Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-12-18
Address Of the COlOred People OF
Alabama.

The awakening OF just appreciation In
our minds to the inevitable boon Of freedom
granted to 100000 Of our race by the valor,
fidelity and high moral convictions Of the
people of the Northern States has inspired
the colOred people of the State of Alabama,
in convention assembled, TO place before the
world their true condition at the present
time, and also to invoke your aid to amelio-
rate 1t. It is necessary for us to call your at
tention to the condition of the eolored people
at the time when, as "war measure" Presi-
dent Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proc
lamation, or, more properly, our condition
two years after its promulgation; for but very
few of us In Alabama knew that we had been
made FREQ until after the surrender of the
rebel armies. At that time we we're help.
less, wretched slaves, dependent on the will
Of the masters who owned us; as absolutely as
| any chattel property could be held. The
laws OF Alabama and the inclination OF the
people made il crime for any person to in
struct us how to read and write and every
device that could be thought of by the slave
holder was resorted to in order that we might
be reduced TO the condition Of brutes, except
ing only the leaving to us CT the power Of
speech, for without that our value would
have been less on the auction-block.
Thus, having by hostile laws and immoral
owners been brought TO as degraded a condi-
| ton as it was possible for human beings to
be lowered to, asudden edict bade us rise up
and become /" free men"-as well might the
strong man have bid the helpless babe Of a
few months life to stand up without sup
| port, so helpless were we. More helpless, in
deed for the babe would have all TO learn,
his limbs would be untrammeled, he would
| know nothing of the cruelties wrought by
capricious owners. Our limbs were fettered,
our senses blunted or impaired, the life that
we had been trained TO at the whipping post
! had made night of despair settle upon our
souls. We scarcely believed that we were
human beings when the tidings OF our free
| dom were first impaired to us. In our ter
helplessness the Government Of the United
States did in small degree extend its pro-
tecting arm TO us, in the shape of the Freed
mems Bureau. which was the means OF saving
many thousands Of helpless creatures from
disease and death. But the lease of life of
| that refuge Of safety was too short to have
| the effect Of placing us very far on the road
| to become intelligent and useful citizens.
Never having seen the rights Of man respect
| ed by their white masters, excepting when
enforced by the rifle and pistol, nor taught TO
respect any person but a rich Shareholder, the
| freedman had to be taught civilization as 1t
was understood in the free States of the North
| This was most difficult task for want Of ex-
ample combined with precept.
| Immediately after the slave States had ac-
eepted, nomnally, the Thirteenth amendment
to the Constitution Of the United States, the
Legislature Of Alabama passed various acts
| which became laws, that in every respect, ex.
| cepting the right OF sale of our persons, re.
duced us to practical slavery. These laws
known by various names, were Of such char.
acter as proclaimed to the world that the eX
Shareholders belief was still "the negro had
no rights which a white man was bound tC
respect" The ex-slavehoder believed then
and does believe to this day, and has taught
his children to believe, that we were his prop
erty, his chattels, stolen from him by pow
erfll enemy, who had invaded his country
and TO deprive us of everything VT Carl ant
possess is matter OF right, and that it is hi'
duty to treat as an alien enemy every whit,
man and intelligent colored man who may at
tempt to improve us.
To remedy this evil, If we understand it cor
rectly, the nation gave us the ballot; and by
the advicesof many of our race who had learned
something, and the officers of the Freedmen
Bureau, we exercised, at the peril of our lives
the right that the Fifteenth amendment to th
Constitution had given to us, and by our vote
placed in office those men whom we consid
cred were most friendly to the elevation of ou
race and all mankind. Some Of the mel
whom we had chosen we're inexperienced and
unfortunately, fell into the traps prepared TO
them by the willy lover of slavery, who ha'
sworn to make both emancipation and recon
struction utter failures.
Murderous leagues were formed by the eS
Shareholders, sworn to prevent not only tn
negro and Radical" from voting, but also +
prevent the instruction of the colored people
Leagues sworn to deny their own existence
to hold no oath made before a civil tribuns
sacred, to break open any Jail in the State wher
one of their number should be confined, an
by all the ties that a common cause (love fo
the accursed institution slavery could sug
gest, to accomplish their fell purpose. Th
eX-slaveholders owned the land, supporte
the public press, and held, even after reeor
struction, the majority of the judicial an
. administrative offices in Alabama, all th
powers of which were directed against I'll
colored people of the State, Yet in despit
of all these drawbacks the colored peopl
have worked hard continually since the clos
of the war, both in the cotton and corn field
as the amount produced Of each of tines
staples has not fallen off Except when cate
| up by the cotton -worm), and the only labC
! to be had in the cotton belt of Alabama Wi
i the much h-abused coloTed men who had fO
meTly been slaves, Notwithstanding this faitl
! full work not more than 2 per cent. Of u
: colored people outside of large towns al
cities have had either clothes enough to wear
: food that Northern laborer would eat. I'll
i forced ignorance of our people rendered the
q easy victims OF the fraudulentlY-incl &C
t ton-planter.
h The law books of Alabama are filed wi
o laws that are not enforced when the colort
. man is in the question. The Constitution
4 Alabama provides for equal rights, immur
ties and privileges for all classes of citizen
abundant funds for educational purposes, b
Y all these guarantees are mere words set up'
! paper, to be scoffed at by the tyrannicaI e
" Shareholders, now calling themselves Il
n Democratic and Conservative party of Al
q bama. During the past two years cry
), down with the negro, commonly known
> the Race issue" has been taken up by
u most every class Of eX-slaveholders in Al
q bama, and through the excitement produc
is by this race appeal hundreds Of our peoI
is have been murdered, thousands have be
r driven from the farms upon which they ha
n lived, and which they had rented and cul
4 waited, without being permitted TO take
!. pound OF cotton with them which they h
n raised, or the provisions which they h
T. stored The local civil authorities have be
is in league with the law-breakers, and the sc
"a timent of the communities has applaud
A. the acts Those of Our own race and VIII
10 loyal men whom we have chosen to represe
- us have either been driven sway or bruta
- and cowardly assassinated by the Ku-Klux
~ White League organization, and the social
le best men in the State the finest legal tale
a have volunteered TO defend the few men W
- have been arrested by the United Sta
authorities, charged with committing thu
terrible crimes. Correspondents of some
the New York newspapers who have, be