Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-01-25

Respectfully youT iisnj.
F>FY MIlss.
Monkton. Jan. Is, lso..
4 Freedman's speech.
The ioilsvirg sTeeoh was uste ~ Baylcy
Wyatt. color,l man, 1t resent Desi
meeting Of coilr,d h,cdm5u at Yorktown
Va, and reported in a letter OF J H. Win.
ing, SuTerinitDdert of Friends Freedmen.
Schools, in letter TO the Friends R-viev
dated necenL,r l., lo'o
When We lcoks back and sees our former state,
when sducstlon vas kept rTom us EuI ;aossh
We sas made ike men BY God as other men, We
was kept IL boDdage,-we made bricks Siihoui
straw under old Pharo aud you all members
de home house and De wife LOuse, hoF lie wife
house was often eight or ten miles from lie home
house, and We would 60 there S4tIr, ~ ris-.
e-..,ctia Il sac Ie Sifv nc uad leis suI she
would be gone sent down sJ-.h, neb5-c %
come back, an de lit,.. cabin stl. lp ami 1e-
s1.stei ;-dcn We would io,i ,u. q. me- aui cfy.
" % Lord, how long aIl d.i vas l.l Sc could
ray Ani We VS. not able o. pvs even 5-r
usmes, as mel among o,ltr utr H-. ..is
GAUGE ~ NON l5.-s n olr p.aa. si-ai.Vu,
Eul We believe; it !. ay ,le o.,u- /. Fro-ii-
oLcs Of God, and NJ G.: men, ttff p, enjoys
ireedoE,-'hai We aIe placei 10 '-' -1 % F'g-s-
ant situation
And We frs. thanks Col fr thi, great lllss-
ia W now has rsc0ul, w. .barts car friends
froi .C North fer the great .scgih-c which deg
hay aie for our ttnehci0l ani We feels s.
well s.isdei that We has God on our side
that ' has soUe friends th9' through Goi'e
assistance viii iutercede :or us and asst Is, Sc,
wishes 70 lie all the aid We c7G lie % the United
States a. men.
And IS to cur dear friends. De ulaAerl oi j.
North. se does consider De- oLr test earthly
friends, f2r le great sacrifice iey has made sul
IS making ~ Us Ve does tank dem neat klal-
Is and as 70 Dc great North. ils de sacrihces
u treasures, u lives. and Of hlool We u5H COT
sider dem our af,cii1nate friends, aud We heart
ilY tiuk dem.
We nov, as a people, desires TO be elevated,
and We desires 20 Do al We can 90 te educated,
aud We hope our friends viii all us al tey eau
We rou feels 4nproteoted against ie rebels
and We Feels unprotected Uid dem aud though
de rebels have aud 10 scof Is ilE calling de
North our friends, We hope Ne shall usUus. Ices
our confidence IL icm.-l mean Yuy .riell- 10
de North
Imay state 10 al cur friends. AMI O. aii CUR
enemies. that We has a right 10 tde Land where
We are located. For why, / tel rau Our
Wifss, cur children, cur husbsnl,, mas iegn s0!i
over sud over again 10 purchase tls lands We
noH locates upon /, for that rJas.E sc have a
divine right to the land.
Den again, the United slates, ty il.- C.hccrs,
told Us ii We would leave the Rebs AMI come %
lie Yankees aud help De Government, we should
have de land where dey put Us a. long &C VS.
live aud icy told Us dat We should be seed
after and cared Tor by ie Government. auI
placed in position TO become men among US.
And &c Government furler promised &c pro
tact Us rom de rebels as long as W lived, and
We s.rihced all We had aul lef; De- rebels and
came o. the Yankees.
Some Of Is had some money 90 tuy our free
don, aai sone Of Us had house, and some q
US had cattle with which We hoped sometime %
buy ourselves but We LEFT al depending on ie
premises q ie Yankee
Deg told Us desc lands Ess 'dscatei from the
Rebs, who was hghtin de United States 10 keep
US in slavery and to destroy the Government.
De Yankee officers say to US Now, dear
friends. colorel men. come and 60 with u We
will gain de victory, and by de proclamation Of
our President you have your freedom. and you
shall have the 'hscstel lands"
And now We feels disappointed iat dey ha-
not kept DER promise. o educated men men
Of principle, men Of honor, as We once consii-
cred you was Now we don't seem 10 know
Ehst 10 consider, for de great confidence We had
seems 10 be shaken, for We now has orders TO
leave desc land by the Superintendent of the
Bure1u.
We was first ordered to pay rent, and We paid
de rel.; roW we has orders to leave, or have
our L., cabins torn down over our heads Dey
say ''ie lands has been restored 10 It's original
oEnels, and iey must have il.
An now where shall We 60! Shall We 20
into Ia streets, into de woods, or into rIbber d,
We h IS nowhere to 20 and We now wants 70
know hat We can do!
is not here to ask de Government 10 help me
nor my family. has never asked any help
from de Government nor from friends, and
never has received any. ! has got a living By
honest. hard work since came to the Yankees,
/ and has saved something besides. ewes no
man any thing, but my people cinaot all DO
/ this Dey has been bought and sold ike
horses; dey has been kept in ignorance; deg
has been sold for lands for horses, for carriages,
/ and for every thing their old masters had. |
| want come gtmmen to tel me Of one ting that
/ cur people hasn't been sold to buy for der
| owners.
Aud den didn't we clear d- laud, aud raise ie
crops Of corn. OBJ cotton, ob tobacco. 90 rice, Oh
sugar, ob every ting. Aud den didn't dem
large cities in de North grow up On de cotton
aud de sugars and dc rice dat We made! Yes
/ | appeal TO de South snd u lie North if hasn't
spoken de words Of truth
| say dey mas grown rich. and nay people Is
poor We lives in slab cabins, on ground for
floor, and many OF Us has not food, and we goes
ragged and most naked.
God heard our groaus. lie saw our Affections,
and he came down and delivered Us; but an
uder is now risen,-Andy johnson | will not
call him king or President; he is not our friend;
he has forgotten de Affections Of joseph. IL be
ever knoNed them, and We are now turned back
to the old taskmastsrs. Our cabins are threat
ened TO be torned down over our heads if We d
not 20, and we must be drove about from place
TO place, and chased as hounds chase rabbits
And We mus, go; and | ask again, where sbsl
we 60, and who shall we trust
| tell you who we is to trust. We IS to trus
God. and be will bring Us all out ob de wilder
ness, somehow. and sometime, and somewhere
| cannot tell how nor when He'll do 1t, but In
bo1nd TO believe He will do it. Gemmeu, W
must not depend on the warlike nations sroun'
Us to help US; dey have all deceived US; de.
has combined sgsiust US 10 keep US cut Of d
promised land.
Now, We must be united; We must take car
Of ourselves, ard protect ourselves, and mus
support ourselves. We must form societies
help each other who cannot help demselyss, an
We must show to the nations dat we can suppo
ourselves, and dat We can protect ourselves VI
the help Of God; and dat He will do. He b
done II. and know He will save Us one tia
/, more, we looks to Him.
: know de times looks hard and berry dark
ssms Of Us, who is hungry and cold; Ike all