Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-03-20
For the CHRONICLE.
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH.

AT last the die is cast, and the long |
talked of iniquity accomplished.
The laws of God, the laws of nature, |
the laws of man and the laws of the |
Constitution of the United States,
have all been disregarded and tramp |
led upon.
The civil rights bill, contrary to the |
wishes Of four-fifths of the people of
the United States, has been passed
through both houses of Congress and
become law: law that can not pos
sibly be of any benefit to the people,
but may bring great evil upon our
country. CDce in time laws enacted
by Congressional aud Legislative
bodies we're thought to be intended
for the good of the people, but now
parties must first be served, and if
necessary, the people ruined, in order
to keep themselves in power. For
whose good was this civil rights bill
passed? Was it for the good of the
thirty odd millions of tax paying white
people of the country, or any portion
of them, outside of party considera-
tons? No. Was it intended for the
good of the colored people of the
United States? No. | positively as
sert that it was not, and the most in
telligent Of those same men who voted
for the bill know very well that the
chances are good for it to work a ter
rible injury to the colored people of
the Southern States. Then why did
they pass it? Because they believed
that it would be for the good of the
Radical party; and | do here assert,
that if it was in their power they
would sacrifice every colored man,
woman and child in the South, and
bring war and ruin upon the whole
nation, if by so doing they could per-
petuate their party and keep them
selves in power. This is bold asser-
ton, and | am very sorry that l am
compelled to believe it, but their acts
during the last few years up to the
present time have necessarily forced it
upon me. But, thanks to our allwise
Father, there is still patriotism enough
left in our once noble old country to
save it if properly exercised, and as
much of this patriotism, noble sons
and daughters of the South must come
from you in the present crisis, l hope
you will permit me to plead with you
in behalf of the great cause of pros
perity and liberty in your beautiful
and bright sunny land and in behalf
of liberty and freedom throughout
what once was our proud Republic.
tits probably within your power to
say whether or not we shall all be free
or slaves, for what is the fate of one
section must be the fate of the other.
if not to-day in time very soon to come,
for no permanent line can ever be
drawn to mark the boundary between
a free North, and an enslaved South.
Therefore | say, your acts in the
present crisis may not only shape the
destiny of yourselves, but Of the
whole nation and the nations children,
and grand children for ages to come.
For ten years or more we know that
you have suffered yourselves to be
plundered and imposed upon in almost
every form, by the emisaries and sa-
traps of despOts, with muskets and
bayonets at their backs, but for the
sake of peace and quiet, and the priv
ilege of making living for your loved
ones you have suffered in silence, and
many of you may now think that 'for-
bearance has ceased to be a virtue"
that you have bourne up under the
heavy load long enough, and that the
last feather has been added that
breaks the camels back" We will
admit that this does almost seem to be
so but we ask of you in the name of
God, and Liberty. and our own dear
native land, to bear these burdens with
patience and in peace for just two
short years more, and then quietly lay
them down, and
Be<feemen, or lay in freemen's graves:
Swearing, never more to be tyrant's slaves.
Remember that the poor colored peo-
pie, whom many of you think are the
cause of your troubles, are only the
tools in the hands of your malignant
enemies, and that it is ignorance alone
that prevents them from distinguish
ing clearly their warmest and best
friends from their meanest and worst
enemies. Remember also, that they
are not altogether responsible for being
thus ignorant, for it has been but a
few years since they, as slaves were
toiling for your support as we'll as their
own, whilst you were attending school
and being educated. This should be
thought of by you and considered as a
reasonable excuse for much of their
ignorance. Remember too, that they
have been taught both privately and
publicly by the lowest class of politi-
cal demagogues, who have used every
means in their power to instill in their
minds hatred of the Southern people,
in order that they might use them for
the benefit of themselves and their
, villainous masters, who employed and
paid them out of the peoples monies
, to perform this degrading work. The
colorcd people were once your friends
and with proper teachings from just
, . and honest people, and forbearance
and patience on your part, will, in a
very few years, be so again, for hun
, dreds of them are already beginning
to see the error of their way, and are
turning with mistrust from those vile
miscreants who have been promising
them so much. yet giving them poth-
, ing that would furnish bread and meat
| for themselves and impoverished
, families. This enactment of the
civil rights bill can be of no possible