Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1867-04-26
SOME FACTS FOR THE COL
ORED PEOPLE.

British, they carried on the slave
trade. When we got free from the
British, all the Southern States said
stop this trade; but the Yankees, who
had all the vessels, refused to stop it /;
and the South had to agree that the
Yankees should carry on the trade
for twenty years longer, before they
would join the government we now
live under. The Yankees sold you to
the South, and worked you them
selves, till they found it losing
business to own you at the North
They then set free what few they had
not sold.
You are now free: how did that
come about2 In the first years of
the war, Mr.. Lincoln always said he
would not set you free. Congress
passed resolution (only two mem
bers voting against it) that they would
not interfere with the property or
rights of the South. The soldiers Of
the North denied that they were
fighting to free the negroes, and
many Of them resigned and went
home after they found the negro was
to be set free, and many more would
have done it but for fear of being
shot.
How then did you get your free
dom2 When the Yankees found
they could not whip the South by
themselves, they put the negroes in
the army, and promised them if they
would whip the South, they should
be free. You then got your own
freedom. Whoever brought on the
war, set you free; and the Yankees
say the South brought On the war.
The Legislature has given you the
right to vote--not to vote for your
selves, but to vote for the white man.
Why didn't they give you the right
to hold Office? Because they wanted
the Offices for themselves. Brownlow
and his Legislature gave you the
right to vote to keep themselves in
Office. They know that the majority
of the people are against them, and
if they don't get more votes they will
be turned out.
Brownlow and his people want you
to vote FOR them, and the Southern
people want you to vote WITH them.
The Radical, or the Brownlow men,
will tell you that. they fought four
years to set you free; but it SO hap
pens that very few of them were in
the army. They will tell you that
the Rebels want to be elected to
make you slaves again. But the
Constitution of the United States,
and Of the State of Tennessee, are SO
altered that there never can be any
more slaves, White or black. If the
North was to say, "take the negroes,
and put them back in slavery" the
thing would be impossible, even if
the South wished it. The people of
the South would not have slavery
again, even if they could have it az
it was before the war. Washington,
Jefferson, Madison, Clay and many
great men of the South, always in
tended to make you free.
The Southern, or Conservative
party, want you to vote with them,
because there are Il heap more of
them than of the Radicals, and be-
cause they are forced to pay taxes
but have no say as to how their
money is to be spent. The Radicals
hold all the Offices, spend all the
money, and are making the State
debt SO large that the people will not
be able to live. We want free
government, and all equal
You have now to choose between
the two parties. The Radicals are
but few, and scattered all over the
State; the most of the people are
Southern, or Conservative, and live
all around you. We have to live
here always together. We have the
land and money: you the labor. II
we make money, we can pay yeu
well--if not, you must suffer, If We
are friendly, we shall get on happily
together---if not, there can be nc
peace. We sink or swim together.
am in favor of giving you all the
rights of white man; Of sending
you to school that you may learn t,
attend to your own business and mo-
be cheated.
Now let me tell you little abou
Brownlow, Before the war, he wen
to Philadelphia to convince the Abo
litionists that God made the negro t,
work for the white man, and that h,
was good for nothing else. He oh
jected for long time to give you tn,
right to vote. He said that negroes
right from the cotton and tobacc,
fields hadn't sense to vote. He sale
all the negres from other States would
crowd into Tennessee to vote, anC
would be in the way. He said h,
was afraid they would vote with tn,
Rebels. For fear you might not vot,
to suit him, he asked the Legislature
to let him raise large body of sol
diars IN boon naaoa Nou Lnn,y tba,.