Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-18
THE FREEDMEN.
A Yankee on the Nations Wards
at the National Capital

III the H&ShOnAf a6pstaI.
y The Washington corresponds
of the Springfield Mass RepabI
can is not impressed with yer
: exalted opinion of the negroes
: and around that city. He write
: as follows:
The negro, at q casual glanc,
: does not seem to be solving hi
: problem of freedmanship rapidly
> | Every third person one meets !
: Washington is either black O
. speckled, and is generally halloc
ing at the top of his or her voice t
some other inky or variegated in
dividual 10 come and have goo,
time, or is having it alone. Th
black boot sinner curls up on hi
little box, and winks at the sun
singing, and rarely persists il
backing your boots. The servants
who sleepily open the door where
one calls, always respond to the
demand if such a person is in
"Deed, | dun no, sab" and leave
one to mount the stdfrs and fine
out for himself.
| In the House and Senate CALLER
les hundreds of able bodied negroes
who ought to be at work for them.
selves and the good future, sit idly
listening to the debate. Every cor
ner of the capital seems to be en-
numbered with an Ethiope, who,
ragged and lazy, is still querying
whether or not to accept the ener-
getic duties as we'll as the priyi-
leges Of freedom. The saucy do
nothingness of the Naples lazzaroni
affords the only comparison. But
do not think me prejudiced or COM
planning. The bright day for
Sambo and his family is coming.
Little by little the unskilled hands
learn how to build the structure of
Independent manhood. Wherever
negro is in the city, he no longer
cringes; but asserts his equality,
often, of course, too obtrusively.
My frequent walks on the Yir-
ginia side of the river have not
encouraged me so much as | could
wish concerning the Negroes pro-
gress. From Washington to Ar
lingtOn, and for fifteen or twenty
miles around, African color holds
sway, and q walk affords a desolate
panorama. In little trip of five
miles, the other afternoon, | saw
only two white faces. | met hun
dreds Of negroes, but they were in
evitably desperately ragged, dirty,
and not prepOssessing enough to
merit acquaintance. Just at the
Vienna end Of the Long Bridge, a
Connecticut man has set up a little
saloon, and in his vernacular the
negro inhabitants round about
were a weak lot. Live mostly by
plunderin', they do" says he,
" know it by experience. Don't
seem to understand how to get a
good living any other way" Yet,
directly opposite his door, hosts of
donations from the freedmen's aid
societies North were being unladen
from the cars. Patent machines of
all kinds were piled in wagons.
These must have their effect sooner
or later
The commissioners have Just con-
demned the railroad bridge built
during the war, exactly parallelwith
and near to the famous "long' one,
for pedestrians; and passengers from
Richmond and further South have
to be carried around by Alexan-
dria. The track in some places
was piled with brushwood, which
industrious freedmen and women
had chopped and were about to
carry away between trains An
arm of the muddy Potomac runs
up nearly to the road, about half
mile from the bridge, and there
some negro boys were getting
water in barrels and carrying it to
the shanties in the distance. Con-
versation with them, and with many
others that l met, evinced the fact
that the majority, outside of the
freedmen's villages at Arlington,
had no regular occupation, and one
little fellow, on being asked his Oc-
cupation, answered, Reckon
doesn't do muffin, mostly When
he tires of that genial employment,
he will doubtless join the lazy boot
blacks in the city, who drawl out,
"Give yer patent shine, sab, in two
shakes"