The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-08-08
TuH aE4TORATION OF SLAVERY.
.The New York World, in noticing Gov
Mortonfs 9re2t speech ct Indianapolis, SAYS J:

MOTION ksett speech - IAulanAPuhs' ssys.
Oliver z. Motion, Of Indiana, in = .peech in
InAiAoapolis Oh Wednesday night, made himself
responsible for the following statement
!" think il 10 give them (the Democracy the
power, they viii return the colored people to sla
very. They are armed themselves, and with the
sanction Of Seymour and the Democratic politi-
clans, they would, BY military power, reduce the
solorsd people 70 slavery
II il not nscsssary to initiate Mr.. Greeley and
call Senator Morton - branded liar and villain
bat the Statsnsnt be made va uttered in defiance
Of whsthe knows to be the truth.
II 10 easy for the World to deny. Its diff
kssA 70 disprove Senator Morton assertion.
n ths event Of the Democratic party re-
gaining uncontrolled political ascendency,
salasssy may not be re-established, but what
Alexander H. Stephens calls the Illegal
subordination OF the black race to the
ghits" will be. There 10 no idea with which the
South is moro fully imbued than that which
Stephens expresses in that phrase. The ex-
slAvsholders win not relinqui.h the idea that
they have : heaven born right TO drive the
blacks. This has been shown since the abo-
litioa Of slavery.
Under Andrew Johnsons reconstruction
policy, following the close Of the war, after
the peculiar institution had been wiped out
~ Constitutional enactment ~ well % BY the
myonet, these ex-slaveholders took the mat
ter Of fixing tho status Of the freedmen into
their own hands. The country will rsmem-
Der how they went about it. Take Missis-
sippi for instance. In November, 1865, An
drew Johnson's reconstructed Legislature
passed vgrant Act. II provides that all
" freedmen, fres negroes and mulattoes :"
over the age Of eighteen years, found on the
second Monday Of January, 1866, or thereaf-
ter, With no employment Or business, or found
nnlawfully assembling themselves together,
either in the day or night time, should be
deemed vagranta, and, on conviction. should
10 '6ned in sum not exceeding Fifty dollars.
and imprisonment not exceeding ten days.
II mattered not that the freedmen, Or one
Of them, might not he able to obtain work
just against the day named, if out of regular
employment for even one day, the freedman
was made liable to a fine of fifty dollars and
imprisonment. But. Of course, the majority
Of the freedmen wouldnt have the fifty dol
lars with which TO pay the fine. SO the Law
provided that after FIVE days the Sheriff
who for the shortest term of service would
pay the fine and costs. There was no hmita-
ton Asto time. il might be for 4 term Of
years or for life. And of course the chivalry
would conspirea toge,her not 10 bid for any
thing less than a term of years equivalent to
tho freedman's probable life. Under tina,
law. or such . law the whole colored popula>
ton Of Mississippi would be reduced to sla'
very in few years. Not slavery either, bul
10 the unctuous phrase of Mr.. Stephens
2 Black Subordination.
Another section Of this law imposed a pol
.a1 of one dollar on every freedman, free
negro or mulatto, irrespective Of sex, be-
tween the ages Of eighteen and sixty years
and for non.payment Of this tax the party
delinquent was required to be hired out, in
other words, sold to the person who would
pay the tar and costs for the shortest period
Of service. Every colored boy and CIR
eighteen years old or upwards, was made liz.
BILE to be sold into servitude for the non-pay
mont Of pell ta9, for life or such shorter pc
Rod - the briskness Of the labor market OF
the humanity Of bidders might determine.
On the 25th Of November, 1866, Congress
pAsssd IAN act similar in spirit TO the above
AZ " end in the indianapolis Journal 1
synopsis Of that law No transcribe i, here
without further credit. It Was entitled an
act to confer civil rights on freedmen, and
for other purposes" said purposes being Al
follows The 6rst section denied % freed.
men, free negroes or mulattoes the right "a
rent or lease any lands or tenements except
Incorporated towns or cities, in which places
the corporate authorities we're clothed with
power to grant or refuss TO this class the
privilege Of renting = dwelling in which to
shelter their families. No negro or mulatto
laborsr could rent land for cultivation, OF
lease house ia The country under any cir
cunstances. He was made absolutely de
pendent on the land owner for employment
end shelter, and liable TO be sold into sla-
Vofy u I1Oo OWHefe felhseu MIN employ
ment.
The Eth section provided that every freed
man, free negro or mulAtto should, on the
second Monday Of January, 1866, and annu.
ally thsssaftes, hsye larful home or en-
ployment and should have written evidence
TO the iAct, ~ follows If living in IN 10.
cospofatsd city, town, or village. from the
member Of the board of police of his beat,
anfhoeixing him Or her 10 do irr>sala. and
joA work. on writtcn contract, which IL
- nay b revoked for cause It any time
u - authority granting the same This
~ taqsirsd u eolo,sd persons to have :
- asd employment, whether they could
~ il es not, ani thea made it impossible
J ~ tAsafo lawfully work at labor offered
aAen, ualsas NJ high lnishtiness, the NOM