New-York tribune., 1874-02-23
ments, and ve ought 20 be prepared for the
ordinary run Of Northern Winters when they
come,
a." H4TR S7R4TGHTENERS."
come.


Swift. in bitter irony. proposed long ago
the killing and eating of Irish babies, both ~
a way OF keeping population down and OF fur
nishiDg food to the survivors We want much
in these days some DR.. Swift TO stick these
pins of sharp suggestion into our body polite.
Emancipation gave US ono OF tho prettcst
problems ever presented for working out to
an Intelligent people, and thus far we have
only scratched our heads at it, like school
boy blubbering over the Rule Of Three. Nobody
thought that it would be an easy conundrnm
70 guess, but everybody thought Yankee
shrewdness equal to any riddle, and 40 II
might hayo proved if the Yankee love OF the
dollar had not interviewed FOR though Amor ls
strong, amor pscuDig ~ stronger, mp I'D thls
hour, not only respects the BLACK
class, but as I'd all classes requiring tho
care OF public culture and guidance. we
simply drift, and leave the Lord TO settle the
trouble Matters might be sooner mendcd IL
every voter could receive, aS we DO, whoie
sheayes of letters from the South, setting f0rth
the way in which we are dealing with class
numerically in a large majority, not Dy any
means likely 20 Oblige us by dying out, WITH
u grip upon our money, our peace, our COM
fort our general political and social being-a
class troublesome n0w but sure to be infinitely
troublesome in the future, unless we take order
to prevent Incapable of being made safe
and profitable element or of being misguided
or abandoned TO something quite the opposite.
Formerly. d the niggers !" was cOnsid-
cred sufficient and final dismissal of che
whole matter. But the Objurgatory process is
becoming feeble. The more hotly we swear.
the less adjustments seem probable.
We consider tho Black people IN che late
Slave States to be the wards Of the nation.
SO are all ignorant, half helpless men, women,
and children. We do not say anything about
Christian duty; we leave that to the pulpits
but it IS our business to say something OF po-
litical duty, aud from time to time. as Occa-
sion offers, we propose TO say 1t plainly.
Occasion does offer to-day in this letter which
we have received from Fayctte County, Texas.
1t is MT a novelty, for we get such letters
sometimes dozen in day. Fayette County,
Texas, tells the old story. The Blacks there,
children comparatively, are constantly made
dupes of by The sharp Whites. One scOundrel
has done a thriving business by selling
them Free Papers" at $40 each. An
a stake-pin with cabalistic figures on
it. With this the purchaser is told that he
can "preemDtn forty acres OF has masters
land Oar correspondent estimates that
million of these stake-pns at So each have
been sold in the South Western States. The
buyer is told to keep his purchase secret,
for if the white man discovers it the charm
will not work, and the forty acres " Will be
nowhere. little less serious swndler IL the
travelling tradesman who sells the negroes
Hair StrighteDer' (cOlOred water), at 81
per bottle. This is funny, and the story OF
it a little relieves the dOleful monOtony OF
the reports. " Freedmen's Savings Banks "
are more important. The great trick here"
SAYS our Texas correspondents, " Is when one
deposits $40 OF $50, to record it in the poor
fellows pass book 81 or So and so 1t is
entered in the banks books. The depositor
"is unable to read, and, of course, is easily
cheated"
These are straws which show which way the
simoom of swindling is blowing. Our corre-
spondent wants us to send a good, honest,
wide-awake, working man to Texas to start
newspaper of the right sort, and promises him
100000 cash subscribers. As the people prin-
Glp;llN lulcTtSitu lCsN, 'hio 'upbS''i">A
il nor so fOrcibe as it otherwise would be.
Why not try Washington Z? Why not write to
Gen. Grant about the Free Papers !"-to the
Secretary of State about the "Hair Straight
encr ?r-to the Secretary of the Treasury
about the Texas Banking ito the Secre-
tary of the Interior about the Presumption
Stake ~ Why not apply to the VICE
President TO certain Senator's ' to certain
rcpresentatives-B. +. b. for lnstanceT We
have no reason to believe that he is in either
the Free Paper, the Presumption Stake, or the
Hair Straightener speculation, and if early
application be made to him we think that he
may be kept out of them; and, should he be
kept out of them, he will be very eloquent in
their denunciation. We do not know that he
ever promised to straighten the hair OF the
entire colored population of the South, but
we do know that something very like that was
promised to them by the Administration party
during the last Presidential election and it
owes q debt to Its sable supporters which it
ought to pay, unless it means to repudate all
debts whatsoever.
GETTING THINGS SETTLED.