Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-06-20
RUTLAND II ERALD
TUESDAY, JUNE IS, 1867.
General ord's Advice to Freedmen.

General Ord has been giving some sem
sible advice TO the Freedmen in his mill
tary district, in which he counsels them
that their most important present duty
is to provide for themselves and their
families; and remarks In reference TO 1t,
90 that the general prosperity is not so
much affected by the way man votes
as by the way he labOrs and keeps his
contracts" The celored men are advised
not to waste time in political discus
siOns, but to guard against famine by
laborlng diligently, and they are assured
that when the time comes in Septem-
Der they will have the opportunity OF
convenient registration and of voting at
the election, without leaving their homes
or seriously delaying their labors.
We are convinced that one Of the great
misfortunes of the South has been
that advice, similar to that of General
Ords, was not given to both whites and
blacks at the close OF the rebellion, and
that they did not profit thereby, Be-
cause the people OF the South were tempt
Ell to dabble in politics when they
should have been cultivating the fields
which had been trampltd by war, they
have suffered a political reaction, and
perhaps a partial famine. If the South
ern Ipeople had been allowed to 90 to
work, as they were well disposed to do,
and to recover themselves from their
heavy losses, they would have been slow
to enter into those schemes with politi'
clans which set them at variance with
the government, and they would have
been more easily moulded to the accept
ance Of right principles, and the work Of
reorganization would have been carried
forward easily, and by this period it
might in great measure have been &C
complshed. But instead of the policy
Of industry rather than politics, we
had the Presidents policy Of politics
rather than industry, and it has taken
two years OF bitter contention to take us
back to our point OF commencement.
This view OF the subject undoubtedly
has cold and unsympathetIC look. 1t
does not spread out any splendid future
before the freedmen, il does not elevate
their aspirations, and has none OF the de-
COrations Of sentiment which surrounds
most Of the language that is addressed
to that class. But plain and truthful
as it is, it is unquestonably better for all
parties than the teachings Of class hatred
and the illusions made to contscatiOn
which certain agitatOrs seem determined
to keep before the minds Of the cOlored
men. The little that they really need to
learn for their own protection as Citi-
zens, will soon come to them, but the
seductive and distracting influences OF
partizan excitement are not easily shaken
OF, and the word of caution the military
commander has given them cannot en-
tirely be out OF place, W. leave it to the
calm consideration of al fit is not bet
ter tor the freedmen themselves and all
concerned, that they should labor quiet
ly in the field tuan they should be drawn
into the mad vortex OF party politics,
and waste the days which are needed
and should be devoted to their support,
10 the wretched idleness to which SO
many Of their white brethren have been
accustomed.