New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-10-01

er ekal standin with the whiteuns." In nv
next shall give you the condition of affairs.
more anon. CUsTAs MoRUM.
From the Republican Banner. Montgomery, Ala
some Of the Reasons Why the COL
Ored People Vote the Republican
ticket and Why they Should Con-
time TO Vote that Ticket.
| When the war started all of the old mas
ters had 10 go to the front and meet the
enemy. No one was left at home but the
poor slaves and their old mstresses. The
poor slaves stood and worked faithfully, as
tney mad always done before the war; they
titled the soil and kept the Confederate
armies well supplied, and took care of the
plantations, and guarded the homes of their
old mlstresses. The war continued four lone
years, and during all this time the poor slaves
stood and worked faithfully, and were SUBJ
tnlsslve to their old mistresses. When the
war closed all the poor slaves were freed.
NJ OF their former masters who were not
KILLED IN the war, returned home and found
everything as it was when they left, with
one exceptiOn-the poor slaves were all
freed. This being the case, the preiudices
OF the former master rose against the poor
freedman, who had worked faithfully during
the four years OF war, and kept up the Com
ieuerate armies. The prejudice arose at Il
Time when the sentiment of the poor freed
men was with their former masters, and if
their former masters who had just returned
from the war, had said to the poor freedmen
tn" war is over, and you are all free, let us
go to work now and make a living together
as we have always homework for each 9TH
ers' interest, as our interest is the same
But 10! and behold! this course was not
pursued by their former masters. But what
was done! Why some were driven off, and
had to seek shelter by the roadside Among
this multitude who were friendless and home
less, were old ladies from 70 to 80 and 100
years old, with their helpless little children,
who had to share the same sad fate by their
| former masters inhumane treatment What
must become of all these poor freedmen on
the roadside: Nothing but the smiles of
Heaven to take care of them! Numbers of
them found their way to our principal cities.
AT one time there was about ten thousand
OF these homeless creatures in this city, at
time, too, when there was thirty thousand
United States soldiers here.
There was no place for them to stay at, so
they had to be sent across the river opposite
this city. They built houses out of cane
to live in. There was at one time as many
as four thousand plantation hands over there
living In these cane houses. They STAYED
there eight months, supported only by the
United States Government. That was all
these poor freedmen had to depend on for
support. BY their living together In large
crowds on the other side of the river they
commenced to die, and out of 1000 of them
$500 died and were buried there. A goodly
number OF them who are now living remem-
Der this, and will remember it to their graves
Where does the blame rest? With their old
former masters. But the poor freedmen were
only beasts. Their chances were like the
chances of squirrels in the woods. They had
no vote, could not protect themselves, and
so they stood in this condition for a time
until the military reconstruction acts became
a law, giving the poor freedmen a right to
vote and hold Office. Then their former
masters began to pat them on their shoulders,
and said to them I'VE are your best friends"
They ought to have said that just when the
war closed; then this pattng on the shoulder
might have had some effect on the minds of
the poor freedmen-but they did not say it,
Instead OF saying to them when they all came
back from the war, We are your best friends,
they said the freedmen were their enemies,
and they drove them out Of house and home.
The poor freedmen had to go and hunt their
best friends in the woods, where they died by
the thousand Notwithstanding ali this, the
old former masters continued to pat them on
their shoulders and say to them, we are your
best friends. What did it amount to? Why,
it did not amount to a hill of beans. 1t was
too late. They had found friend in the
carpet-baggers, scallawaggers and Union
white men, who were willing to help them
at the foot of the hill when they were strug-
Cling for their rights; and just so long as these
: men help them out of their condition Just so
long will they vote for them. The colored
people have no hatred toward the white peo-
pie of this country at ALL Their wish and
desire is To obey the laws. 1t is true the
Democratic party have tried time and again
to get the colored votes of this country, but
, they have failed, and they will continue to
fail, because they started too late in the day
to get their votes. If they had started to
u befriend the poor freedman when he had no
r vote and allowed them to stay on their lands
the powers on earth could not have separated
. them. To-day there is goody number of
: cOlored men on the same plantation where
o freedom found them. They have not left.
Why? Because they have been allowed a
chance for living as men to support them
. selves and families, and as long as this lasts
9 they will never leave there. The Democrats
e cannot blame the slaves for being free, be-
q cause they had nothing to do with starting
the war; but they had something to do with
ending it, because they fought like heroes IN
y the Union army. Now they are free, and
r have right to say who they shall vote for.
=
a A writer in Ha,per's Magazine describes a
: cotton mill near Queretaro, in Mexico, the
), yard of which is filed with the daintest flow
i era and fruits, with statues and fountains.
r and he asks why Northern factories should
n not be thus endowed, at least so far as the
climate would allow. There would certainly
seem to be no good reason why the surround
r ings Of the average New England factory
q should not be pleasant.
!, The st. Paul Pioneer says that the exper-
!. iment Of planting trees along the line of the
I St. Paul and Pacific Railroad has been very
. successful. The trees planted wero willow,
cottonwood, Lombardy poplar, white ash,
u and box alder. European larch and ash.