The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-24

II. StepnenS, VINO 1urnlsneQ Cnelu Wild
the means of coming home. This case
is fully reported in one of the earlier
volumes of our supreme court reports,
for the will of Major Waters was at
tackled by his heirs.
But the common people Of the South,
the yeomanry, the toilers, were no
lovers OF the negro. They realized that
he was in their way. The masters
owned the best of the land and had the
best stock and the best houses and tools
and vehicles, while the toilers had to
take what they could get-no wonder
they were jealous of the institution.
And yet these men, poor and strug-
Cling for livelihood in the mountains
of North Georgia or down in the piney
woods, did not hesitate to shoulder
their rifles and hurry to their country's
call. "My country-right or wrong"-
was their motto. Only one-seventh of
the taxpayers of the state were owners
of slayes in 1860 and not more than
one soldier in ten was interested in
slavery. In fact, some counties in
North Georgia sent more soldiers to the
field than there ware slaves in the coun-
ty.
Surely these men were not fighting
for slavery or its perpetuation. They
fought as their forefathers did who
resisted little tax on tea when not one
in thousand drank it. The common
idea was that "them fellers up North
had been kickin' at US a long time, and
if old Joe Brown and Bob Toombs and
Howell Cobb said it was time to cut
loose from 'em and fight them it was
all right and they were ready"
But anti:slavery was not predomi-
nant sentiment up North outside of
New England. The cry of the west and
of most of the North was "the ULion-
it must be preserved" General Grant,
whom the North idolized and honored,
was himself slave owner and lived off
of their hire in st. Louis until freedom
came. Some of Mrs. Lincoln's kindred
in Kentucky were slave owners and
her brother served as staff officer in
the Confederate army. Mr.. Lincoln
himself declared that he only signed
the emancipation proclamation as q
war measure to suppress the rebellion
as it was called and to save the Union.
He repeatedly refused to take such a
step though urged by the members
of his cabinet to do so. General FIRE.
mont, in August, 1861, issued a military
order that emancipated the slaves of
rebels in Missouri. Mr.. Lincoln prompt
ly revoked this order. In May, 1862,
General Hunter issued q similar order
declaring all slaves in Georgia, South
Carolina and Florida forever free. So
soon as Mr.. Lincoln heard of it he
issued proclamation declaring it void
and in his letter to Horace Greedy in
August, 1862, he said: my paramount
object is to save the Union and not
either to save or destroy slavery. If I
could save the Union without freeing
any slave I would do it. If I could do it
by freeing all the slaves I would do it.,
and if I could save it by freeing some
and leaving others alone I would do
that" In the minds Of both Lincoln and
Grant there was but little sentiment
concerning slavery as an institution,
but after emancipation they very ma
turally accepted all the honor that the
North and England showered upon
them and entered heartily into plans
for the safe adjustment of the matters
that this sudden enfra nch isement in
volved.
Such, my young friends, were the
causes and consequences of the institu-
ton ofslavery in Georgia. For half a
century it had proved blessing to
both races-a blessing to the negro be-
cause it had brought him from saw
age s!ate into that of standardization
and had elevated his posterity and
given them chance to live as human
beings and to worship God as Chris
tians-a blessing to the white race in
clearing up the forests and advancing
agriculture and in building our rail-
roads. But as the years rolled on it
seemed to be manifested that the in
stitution had run its course and the
time was near at hand when it would
cease to be blessing to either race.
Before the late war, its doom was
inevitable, for even had secession sue
ceeded and slavery continued it could
not have been maintained against the
convictions of the unfriendly North
and the nations that sympathized with
her.
Why this wonderful change in the
status Of 1900, 900 of slaves had to be
baptised in blood and in tears to make
it reality is known only to that Provi-
dence who doeth all things we'll. We
might as we'll ask why Cain was per-
mitted to kill Abel, or why Napoleon
was permitted to ravage Europe and
destroy millions of lives, and after all
accomplish no good that we can see.
But the negro was safe during all the
struggle. Whether he stayed or fled he
was in no danger. He seemed to have
DO deep concern about his freedom or a
continuation of his bondage. Thou
sands of them followed their young
masters in the war-many of them
were captured, but would not stay.
"Gwine back to Dixie" was their song.
Never was such mutual affection shown
between master and servant; never
such proof that in the main the master
was kind and the servant loyal. Dur