Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-09-10
TRULY PHOTOGRAPHED.

44Ch4 l
JAMES F. FICKLIN, one of the most re-
spectacle and intelligent colOred men of C eor-
gia, having been presented as candidate for
Congress, against the Radical nominee, thus
pictures the character of those who are SO
bitterly opposing his claims. The portraiture
may be true, elsewhere than in Georgia.
He says:
"And with whom are we so earnestly and
so cordially pressed to participate? l have
said that there are three classes. First. we
are supposed to be base enough to stoop to a
Shiny association with regard to renegade
rebels who in 1861, were blatant and rampant
Yankee. eating secessiOnists, who in the hour
of their cOuntry's peril deserted her standard
and who by the way of excuse for their infa-
nous conduct, drilted into what was then
called tOryism. aud now side with the radi-
Gals, because like Benedict Arnold they have
no friends on the other side. The second
class is composed of that lower stratum of
society, which is turned to the surface only
when violent connections throw up the filth
they feed On-the spawns of humanity, that
never had thought, principle, n country or
God, and who are Onl y useful to the Catalines
and RObespierres eff civil revolutions, us SO
many noisy machines to throw up hats and
shout huzZa. Such were the fellows that
found refuge from enrolling officers in South.
ern swamPs. Too cOwardly to fight under
the Stars and Bars, they are found fit and
worthy tools for tho persecution Of the dis
armed and defenccless, and admirable gas
pipes to hiss out hOsannahs to the vulgar van
ity OF their sort from the mountains of the
victor. The third class of our would be CO..
operators in the business Of reconstruction are
the scraPings of ground swell of New Eng
land fungi; and from the specimens that have
come South to grow respectable on the mig
ger VOTE aud get rich by picking up little
things, such as spoons and the like, am very
much inclined to the opinion that most har-
moniOus and lasting brotherhood may be cs.
tablished between them and class No. q
Such individuals in the days of slavery would
have been kicked out of the meanest darkey
cabin in the slave States, and it is to-day an
undeniable fact that their status is far below
the standard ofrespectability, even among the
cOlOred people they succeeded thus far ir i'm.
posing upon. Too low, and mean and con-
temptible at home to be entrusted with any
Office of honor, trust or profit, they are here
to offer their patriotic services ~ and vir-
tuOus example for our moral elevation and
political advancement; and suppOsing the ne.
gro to be, at least, little bit lower down in
the scale of humanity than themselves, they
come with the expectation and impudent
bOastfulness that SambO and Simon Peter and
POllux, and all the rest of us small darkies
will at once see in their august persouages
the veritable champions of our freedom, and
fly on the wings of gratitude and love to glo-
rity and reward them-at the polIs-for their
many hair-b breadth 'scapes in the imminent
deadly breach , while bleeding and dying to
set us free.
They know that we are in the alphabeto let
tiers and their object is to take advantage of
our general ignorance and universal credulitv:
and by pandering to our evil passions, and
the vices incident to ignorance among all
races, they expect to ALLEVIATE us from the
only true friends we have on the habitable
globe, and array us in political and deadly
strife with our former masters and protectors.
Such are the classes who, we are told, are
to be our future friends and legislators. and
with whom it is said by radicalism it is our
duty to unite in political organization for
the reconstruction of the South. May the
Gods forbid it If the black race of the
South have neither the virtue nor the intclli-
genee to feel the wound, surely they have
pride enough to rouse some feelings of resent
ment to the deep and damnable insult con-
veyed in the programme that names them as
the fourth class in the catalogue of infamy.