Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-01-14
Speech in the Virginia Reconstruction
Convention,

The Richmond Dispatch in its report OF
the proceedings of this Convention, on Friday,
in relation to the Freedmen's Bureau, has the
following:
Hodges (negro) said that he had hearn his
friends speak of de blessings of de Freedmen's
Beroo. He acknowledged de wisdom and
kindness of the Beroo, and that it was in the
interest of de people. He was very fond of
Ginerel Howard, and had hearn people where
saw him saw that he was man whar was
best loved whar was best known. He was IN
New York an he had left dar in 1868 to
come down here an answer to the cry for help
that riz up He found thousands and hum
dreds of thousands il want, and pedled ub
on five dollars piece. When he come on
and found de peaple, he told 'em he was pinted
to come down and help 'em and he cut a
piece out'n de Tribune and all de otherpapers
whar had it in. He had, when he war at home
dis year, seen good many men laboring on
Government farms apply to the Beroo for
iustice. and iestice wasn't done for it. His
brightest hope was to see de Beroo got away.
He wanted to see de time when "lyal' men
whose wives and husbands had went forth to
de free battle to meet de invadin foe. Dey
loved dar wives and homes. but dey loved dar
country better And he had seen men speaker
latin on the clothes sent these "lyal' men by
the instertushin which he represented Yes,
he had seen them speckerlatin right at thar
doors, and he had seen men walking down de
streets of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Forchess
Monroe. He told EN- that the white folks
had hogs, and theydpust kill EN- and eat EN-
before they suffered for somethin to eat He
told en- to pull the corn, which was bending
the stalks down, before they should starve.-
He told EN- this, too. on Wise's farm, and he
was ordered back to New York, though he riz
his voice against it. Ole men and men IN
his county had been cold and were shot, and
they was freezin, and Lieut.. Havens has his
floor covered all over with blankets: De truth
must prevail, and he intended to write book
on dc testimony of his people, which would
make dose men where had prosecuted desc
''lyal" men in de dark dens which their dark
deeds had brought upon them. Dis history
of de Freemen's Beroo which he intended to
write would astonish de Convention and aston
ish de world. The State was to be governed
by honest men, and dey intended to drive de
rogues off; He was compelled to speak desc
words because dey were true. Dey intend to
organize New Virginia. De Scripsher told
us that old things should pass away. De
power of desc "dislyal" men, whose larnin
and houses had been gained by de labor of de
blacks and de very stones under their feet had
been got from their blood, must pass away.
He remembered when his father used to have
a'good many hogs to feed, and the hogs would
keep on squeelin and squalin round de pen
untel dey was fed; and they wouldn't go off
to work till you fed EN-. Now, the Freemen's
Beroo was jes like dat, and the blacks was
squalin round, and couldn't go to work till
j coI xr;t Lon5E,1 ~ N Eaan
'em from hangin aroun. God had provided
for de hog, and he could provide for the black
man CESS as we'll as de hog. He had been
called a corn,feld niger. He was; but he
thanked God he had been born free. De
Freemen's Beroo agents got thirty-fve per
cent of what de black man made.
He had come to the conclusion that de
blacks must root or die to decolate de re-
proaches against 'em and he prayed as cheer
fully as he ever did in his life that God would
, help 'em.