The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1868-06-18
TOT Ght CIaf1Ofls
FREEDMEN OF NIlSsrssnPPI,


j. Your vote must soon decide whether
peace and plenty, or war and want shall
reign in Mississippi!
g Your vote must decide whether you
desire to be the enemies of the white people
or their friends Your vote must decide
whether you are the friends of the people
among whom you dwell, and who own the
land which you live on, the mules which
you work, the houses which shelter You
from cold and rain and who have bought
the bread and meat which yOn have eaten
3. You are told that by voting against the
Constitution, you vote against your own
rights that you lie down to be tied. That
is false, and the man who tells you so knOlCs
that he is telling you falsehood If a
contract is written out and you do not like
it, are you harmed by not signing it? Can
you not tare mp the contract which is unfair
and unjust and make another which is Just
and fair? The Constitution is the contract,
and by voting for it, you sign it. Freed
men of Mississippi, you are asked not to
force upon the white people contract,
COpstitution-whichi is unjust and unfair
A. How is the Constitution unjust and
unfair? Because it will put down and de-
grade 80 900 of the best and most intelligent
white people of the State If you do that,
what will come of it? 1t will put hatred
and strife between the white people and
yourselves; it will prove to the white peo-
pie that you are their enemies; and it will
compel them to withdraw their friendship
from you. Ever since the surrender the
planters have been losing money year by
year, until thousands of men who, three
years ago had from two to twenty Thousand
dollars in money and were out of debt, have
lost all their money and have not credit at
the stores for barrel of -four. If the land
owners have lost so much farming with
those they thought were their friends, do
you think they will risk the little that is
| left, by farming with those who prove them
selves their enemies Certainly not Then,
| if the landowners cannot employ you, where
and to whom will you go for land mules,
| houses, and food
| 5. Among other falsehoods, you have been
| told that the government would give you
| lands and mules. Where is the freedman
| to whom the government has ever given a
foot of land or single mule, except he paid
as much as any other man would give for it 7!
Not one The story was told to win your
| votes.
| 1t is also said to you that the white peo-
pie intend to put you back into slavery
That is false, because they could not if they
would,-and they would not, because they
have learned that free and friendly labor is
better than slave labor They have also
learned that free and unfriendly labor is
worse than no labor at all.
g. The white people of Mississippi do not
claim any right that they are unwilling to
give to you. Remember that They claim
equal rights for erery man, white or black, in
Mississippi; therefore they oppose the Con.
stitutiOn which deaies equal rights to 10000
people OF the State. Are you willing to vote
for a Constitution that denies equal rights
to all men
z. We repeat it. The man who tells you
I'll at you either endanger or give up single
right by voting against the Constitution
tells you what he knows to be false
! 8. The Constitution was framed by sci
fish and wicked men, who hope to get al
offices for themselves by keeping ont every
honest and intelligent Southern white man
8 When you registered, you took ne
oath either for or against the Constitution
| and as freemen you have the right to vote
against it, if you will.
10. By voting for the Constitution, yoI
declare yourselves the bitter enemies of the
white people of the State; by voting agains
it, you declare yourselves their friends.
II. We offer You peace, friendship, pros
perity and goodwill, with equal rights tt
them, vote against the Constitution Or
will you vote for the Constitution. and have
hatred, strife and want, with 80 600 white
men deprived of the rights which you claim
for yourselves?
~. Pause, before You do this great wrong
to the people among whom you live. /
you cast the bread of Injustice upon the
waters, he sure that it will return to you
after many days
FREEDMAN's FRIEND.