Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-08-21
From the Liringatou (Ald.) Journal.
Educating the Freedmen..A Cate.
chism.

Being decidedly in favor of educating tho
freedmen, we propose assisting in that good
work by submitting few simple questions
and answers, which for their own good they
should learn:
@. Being now free men, what is your first
duty as citizens?
A. To provide means to support our fam
lilies and to educate our children.
@. How do you propose to do this2
A. By bodily labor and by practising econ.
omy.
Q. Is there any hinderance to your enjoy
ing. the reward of that labor?
A. Yes. We are almost exclusively en-
ployed in raising cotton, on which We must
pay tax of q cents pound.
@. How much would that tax amount to
if you should make four bags of cotton?
A. Fifty dollars.
@. Do you have the tax to pay every year?
A. Yes. And the harder we work and
the more cotton we raiae the more tax we
have to pay.
Q. Do laborers in the North have to pay
such tax on their daily labor?
A. No. That tax is only put on cotton,
which they do not raise there.
@. What class Of day laborers in the
South are chiefly engaged in cultivating cot
ton?
A. Freedmen almost exclusively, so that
the tax becomes tax on the daily toll OF
freedmen, with few exceptions. 49,
Q. Who put that tax on cotton?
A. The Congress of the United States.
Q. What'party was in power when that
tax was imposed?
A. The Radical party, and it has been ever
since.
Q:.Docs the Radical party give you any
thing in return for the tax YOU pay-such
as representation in Congress?
A. No. They say Alabama is not one of
the United States, and has no business in
Congress.
Q. How is that? If Alabama is not one
of the United States, why do they make her
pay taxes to the United States2
A. That's hard question, and we can't
answer it.,
@. Do they not give you some offices that
pay well +? ff. t..s.5
A. They say black men should not run fer
Office.
Q. Do you say then, that the Radicals who
make you pay that heavy tax, give you moth
ing for it? -.
A. Well, they sag they set us free, and that
We can now get pay for. what we do.
Q. But are You free when you are made
to pay them large part Of what you earn, Just
as you did to your old master, when you
hired your time?
a. II don't look SO; because then master
supported our families, aud nowIwc must
support them ourselves, and pay money be-
sides.
Q. But has the Radical party that re-
quires this tax, not given you anything
else
A. Yes. Theyle US vote.
Q. But, if they won't let you vote for Your
own people and elect them to Office, what
good does your vote do?
a. Well, we don't know how that is.
@. Don't it look like paying q big price lor
the privilege of keeping men in Office who
take from you your own money?
A. It does look so. ~
@. What cohld You do with that So: if
yoa had not to pay it over in taxes?
A. We could buy some good clothes for
our families, Or pay for schooling our chill
dren, or b. saving il few years, buy lit
tie farm OF our own.
@. Do you not think, then, tha: it is very
foolish to belong TO n party and keep il in
power, that makes you pay SO much money
for nothing, VIXEN you might put it 10 such
good use?
A. 1t does look so, and we'll think about
it before we vote.