The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-06-26
AN ErlSTLE TO TIE BLACKS.
What thu Original AbOiitiOn1st of Ken.
tucty Has 10 Say t0thc CoiOrcd P"0-
pIc.-Lcttcr from tho Hon. CaNasius
N Clay

~ IIpH. 't@N''N Ahs '''Dl " wow N'. } |
MdoMm C0umtJ Ky
DEAR SIR: Nothing short of the com
plexity Of polical affairs IN our beloved
couAtry could ever have induced me
to force myself upon your notice. the
complexity referred to is unequivocal-
ly better understood by you than is
either cumprehended or can hope to be !
explaircd by me. Knowing you to be
in friendship with the Liberal move
ment, and having seen u statement IN
the entertainments to the effect that
Won would speak at several points in |
the STATE during thepending campaign
ON the living issues of the day, l con-
cluded to write to you, Doubtless you
have more influence with the blacks
than any man in the State.
But there are three or four points
that il would be well to notice:
First-AlI of the colmed men do not
know the antecedents of the great Abo-
litionist Of Kentucky, due to the iact
that they have ever been kept, ~ far
a3 was possible to keep them, in total
ignorance of the names as well as deeds
of the advocates of their freedom.
However, there are some who have
heard of the Hon. Cassins M. Clay ana
are eager to hear his views Of the poIiti-
cal situation.
Second-Most of the colored people
(outside of the cities and large towns
are not aware that they have any
true friends but those men who were
prominent by the war-a very sad ms
take; hence the adherence of many OF
them to Grantism because Mr.. Greeley
is not generally known among them
Third-A large per cent of the black
people can't understand what political
emergency has transpired to cause
their former masters to vote for Horace
Greeley, who, as the whites tell them,
is one Of the best friends they ever had
They are not slow to discredit the
statement, and think it a cunnlngly
devised trick to get them to vote for Il
Democrat by calling him an AboIlNlon-
ist. And 50 they unwisely concl"o'
that they will only vote the right way
wncn they vote contrary to their DEM
orratic friends vote; a bit OF absuldltS
| think. =,
Fourth They can't comprehend th'
meaning Of the words centIn'lHAtoh
"ot,icial corruption,n or hdbodS cor
,,,,s suspension, ~ all of which Is preg
nant with strife and trouble. Many "
are extremely credulous, ana III man,
instances all that is necessary TO cau''
t them to vote for Graut il to tel lneh
. that he was Commander in-Chief o
, the Federal forces during the late wa
(as if the war wasn't over, ana the.
will let Sumner, Garrison lwho ma
e made fool himselN, Phillips am
!. Horace Greeley, all slip through the'
Y fingers. This is had.
>, Your PURPOSE of canvassing the S'a'
: will, however in Il great measure rem
l edy this evil. But there are man
L small towns, such rs this one, "l'H'
+ the time of ranvassing nor the pumb'
q of voters in them will admit Of yo'
speoking. would, therefore, ~ b'
Il ing deeply interested in the Ilher'
) movement, and entirely committed
= MIR. Greeley, also feeling that you an
q are engaged in common cause lor III
I prosycrity of our beloved land an
~ glorious institutions, ask cohdescel
ton of you. Please. give me you
0 views of the duty Of co|orcd men.
G | am no Politician, but ! feel th'
o there is "A debt of gratitude that ever
black man owes to Mr.. Greeley, al
:, viii work necessarily for his electlo
i, in November. would be gratficdb b
Il yond expression if my race here
y Nelson County cold hear you.
= They well might rejoice
=, hear the voice that has often bee
:. raised in their jefence, and see Il
great and good Hon. {. M. Clay al
Is hear his voice urging them to ilock
the standard OF liberty, the soverelg
itv of the States and redeem our ms
titions from menaces of militia
ol chieftain. ,..
II An answer will oblige your ohedle
W servant, ANDREW j. CHAMBERS.
y WHITE HALL, KY, June ,, lS72,
es My DEAR SIR: Your favor "l
G. 3Oth MT Is lust received. am pl
at narinu NV speech for tomorrow to
,e made at Nicholasville, principaily.
20. our colored voters SO can but prle
" reply to your interesting letter.
er this purpose | declined an lnvl
to ton to speak at the great ratlllca''
v meeting of Horace Gr'eiey anu
10 Gratz Brown, which also taktS pm
,e tomorrow, the 81 lnst., at cooper =; !
w. 'n stitute in New York. am STallll
IT, to hear from you, or any, co'oreu nv u;
Is having devoted so much OF my IL
u. time to the liberation OF ana lhe
hit vanccmcnt of the blacks, llaI III u
,s have, perhaps, become sort OF 'hopt i!'l
,'' w to mc. The present great tadica
N party, as Sumner (whose late spec
On as telegraphcd | send YOU terms me
Nv is like the Yankees knife with II n
blade and new handle, 50 that aim
nothing of it is left but the name.
far as the colored Americans are GO
ht crrned, they owe nothing to the Gr'
III Renubiicans. 1t was the old " lib"
'p- ton element of the Cincinnati Libe
ot Rnnublirnrs who achieved their libe
If and established their rights forever
,lt the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, 4
~, Nv Fifteenth Amendments of the Com
ie' tut;on And Sumner, who denoun,
he Grant rs "the chief Ku-Klux" for
w ,emntinp TO destroy, by illegally
il ,crfaring with San Domingo q
tci'oi" 49, ,Ia,I, ,,t;ons of n