Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-06-09

in the battle between the sections. ant
except small class of fossilized poll
ticians and lot of weak minded youn!
men who part their hair in the middle
they acknowledge and feel if. In NJ
State is the negro deprived of full anC
equal protection before the law. Blu
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 suffi
GENTLY punished for participation in
| the rebellion, and instead of harrass.
ing and further humiliating them
Congress ought to extend to them a
helping hand.
In saying this, L do not detract one
iota of my previously expressed opin-
ions of the folly of the Southern peo-
pie, and the crime of their rebellious
leaders. l never supposed that, in
being loyal to the Government, |
ceased to be a Tennesseean and a
Southern man, and to have right to
regard the interests Of my people as q
New Englander or Western man re-
CARDS his. No member of either House
of Congress has suffered more in per-
son at the hands of the rebels, than
myself and if [ can afford to do simple
justice to those who have been in er-
ror, [ do not see why others should
not do so, who have less cause than
for revengful feelings.
Instead of expressions. the Nation
should lift them up from the slough
of despair and encourage them. 1t is
like its duty and policy to do so. The
Ubiquitous bill under consideration.
does not affect Davis, TOOmbs. and
the leaders of the South. 1t is, in re-
alIty, war upon the hundreds of
thousands of destitute widows and Or
phans of the South. With the ttrmi-
nation of the war, the Southern PEG
pie, as a class, were poor, but little
property of any description, being left
them. Since the war ended, in seve-
raj OF the Southern States, the igno-
rant, colOred officials and white adj
venturers. particularly the latter, have
stolen everything that was portable,
everything that could be carried off.
The public buildings of Charity, the
Orphan, Blind and Insane Asylum3
are left, but the means for the support
are wanting. The buildings would
have been stolen, but the thieves could
not put them in bank vault, or car
ry them in their pockets,
The land could not be carried away,
but has been rendered worthless by
taxation, which is so high as to
amount to cOnfiscation. 1t is with the
greatest difficulty that large classes of
people, once in af1iuent circumstances,
are able to provide the necessaries
of life in the Southern States. Nearly
all the hope Of the rising generation is
III their Common School System. Tn
der this the colOred people have equuL
educational facilities with the whites,
though they don't pay one mill on the
de ar OF the taxes which are collected
tCr the support Of the schools.
The thousands of women in every
Southern State, who. though the wild
ows of Rebels, are in no wise respom-
sible for the war, Me told, Your
Children shall not go to school unless
you are subjected to the humiliation of
seeing them educated with the children
OF your former slaves" The manhood
of the country ought to rise ~ against
the petty persecution.
And the undOubted courage and gem
erOsity Of President Grant leads me to
believe he Will veto the villainous
measure if it is passed. The result of
its passage Will he that the school sys-
TEN will he destroyed, the war and
race prejud ces which were being rap
idly ODiiterated will he revived. with
wonted fury and the present genera
ton VIII not live to see so favorable a
condition of affairs as exists at this
tim. n feeling Of returning loyalty
which was growing in the South will
die out and one Of hostility to the
Government will take its place. This
mixed school bill might appropriate
y he termed, "A bill for the encuur-
agement of riot and chOas ili the
Southern States and for the humilia-
ton of the widows and the oppression
of the orphans of the South"
With my view of this Glestion,
am glad to see that the Superinteud-
ent of Public instruction for Tennes-
se9, has TAX Ken the initiatory step for the
abolition Of the whole common school
of the state, so that if the bill should
pass, the system may be abolished
without delay, In the fullest and
most emphatic manner possible, | wish
to see Tennessee express the indigna-
ton and disgust for her people at this
palpahle invasion of their rights in
their purely domestic relation.
Ii this abOmination is submitted to
by the people, it will only invite the
adoption of 10th Amendment to the
constitution, depriving them of other
rights. and after that some narrow
minded partisan and second-class law
yer, who imagines himself a states
man, VIII propose 18th Amend
ment to the Constitution, provided the
people shall then have any rights to
usurp.
w. G. BROWLOW.
Knoxville. June 1st 1874