Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-22

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attended to as we're his own wife and
children, and the same doctor attended
to one did to theothers. But no, there
is nothing like being free. We are ell
free now boys, all free, and as a matter
Of course Il must follow that we are all
'hsppy, and there Is nothing like betdg
happy. My eolOred friends, we have
Just been looking ofcr the old time
when Ne were slaves, and / have
.summed-u all fits facts and ieateres
and have come to the following con
illusions, land let US stick to the truth,
for it Is DO use now to tel falsehoods):
We are all free in one sense and all
slaves 10 another. II | hire myself,
my time and my labor to work for a
man, | do his bidding, do as he wishes
me, and really | have no say SO in the
matter, but 90 ahead end do it, if not,
| am turned of. This looks a great
deal ike slavery: here | can see but
little difference. This Is all that is in
it. The only difference that | can see
is, that he pays me for M labor, aud
with that pay | am bound to support
myself, wife aud little ones. When we
we're slaves we did the same kind OF
work for him, aud he fed, clothed aud
otherwise supported US himself. 1t is
only changing the thing from him TO
us About the only difference is that
We can quit working for him now
whenever we wish, and when slaves
we could not. Another thing =,
when We were slaves our masters were
responsible for our bad Conduct. II
We were rogues masters were re
sponsible TOR us and our stealing. but
now the present state of things is.
that in becoming freed from our mas
ters, we are made accountable to the
laws-the laws become our masters
If l don't behave myself and con-
duet myself inside the pales OF the
law, l am taken up and punished,
perhaps q great deal worse than if |
we're a slave, for when a slave land my
conduct was sufficient to cause me TO
be punished, | was only whipped or
punished in some other way by my
master and this was the end OF it, but
since | have been turned over to my
self the Law puts me in Jail aud per-
haps 10 tho %penitentiary, and there l
m ordered and compelled to work.
and if refuse to do 50 or act badly
while in the States prison | am
whipped and corrected, perhaps a
great deal more than my master did,
and in addition 10 this the State gets
my labor get nothing in return. In
the State prison | am ordered to do
thus and so by the warden or super
intendent; be for the time is my mas
ter o and | am denied the privileges
and pleasures that my master always
granted me. Is this freedom: is this
worse or as bad as my condition was
when a slave2 After thinking over
this time and again, as l have often
done, | have come to the conclusion
that it matters not how we are stu
ated. VIZ are all slaves moro or less,
our masters Furnishing US when we
acted badly. aud in such a way as to
need furnishing; then it was over.
The law for the same or perhaps less
offenses continues cur punishment for
years, sometimes for q Ii etime. The
only thing in this is our masters are
changed and things reversed.
To day, this day, the 9Th day Of
January, the day that Old Hickory
waxed, as it was said, Buckingham at
New Orleans so quickly aud SO we'll,
aud really had il not been for cur
mutual friend A j.. instead Of enjoy
ing all the rights and privileges that
freedom gives, We might new be in the
same condition that our Irish cousins
are in, if not a great deal worse.
To day the wonder Of Kansas will
be exhibited in Topeka, the capital OF
the State. To day the first Demo
cratic Governor Of Kansas will be
inAugurated at the Capitol with all
the pomp aud grandeur that attend
such august occasions. To day thou
sands and thousands Of long years
laboring Democrats will cling around
their Governor shouting amen. We
are successful at last. Let God be
praised for his intinite goodness and
mercy. Between IL and | O'Clock to-
day the Hon. Mr.. Click, Governor
elect, will take the oath OF his Office
and enter upon his new labors for the
coming two years If 10 longer. After
the Inauguration q grand bali will be
given at the S~tatehouse or Capitol,
Everybody, | suppose, will be happy
to night and for days 10 come, ex.
; oept those that have been defeated
aud their followers. | have Just re.
ceived a dispatch from a friend at To.
peka while writing this letter, saying.
My dear NJ, the newly elected Gov.
I ernor is being inaugurated, while | am
telegraphing this to you, God be
, praised, to which | replied amen
let US pray" and my honest and faith
ful prayer was, that this kind of thine
: last throughout all coming time.
You will remember that ex.Gov.
ernor John p. ST. John has been the
Republican Governor of the State Of
Kansas for four years, and he so work,
ed his wires last summer that he wa,
again nominated for the third term
irrespective of the old time precedent
OF every State in the Union from tim,
immemorial. This man st. John il
the great Father Mathew Of the West
the great ProhibitiOnist OF Kansas
: : and through this plank Of his platform
. he proposed TO again become Gov
,, ernor Of the State-in fact, he wa,
certain Of success, as be told many o.
/, his friends.
. There are q great many Germans in
! the State oil Kansas. These Germans
selected, as | understand, one OF theil
most intelligent and trustworthy men,
! and sent him to Governor st. John "a
4 say to him, that he had been sent by
his people TO know if it were possible
: that the Germans, as well as ali Others
we're to be denied the privilege Of
e using their wine and beer. He said
that there we're a good many Germaul
in tue State; that they paid their
S taxes punctually; they worked bard.
q and we're q law abiding people; thai
they had used their beer and wine
from childhood that the first shinQ
that passed their lips after they were
M 6rst born was beer that it was a ruiz
y to give the babies a little beer as theiI
drst or maiden drink that theil
f,thare e,d mothara had aiwo,. .-I,