American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-29

We present our readers with an
extract from a lecture delivered OH
the 10th lust. by Rev. DIR. Stocking,
of Chicago, who visited Mobile and
New Orleans not long since, and
who in his honesty speaks the
truth. He was already distin-
guished in the ministry, but these
last charitable remarks will i'm
mortalize him ia the minds of
many.
In spite of
the allegations of politicians we be-
lieve no more peaceful people can be
found to-day than in Louisiana and
Arkansas. Ruffianism there is.
but under cOntrO. And in no por
ton of those States did we find
evidence of one fourth as much ras-
cality and corruption Oh the part of
their own citizens as meets us on
every hand in our own city of Chi
cago. The relations of the white
and cOlOred people are on the whole,
most ,LmicaDir, and will continue
so, in SO tar as the latter are I'M
molested by politicians. No rights
of their newly acquired citizenship
will be contested, but public offices
will be cheerfully shared with them
if only common sense and decency
are respected in their selection.
What the South, and especially
Louisiana, needs is, not force bills,
but peace, industry and less taxa
ton. Security in the receipt and
enjoyment of the fruits of ones
labor is not only a stimulus, it is
the absolute prerequisite to gener-
al industry and frugality. Few are
willing to produce what others are
to consume, and men will not work
hard for anything more than mere
necessities when tyraunical violence
is likely to tear 1t from them. In
Alabama property has been taxed
per cent, and IN Louisiana it has
had to carry burden of 8 11-100
per cent. Vicksburg complains
that her municipal debt has been
increased in six years from $4,000
to 8 i. 400, 900, aud all she can SLOW
for it Is few hundred yards of
Nicholson pavement. New Orleans
bids her sister take what uncertain
comfort she can in the iact that she
herself has $2,OOO,O0O in matured
obligations. Even at the few conf
mercial and financial centres. mon
ey is very scarce and such local eX-
pedients as Car tickets and corpora
ton scrip are resOrt9d to for clrren-
cy. Most of all this is the dir, Ct
result of administration of
government, fraudulent elections
corrupt officials, and consequent ex-
trOardinary depression of property
values.
And SO we conclude our lecture
as we began, by saying that, in our
humble judgment, the Southern
people are entirely misunderstood
by a large proportion of their
Northern brethen. They accept
the results of the war without man-
tai reservation. They are the
friends of the negro. and known
better than we can that, as they
need him, SO he none the less needs
them. To sincere acknowledge
ment of the supremacy of the
Federal Government they add the
desire aud the ability to administer
their own local governments, msin-
tanning peace and dispensing just ice
to all men without Partially. They
are not . lazy people, seeking to
eat the bread earned by the sweat
of black brOws, but are as anxious
for productive industry as we are.
To Us who have seen men in form
erly high social professional station,
and women who shOne in splendOr
rs queens of refined circles, now ell
gagged in manual labor for their |
daily bread, EVEN these women,
marx you, plOaghing and sowing
in the field who have seen q busy |
people along the watercourses of
Florida, among the mines of Ala
bama, in the fOI ests of Mississippi,
and over beautiful fields of louisa !,
ma, all striving for the sweet returns
of honest labOr-tO us who have
seen all this, the allegation of dis
Senator that in IL recent
Southern town he could not find
one white man at work seems very
reading. Ii is due to truth
that the statement in question lie
branded as deliberate untruth, !,
uttered manifestly for unworthy
purposes. and a gross caricature of
d disheartened and wronged peO-
pie.
Whatever their past errors, or in
what degree they must hold them
selves responsible for their present
it is not our province to
enquire or discuss. We are insis>
ting in our Congressional legisIa-
ton that they shall be in theory
what we would have them he in
fact-Our brothers, in country, race,
and sympathy, and not aliens or
enemies. And the Apostle has
hidden us Glove the brotherhood"
So far as We Churchmen are con-
cerned, it cannot he that We shall
pray for call sorts and conditions
Ut men," and then close our hearts
and eyes to the sufferings OF those
W hO are bound, SO many of them,
to us by the strong bond of com
70