Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-05-07

The cry from the South, that the freedman
will not work, we think grows fainter as tim
goes on. 1t is only of late that paragraphs hk
the following could be found in a Southern paper
An Alabama journal says
We no longer hear complaints about '' freed
men their not working, etc. Planters nav
| found out to their complete JOY and satisfaction
that their help, lohen paid promptly, do as mucf
work, and in as good manner, is in ante bellun
times.
The discovery probably might have beer
made a long time ago; it is better late thar
never But this view of the case is by no mean
universally accepted at the South. The old pre-
JUDGES still hang around the people to grea
extent, and their extirpatiOn must be gradua
process. A correspondent of the Boston -4drer-
tiser, writing from Tennessee, describes the feel
ing there as follows:
Towards the negroes the feeling is one Of per-
sonal kindness, in many particular instances,
but generally the old Shareholders throughout
the region of which am writing, have no conf
dence in the honesty or the industry of the ne
gro, or in his capacity for the responsibilities OF
the franchise, or even for those Of simple free
dom. "a negro will never be anything but a
niger, - is the phrase in all mouths. 81 believe
the niger was made to be the slave of the white
man, and to be bought and sold like mule, -
said frank, manly young fellow from Ken
lucky. g" don't suppose we can ever see it 80
again in this country, but it is the right thing,
stranger, depend upon it =" q" You don't un-
derstand the niger as we do" is another
slogan which has abated nothing in force
since the war ended | asked a planter in
Mississippi if the negroes had not worked durin 2
the past year, in making the large cotton crop
which the State has had. Eyes" said he ,
grudgingly, "they about half worked that's oil
lou see they did nothing at all the two or three
years before, and almost starved, and then they
had to work this year,-they couldn't help it. -
g But don't you think they will be encouraged
by their success to work better on the conf ug
CROP" No, No, sir,-y0u don't uHferstG nd
the Hiyers. They have got a little money
now, and they viii just lie about until il IS all
gone This year We sha MT be able to get any
work out Of them" He shook his head despoa-
IDENTIFY, and gloatel over his knowledge Of Afii-
can depravity. In one town several leading
men were discussing the prospect Of having g.
- colorel - high school or college established III
their midst. - They have bought a lot next 10
your place ~ said Judge to a general. g Yes"
was the answer, and if they put it there nay
place is for sale cheap-l'll let it 90 for any
thing can get - But, put in a mild inc !
Sdual from the corner, " this Is to be a kind of
school for making preachers Of 'em,-dont you
see 4 very different thing from a common
Niger school. - 80 much the worse, said /
he general, ''the Niger is bad enough 1
ls Col male him, but when you begin /
81 t4agh ism, p. 1.
Eil. sieal,-there nothing to mean for him to
10 ~ Asfor the negroes themselves, have only /
lad one opportunity to ask them about their 1
onditi0n. That was in a small town south Of |
Memphis. over the line "We'se doing pretty /
veil, sir,-doue paid most Of our las years .
ebts out OF this crop. We'se built up a little
Westinghouse, and got a minister, and now We
7ant a teacher TO teach our children" Thcv
Iere able and willing to pay teacher twenty
0lla-s month, and board.
In kentucky trenchman, long resident in
he State, told me that the negroes worked we'll,
j things taken into consideration. but that the
Dung whites still thought it disgraceful To-
ork,-c0lectei in the towns and lived on |
tick As long as they could get credit. In
iissl,-lHpi. on the contrary, melunrhoi " !
r-teuder gave naive testimony 10 "a bett,. r
ate Of affairs. You don't seem TO have
Try lively town here, sir" / sIid 20 himasv-s
u gazing across the deserted square. ..Ah.
b w sigAei he. with "a glance into his rust,
-9ggery. 1t isn't as it used to lie before the
or. Then every man had bis niggess to work
p him, and could come iu here and hitch / is
Iss and spend all day long in having a good
the. Now they are all out in the country hard
work They have 10 work or starye. tie
sgers are so lazy And the Mississippi
arius spirited totacco-jui1e upon the rui1s Of
+ little Carthage.