Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-10
A BosToNIAN ON REyELs,
The Debt of the ABgzo-Saxon TO she
EfhioD.
From the New orleans Times.

cotton manufacturing interest of Massa-
chusetts, and is a gentleman of high cul-
ture, superior judgment and intelligence.
His letter is worthy the consideration of
our rejecting readers, being, as it is, a re-
Spouse on behalf Of the solid men Of
Massachusetts, to the colOred men and
brothers of the South
To the Honorable Mr. Revels. Senator from sfissis
sippi, United States Senate:
Claiming n personal acquaintance with
yourself, and no political rank or promi-
nence, my excuse for addressing. you must
be found in your official position, ard
more particularly in the first speech read
by you in the Senate, whereby you adj
dress yourself through that body to the
| public, and wherein you appeal directly to
the people of that portion of the country
| to which belong.
You declare yourself to be speaking as
the recognized representative, and on be-
half, of the negro race, to which you aie
allied; and so speaking, you say
| ''The people of the North owe to the
colored race deep obligations which it is
no easy matter to fulfill When the Fed
eral armies were tbinned by death and dis
aster, from what source
did our nation in its seeming death throes
| gain additional and new found power 1t
was the sable sons of the South that vol
UNFAIRLY rushed to the rescue, and but for
their intrepidity and ardent daring, many
| Northern households would miss the pa
| ternal counsels or brothers love. Sir,
repeat the fact that the colored race saved
| the noble women of New England and the
/ Middle States -
Now, Senator, considering the frequent
| reiteratiOn of these and like assertions by
stump orators of the "baser sort, litter
ate men may be excuSable if they accept
them as the truth, and if no voice is raised
to the contrary, even persons of intelli-
| gence will come 70 regard these absurd
claims of the negro race as containing at
least portion of justice. Your position
as a Senator, and your representative
character as a colored man, combine to
| give to these statements degree of i'm
| pOrtance which demands vigorous de-
NAL; and at this hour, when in your per-
| son the blacks for the first time enter as
associates the National Legislature, it is
eminently fit that there should be estab-
lished clear understanding as to the mu-
tual relations of the two races upon this
| question of obligation. 1t is for this rea-
son that l desire at an early moment TO
| traverse your estimate of the services
rendered by your race to mine or to the
| country.
| | deny that in any sense whatever ''the
colOred race savedthe women of New Eng
land" directly or indirectly, or in any de-
gree from anything whatever.
deny that, by reason of anything con-
nected with the war, the Northern people
of my race are under anyobligati0n what
ever to yours.
l deny that the sable sons of the South
did do anything at any time which could
be honestly described as rushing volun-
tarily to the rescue of the National cause,
as you say they did.
l shall go farther, and assert that the
want of ''daring and intrepidity'' on the
part of the sable sons of the South, or
more emphatically veto the absence in
them of the ordinary elements of man
hOOd-to their cringing cOwardice and
despicable poltroonery-to the aid and
comfort which they gave TO the insurgent
power-we owe the unforeseen prolonga-
ton of the contest, and the bloOdshed,
grief and loss which followed thereupOn.
do not pretend that your people are
under any obligation to mine for their
freedom. The war was commenced by
Southern whites, clearly not in your inter
est, and was waged by US only to compel
their submission; but certainly from the
first day of 1863, if no earlier, your free
dom was necessary corOllary to, and de-
pended entirely upon our success. VIII
you tell me what your race did of its own
accord to aid in producing this result, so
vital to your interests -- $3.50.
A few blacks enlisted voluntarily, but
they were mostly Northern citizens
taking some portions of common bur
den. A large number of black "sons of
the South were conseripted into our
army, and by army discipline were
brought to do more or less service; but
the race, the mass, of the able sons of
the South were on the other side. They
were Gas your speech not merely admits,
but boasts, caring for the property and
protecting the families of their masters,
in order that eve:y able-bOdied man might
be spared to swell the forces opposing us;
they were building and repairing the rail
ways-driving the army wagons-grow-
ing cotton, which supplied the COnfed-
crate treasury with wars sinews-and
food for the Confederate commissariat.
They were making powder, casting can
non, building ships, mining saltpetre and
iron, serving the troops in the field, and
the sick and wounded in the hospitals.
| fanliuOr r1a
arming, and practically recruiting the
very armies whose success was your
deeper bondage, while we, upon whose
triumph must follow your emancipation,
were obliged to take from their homes
and enlist in our armies the hundreds of
thousands of our best to do what you
were doing for our foe.
You describe your people as at this time
Notwithstanding patiently pro
tecting women and children, and making
property secure, while their masters were
absent;-as bearing no revengeful
thoughts, no hatred, no animOsities;-
as aiming ''not to sacrifice one single in,
terest" of the whites.
All, Senator, once it was thought ''WhC
would be free, themselves must strike the
blow" but in this new dispensation they
must strike no blow, bear no luminosity,
and help to drive their fetter-rivets home,
and-''wait patiently"
{ We white men are not accustomed L
wait patiently under deprivation OF GU
, rights, to lick the hand that strikes us, O
! to cherish the property, interests or per
5 | sons of those who ensiave us, when lib
4 erty is within our reach. We did not look
4 much less hope, God forbid that yOl
: would attack the lives or honor of limo
e cent children or defeneeless women, (bit
Y ter enemies as women and children evel
) were to US but we did hope that yol
= might refuse to help your and our foes
We did think doubtless, as you say, eth
wish was father to the thought, y tina
even you might produce such alarm in tn
e rear as should, at little risk to you, weak
c en- the front of our enemy; and some o
7 us believed that you would dare evel
e more.
If dozen or two of your intrepid rae
could have been brought at critical pen
DDS, under cover of the night, to tear VI
, the rails which alone enabled the insur
, gents to concentrate their forces agains
us or occasionally, here and there, to tir'
r the Confederate depOts OF arms, clothing
: forage and supplies or the bridges upoI
\ important lines of railway, (all of which
: would have implied but little persona
8 risk. y the war would have been far shor
ter, and its cost in life and treasure yer.
!. much less; but no such aid came to on
e cause, and when we conquered at last