The negroes are so ignorant
I that they believe that the Southern peo-
pie intend to put them beck into slavery
should they ever once more get into
--- Tb. oo,ntrv has haan dalured