Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-11-16
NOVEMBER 16. 1877.

easily buy land in the South. The citizen
who was lately slave is paid very little for
his labor, and fails into debt lie cannot
leave the farm on which he lives unless his
debts are cancelled. Ii l. the scheme OF
many an old master that these debts shall
not be too swiftly paid. Put your ear to
the ground in some of the best society in
the Middle States, AMI you will find rot a
little tremOr there from the fear that a time
may come within fifty years when large
part Of the black race will fall into the con-
dltion OF the Mexican poems, held in kind
of qualified bondage for debt II you do not
anticipate trouble from that source. it II vet
certain that many do, and cannot under
take to assert, at this distance from the
scene, that there IL not threat in that
cloud that lies along the Southern horizon
Applause.
But there are much blacker clouds there.
A strange land this, over the mellow acres of
which we gaze from the windows Of our
freedmens >chOolhOuSe. Twenty-Five and
hve-tcnths per cent OF the population OF the
South over ten years of age cannot read
Thirteen millions are here. and a quarter Of
them need to use the spelling-book yet. |
speak with all sympathy Tor section of our
nation that has exhibited great bravery, and
Is certainly able to educate its citizens if it
has the will to do 50. But it has not had
that will AT this moment, it is true that
my native State Of New York spends more
for education than all the South. It YOUR
uneducated freedmen were as well educated
as the average Southern white men, they
would not bc well enough educated to take
care of themselves and become intelligent vot
ers- Thirty nine per cent of the voters of the
South cannot read the names of the candidates
printed on their ballots. Three and eight
tcnths per cent of the Middle States and
New England are illiterate--that is, Of the
Population over ten years of age, that per
ccntagc cannot read. Three and iour-tcnths
per cent only OF the Western States are il
literate. ! whisper this in Boston we are
behind the upper part of the Mississippi
Valley. Laughter. In Alabama, fifty
three per cent Of the voters are ilhterate :
even in kentucky, twenty-eight per cent are
illiterate; in Mary land, twenty-five in Del
aware, twenty-four. OF tho 1000 600 illit-
crate voters in tho United States, 100 600
are in the Southern States, which elect 81
Of the n Senators and 100 of the 292 Repre-
sentatiyes in Congress.
Here is mass of uneducated suffrage and
who is exploiting it? Look at the negro in
his schoolhOuse. Behind him is his master,
to whom be is in debt; and on the other
side OF him Is strange figure in American
politics, not often seen in our land, but one
that has been potent in the politics of other
lands. This historic form wears pontifcal
robes. | open authentic documents con-
corning the condition of the freedmen. and
find them resolving the other day, in a grave
public assembly at Macon THAT this meet
ing appoint committee to wait upon the
Ri. Rev. Bishop Gross. who is now in this
city. to obtain his views as to the educa-
tional policy of the Catholic church in re-
gard to the colored people of the South, and
to ascertain to what extent we may look to
that organization Tor assistance in the work
of educating our children" Other docu-
ments assure us that from Baltimore there
has lately been projected a great aggressive
campaign upon the South. New schools for
colored children are to be Immediately oJcn-
ed-ten in Georgia, fifteen in Alabama,
twenty-five in Louisiana. These Romish
schools will offer board and tuition free to
colored young men and women. If the I'M
educated suffrage of North and South in one
mass is ever to be exploited by single hand
on the Tiber, II serious hour il ahead OF US.
Rolling through the Berkshire hills, few
days since, and up the fat valley of the Mo-
hawk to Syracuse, TO address an audience
for the purpose of arOusing interest in the
efforts of Protestant free schools in the
South, studied on the way the case of the
six thousand pupils Of these struggling, he
roic institutions at Nashville and Atlanta
and Talladegu and Memphis. So great was
the contrast of their poverty with the opu-
lence Of the Connecticut, the Hudson, and
the Mohawk valleys | glided through, that
found myself growing sick at heart
as ! looked out OF the windows.
Schools for freedmen in the South de-
pend yet almost exclusively upon the
North for their support. No doubt the
freedmen help themselves as far as they
can but they are exceedingly poor. There
are men who wish to teach their brethren,
both in secular things and divine; and they
are burning pine-knOts, instead of candles,
for they cannot pay for the latter. They
wish To 20 out five, ten, fifteen miles into
the country, and cannot pay their railway
fares; and so for any distances under
twenty miles they walk Again and
again their lonely visits in the country
side arc subjected to insults from
rOughs OF the poor white class. A negro
preacher is not welcome guest at plant
er's mansion. 1t is only Yesterday that the
South had in it armed bands that would not
permit negro to vote. Over fifty school
bOusas IpaludipD nhurabnS ngnI u.bonl-
houses, were burned in Mississippi Whole
tiers Of counties were subjected to political
terrorism. No doubt the negro has made
mistakes. He had a majority in Mississippi
and he did not act there like saint hut
very like an uneducated black rascal. lie
did things in his official capacity to
which | would not have submitted had
| been white citizen in that State
but he acted as it was to have been
expected that he would, without education
and with slavery behind him. In South
Carolina the black man has majority, and
he has not acted there like a citizen under
standing his duties. bat like an uneducated
freedman. lie has gone to the wall in
in spite OF being in majority.
He will go to the wall in South Caro-
iiun, III rpfto VI pciHs III i" mhIplltf thclt.
If you would keep him from being pressed
to fatness against that wall, you must do SO
by ringing his school and college-bells
In the cause of the freedman, the bugles of
were once at the front, the
bugles of Antietam, the buglcs of Lookout
Mountain. But, to-day, in that cause. as
holy now as ever, the only sounds We hear at
The front are confused, half-chokcd noises Of
'chool and colege-bells Applause. You
who answered the bugles at Ant:etam you
who answered the roll of the drums in the
,moke of Lookout Mountain; you who
understand how many unknown graves
here are in the South will you not hear the
confused noise of the college-bcllI and follow
hem with righteous and victorious aid, as
nee you followed the bugles? Applause