The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-06-12

small property, or no property at all
In another paragraph he remarks, with
his usual point and force; Il do not be-
lieve that the personal freedom'Eof all
the white people of the South, and all
their rights of local selfgovernment,
should be sacrificed to accommodate a
few thousand insolent negroes, or to
qualify the caprices of negrO-worshiping
white men and selfish politicians The
closing paragraphs Of his letter are so
strong and fOrcible that we quote them:
The negro now has the equal protec-
ton of the laws. In other words, he has
equal political rights with the whites.
Beside this in all the Southern States he
has equal facilities for education at pub
lie expense, though he does not pay one
tenth of one per cent on the dollar of
the taxes which are collected to support
the schools No invidious distinctions
are made against him. Education in
these states is out of the sphere of poll
ties. The negro is amply protected, and
the national Legislature should cease
legislating on the educational question,
aud creating turmoil and bad blood
where progress and good feeling is being
secured. For several years the greater
portion of the time of our legislators
has been occupied in legislating for
the negro race. Amendment after amend
ment to the Constitution has been adop-
ted, and law after law for the further pro-
lection of the negro has been adopted,
until he is now the political equal of the
white man. Now that this has been
achieved, the negro business ought to
stop The country at large is becoming
disguised with the efforts now being made
TO Cypress the whites in the passage of
a bill which is not essential to the pro
lection of the blacks. What the people
and States of the South need is to be let
alone by Congress and given a little OPP
portunity for recovering from the desola-
ton and waste of war. The Southern
people have been whipped in the battle
between the sections, and except small
class Of fossilized politicians and lot OF
weak-minded, young men who part their
hair in the middle, they acknowledge and
feel it. In no State is the negro deprived
of full and equal protection before the law
But in several Southern States, like South
Carolina, the white man has no rights
which the negro is bound to respect.
The Southern people have been sufficient
ly punished for participation in the re-
bellion, and, instead of harassing and
further humiliating them, Congress ought
to extend to them bel ping hand.
In saying this | do not retract one lola
of my previously expressed opinions ofthe
folly of the Southern people and the
crime of their rebelliOus leaders. never
supposed that in being loyal to the Gov
eminent | ceased to be a Tennesseean
and a Southern man, and TO have right
to regard the interest of my people as a
New Englander or Western man regards
the interest of his. No member of either
house of Congress has suffered more in
his person at the hands ofthe rebels that
myself, and if can afford to do simple
Justice to those who have been in error,
do not see why others should not do so
who have less cause than for revengeful
feelings.
Instead of expressing the nation should
lift them up from the slough of despair
and encourage them. 1t is alike its duty
and policy TO do so. The iniquitous bill
under consideration does not affect Davis,
roOmbs and the leaders of the South
1t is, in reality, war upon the hundreds
of thousands destitute widows and orphans
of the South. With the termination Of
the war the Southern people, as a class.
were poor, but little property of any de
scription being left them. Since the war
ended, in several of the Southern States
the ignorant colOred officials and white
adventures, particularly the latter, have
stolen everything that was portable
everything that could be carried off,
The public buildings of charity, the or
phan. blind and insane asylums, are left,
but the means for their support are want
ing The buildings would have been
stolen but the thieves could not put them
in a bank vault or carry them in their
pockets.
The land could not be carried away,
but has been rendered worthless by taxa
ton, which is so high as to amount to
contiscation. 1t is with the greatest
difficulty that large classes of people,
once in affluent circumstances, are en-
abled to provide the Recessaries of life in
the Southern States. Nearly all their
hope of the rising generation Is in their
common school system. Under this the
colored people have equal educational
facilities with the whites, though they
don't pay one mill on the dollar of the
taxes which are collected for the support
of the schools.
The thousands of women IN every
Southern State, who, though the widows
of rebels, are in no wise responsible for
the war, are told, Your children shall
not 90 to school unless you are subjected
to the humiliation of seeing them educated
in classes with the children of your for
mer slaves" The manhood of the coun-
try ought to rise up against the petty
persecution
And the undOubted courage and geneT-
osity of President GRAFT leads me to be
lieve he will veto the villainouS measure
if it is passed. The result of its passage
will be that the school system will be de-
trOyed, the war and race preiudices which
were being rapidly obliterated will be re-
vived with unwonted fury, and the present
generation will not live to see SO favOra-
BILE a condition of affairs as exists at this
time \ feeling Of returning loyalty
which was growing in the South will die
out and one of hostility to the govern
ment will take its place. The mixed
school bill might appropriately be termed
"a bill for the encouragement of riot and
chaos in the Southern States and tor the
humiliation of the widows and the Op-
preston of the orphans Of the South.
With my view Of this question, ! am
glad to see that the Superintendent Of Pub
lie instruction for Tennessee, has taken
the initiatory step for the abolition of the
whole common school system ofthe State,
so Il at if the bill should pass the system
may be abolished without delay. In the
fullest aud most emphatic manner possi-
Bile | wish to see Tennessee express the
indignation and disgust of her people at
this palpable invasion Of their rights in
their purely domestic relations.
II this abominatiou is submitted 10 by
the people it viii only invite the adoption
of sixteenth amendment othc Constiu-
ton, depriving them of other rights, and
after that some narrow-minded partisan
aud ssecond-class lawyer, who imaSines
himself a statesman, viii propose a seven
teenih amendment to the Constitution.
provided the people shall then have any
rights 10 uSurp. W. G. BRoWNLoW.
KNOXVILLE, June |, 1874.
We are requested by the Eccentric !
Genius OF whom Alfred Horsley wrote |
Io # ,vaaL tn inform, the aforesaid Alfred |