Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-02-11

VI INV
We give below another Of the series OF
letters from Mr.. Alvord to Gen. Howard, in
relation to the condition Of the freedmen In
the Southi
Major General o. o. Hot1ard:
DIAN GEEERALi regret being obliged to
give testimony counter to that OF parties who
OF late have been disparaging the character
and condition Of the freedmen.
Tho enclosed letter is from the Hon. Gil
bert Plllsbury, mayor OF the city OF Charles
ton, g. @. He has resided in the State from
| its 1rst occupancy by Northern men after
| the rebellion, and during all these years has
| fnsl, = sN-s~asd IN frnedmen's affairs.
ing facts which the visitor Of few weeks at
the South cannot comprehend.
Parker Pillsbury, esq, OF Massachusetts,,
| who has recently been writing on the sub
| ject, Is q brother Of the mayor.
Tho following Is the mayors letter.
MIoEs oETioE. cIII aALL.}
NJ, yeHA1fi I5rI bh. q s jan TO- s0i 10
some Of the questions which you proposed TO
me yesterday, have only tine aud proper
Information to answer btlenyi As to eompI.
I will say that while intemperanee 10 The cry
| ing evil 10 our community amongst all classes,
| 1t Is evidently most prevalent amongst the
Court are fully a. two to one; and perhaps the
proportion Is even greater thAo that,
As TO larceny, VAgraney, and other petty
gard to the city Mere the preponderSnce is
much against the eolored, This fact can be
readily accounted for. The eelofed popula-
but 10 crowded Into tho uncomfortable, no.
healthy, and secluded portions. Then the de-
mAnd for labor 10 extremely moderate, and A.
| Iaboferi not because he works more willingly
aud earnestly, but bteaufs he u pAHs. Then
private eAdriiisI are more readily bestowed
upon tho whites, because the white populA-
tlOn IL not only the most able TO bsatow, but
they are sure to supply the white SUFFERER
GrH, and the eolorsd, nsvsr Renee povet ~
and neglect Amona the oolored are great in-
AZ 20 the public ehArlties OF the city, they
Vel az bs.towed more extenslTeIy upon the N
than upon the blacks.
As 70 schools they are rOfully behIad even
our degenerate age. stu, In the city, think
| quite as large a proportion Of oolored as white
| children attend school. We have at least i've
sohoolsI largely attended by cOlored children,
| hut these are sustained almoBt wholly by
| Northern charities, while know Of but one
| school, and that a small one, supported BY the
solored population Of the city Our white
| schools do not excel, they equal, the cslored,
either In numbers or 10 s1leisney. Several
Of our colored schools would do credit to any
I thlnE, ia the few partleulArsI have men.
toned, the State generally 10 upon about the
| same footing as the oity. II ltfuggles against
poverty aud Ignorance Olive US school, and
l
| fully risk the consequences. The old molina
| ton to crush and rob and keep In ignorance
the eolorsd race stlll Is strong as ever. Al.
| their great Northern deliVeTerS to their "Old
friends" OF the South. their liberty, which
cost the nation SO dear, would not long exist,
| even 10 name.
As to your inquiry whether tho oolored sls-
| ment 10 dying cut and wasting away, AN GER
tain tits not the case. Emigration from certain
localities may diminish the population there,
but they are I0Hlsi5hsrs This Southern country
| isfull OF them, aud believe they are still on
| the increase. 1t Is true, there 10 room for the
! Chinese and UOolle here, but there 10 no need
| Of them, II we will but do simple justice to
the lAborers at our door. Slavery has left
them IN most dsPlorAbls e01dilio9i but lib
mey be termed what the lAmentsd Lincoln de.
nominated big Jobj'' but II must be done,
the NSft viii never do 10 siTs
up so. You have taken US from the "horrible
pit and miry clay" but you must Iissdy US, or
we shall merge back again,
We have made great general progrSIs on ne
WAOisS but dOn't leave US alone. l would
write more, bat have not time now.
You're, most respectfully, ,
Mayor Of Charleston, =. q.
The Mayor subsequently, assured me that
all he had stated In this letter could be re-
lied upon, and that he was satisfied with the
moral and educational condition Of the freed
| men In the city.
to crime he gave me access TO the police re-
cords for the last three months, FROM which
| made detailed transcript Of all crimes
committed In Charleston under their several
titles, as In comparison with the two races.
The whole table 10 interesting, but give
you only summary Of the months Of Octo-
Der, November, and December, 1860:
Crimes committed by whites, $40 ; crimes
committed by blacks, 229 total in above
months, 46S. The principal Of these crimes
we're Larceny-whlte, 81, eolored Gs total,
so. Violation Of city ordlnAnces-whlte,3 $751;
colored, s total, 43. Drunk-whlte, ~
colored, ID total, SO. Drunk and disorderly
conduct-whlte, IA colored, 81 total, 1855.
Applied for lodgings+white, go colored,
II total, IS. Crimes Of all other kinds
white, 20 eolored, 49, total, 90.
These statistics reveal the actual state OF
things better than any general statements,
and arc certainly creditable to the colored
population.
The census for Charleston gives AZ, 900
population, the colored slightly in the ma
JOrlty.
Very respectfully, YOU'RE, &c.
| j. W. ALyORD,
| General Superintendent Of EaacIiOa.