Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-12-07
Radical Deviltry.


 From the Montgomery (Ala-) Mail.] It may not be generally known, but it is nevertheless a fact, that our State Supreme Court has decided that the negroes were emancipated not by the action Parsons Convention, but by the proclamation of Lincoln and the Fed eral army. If our present court is of this opinion, how much stronger in that direction will be the opinion of a court elected by rump negro Legis- ture! Acting upon this view of the case, black negro from Dallas, in the Piebald Convention, day before yes terday, offered the following resolu- tion: q e...f 4 4a fs
 Resolved, That the Committee on Ordinances be required to inquire into the expediency of passing an ordinance giving the colored people of this State fair equivalent for their services from those persons who held them in slavery from the 1st of January, 1863, to the 2Oth of May, 1865. s Let us calculate the tax which will thus be laid upon the white people for the benefit of the negroes by the ac- tion of the Menagerie, if it should be ratified by the people and adopted by Congress. In round numbers, the male negro adults amount to 90,000, according to the table of registration. The female adults will also amount to 9O,OO0. The children of both sexes will amount to three times the number of male adults, 270;OOO Half of the chil- dren will receive half wages: The male adults will average S10 per month The female adults will average S6 per month. This gives us: ssgt 1000 males SlO per month. S600,O0C 10000 females S6 per month. ,54O,0O0 135, 900 children S4 per month. .540,OOo Grand total. a.......,.,...,.. SI,9SO,0Oo
 We may say in round figures that the negroes will receive, under this ordinance, S2,OO0,O00 for each month thus served from January 1, 1863, to May l, 1865. This gives us for the twenty eight months the delightful prospect of paying our negro masters the sum of s56,000,000. This neat little arrangement of the Radicals would enable the sheriff to sell out7the lands of every white man of the State and 
 put the negroes in possession.
 Upon this ordinance every white man in the Convention, with few ex- captions, voted in the negative, and every imported Tank and negro, with few exceptions, voted in the afiirn,a- tive.
 Applctoddy. of Ohio, representing the negroes of Madison. hoped the res olution would pass. He said, ''there is no question but that the men should get their pay during that period. The law as it applies to these people, does not give them pay for that time. think it is important that this Conven- tion should put itsclfon the record on that very important particular of doing l justice 10 the people who were held in bondage without their consent and against their will"
 Rac. Coon, of Davenport, Iowa, rep. resonting the negroes of Dallas, said; "It is well understood that the col. ored people of the State, and through. out the Southern States, arc anxious tc know whether they can collect from their former masters payment for ser. vices from the time of their emancipa. ton by President Lincoln up to the time of the adoption of the Constitu' tional Amendment by the Legislature of the State. The matter ought to bt sent to a. committee, on which the best legal talent in the Convention should be put, who might decide upon tho question. lift can be decided upon, il will settle the minds of the colorcd people in regard to the matter. If tho committee thought it a judicial matter outside the Convention, they could SC report it.. have often been asked tho question by the colored people of my country, but have been unable to ans wer it; but have promised to do thu best could to have the matter settled so fur as the Convention was able to dc so. If we do not pass it, when we go home we would be asked what tho Convention did in the matter, and they would say if the Convention can legis late in regard to Confederate debts why not give us relief for the homes debts that are due us.'
 The resolution was adopted-yeas 5S nays 3l.