Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1867-05-10
DUTY OF THE HOUR.

In conversation with parties from
the country, we learn that the freed.
men who are favorably disposed to-
wards the Conservative party, express
great indifference on the subject Of
voting. The excuse with them is,
that they don't know anything about
voting, and know nothing about polit-
les, or how TO choose the best men
for Office. II is clear to us that
this is not the true reason, and that
the true one is to be found in the
threats and intimidations Of those
about town who have sold them
selves to the yankee negro traders
who are buying up the freedmen
and working them for the benefit
Of Radicalism. 1t is true, they
do not buy the physical man, but
his soul, his will and his vote,
and get his services without the ex-
pense of clothing, feeding and shell
tering their slaves. The Radicals
call these slaves free American citi-
zens and loyal to the government,
but the colored man who attempts to
show that he is freeman, by voting
as he pleases, is denounced by the
yankee organs as fool and "nigger. "
When these Yankee Adventures
and negro traders are protesting their
great love for the colored race, and
denouncing Southern men for once
having held them in bondage, they
ought to be reminded that New and
Old England enslaved them-forced
them upon the South against earnest
protests, on the part of the latter
that the trade should cease They
ought to be reminded that Yankee.
dom was once slave territory, and
would have been to this day, had
slavery been paying institution
They ought to be reminded that the
Yankee slave States did not set theil
negroes free, but sold the last one Of
them to the South, and that Massa'
chusetts did not abolish slavery un.
til it adopted the Constitutions
amendment, a few months ago.
They ought to be reminded that, in
the Convention, which framed the
government, the Yankee member.
opposed the immediate abolition o.
the slave trade, and demanded twenty
years longer during which they could
make money, by importing free AT
ricans and selling them to Southern
planters. They should be reminded
that President Lincoln and the Radi-
cal Congress solemnly declared, at
ter the first battle of Manassas, that
the war was not carried on to free
the slaves, but to restore the Union
These facts, prove to every sound
mind, that, from the time of theu
colonial existence to the present day
the New England States have been
the worst enemies the negroes ever
had, and true to that enmity, the
Representatives of those States are
now scattering themselves over the
South and using the foulest means
to persuade the negroes to adopt ,
policy that can not fail, if carried
out, to produce the most ruinous re
suits. Whilst money was to be made
by it, these devoted friends Of the
colored race traficked in their blood
and bone and muscle, and now, t.
make more money off of the freed
men, they trade on their ignorance
buy up their free will and reduce
them to slavery worse than tina
of the body. The colored Uniol
Leagues are but slave pens, and thu
strolling Yankee speakers are drum
mers for those engaged in the trade
The bill of sale is an oath to do tn
bidding of their new masters, ant
the considerations are false promise
and hard lying.
The people in the country ough
to take special pains to explain tn
situation in a plain, truthful name
to those in their employment, AM
point out the necessity for register
ing their names and voting for thei
own peace and prosperity, by sup
porting conservative candidates, rath
er than for discord and all its atten
dant evils, by supporting the Radi
cal party. The whites and black
have got to live together, and surel.
both ought to have sense enough t.