The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-02
asgIhEa CASE ST FORTY ACRES
snG 4 sMhuLE.'


1ege Of doing nothing began 70 pail. as
the fact OF having nothing became in
sis;ent; when the Joys OF Irresponsible y
to any master took The disagreeab.e shape
of having no one responsible for the
provision Of shelter, food and raiment.
Coincident with this frame OF mind in
the negro was the birth of the carpet
bagsers' scheme for dominion and plum
der OF the reconstructed States through
agency Of solid negro vote The mo-
ment was propitious. The freedman's
bureau drove the negroes to work and
dictated to the white farmers the terms
Of employment. The personnel of the
bureau undertook the the organiza ion of
the loyal league to consolidate the ne
grocs into reliable political machine.
The league was supported by a fixed
tax upon the wages Of the negro and
The inducement to the latter was a po-
litical millennium enfranchisement of
the blacks. ostracisn of the whites and
ouch general distribution of property as
would make each loyal Lacquer the hap
by possessor Of forty acres and mule
al the features of this scheme ma
iarialized in the dire course of events,
except the benefits promised to the ne
gro lie was made a voter. to be sure.
Tor not otherwise could his new master
clutch the reins Of force and the keys OF
treasures; but his share OF the pubic
F2o!ls dwindled to an occasional tlsA
pf manual grade IN the cellar of the
structure Of which he was the founda-
lion: his n1ileniaI sovereignty shrunl 10
the proportions OF always voting AT
his party's CALI to be held a trai or
III he ever thought Of thinking for HIM
self at alI;" while that promised slice Of
pld masters land, with that hyb id
(dear 10 Sambo's hearD which was to
plough it. passed INTO the province of
baseless visions anu promises unfulGled.
But the negro has an enormous capac-
,ty for being deceived. The way III watch
he allows himself to be fieeced time and
again by the same shearers, on The same
tine of false pretense is both pa hetic
and suggestive; pathetic for obvious rea-
sons; suggestive of an incurable unfit
ness for se-f-guidance, which makes him
.urn again and again to Ieade shin
oroyed to be untrue rather than tgust
his own powers, And while he is not
particularly industrious. frugal or scou,s-
Is,iye somehow the negro, as = freed
man, Ia always since the very first
known period, had enough OF this world s
goods to make him the object OF
r,,oiI,o+;,,, :, s,,,,a e,,,,, or o.,or ,r,a
r-...d,,,s,,,s ,,an,, s1yir,7fe fo1,or,a, ,,.r,,
man ,,ts ,acotr+ f,,,, tho e-o,-.,,,,,,,o,,t
- ~ eio.. .-7 ,,,.,n,;.e r,o,o7 ~.
- hi-, no soldier ,,,d ,,..,ra 80 ~,
nation. and tho fsrat;o ..i,o1i,i,nfet and
he ,,roraesi,,,a, r,iIa,,f,ro,,is, ION, =
hands i, ,,or,hi,,r, ~, ,,.c.o ,7.r,os; o,,,
z,i,, zaa1 and +boroDahross which 1e<t
nothing "a ba either desired or racov-
.rad
70, rai,,,,r r-or, ,bese ,,-,o,.ior-ae
nor from others AZ we'll authenticated
sin ,na rarro laarn 70 4ist,,,s+ the trf.,d-
z,i, which ,,a,.ar nv an. acc;a.,, .,-
,,.~s oXca-+ j., ~ ,,,;sa 90 oo,Ia,..r
m, terms ~ ,ha contra. ,,,,no,,,,a.7 -.
~ ,,,o,..,,;a, ,7,;,.,,..,..a 1919.
ts,,,rto,,s of don,n-ro94.,, 80, .r,
.na,,i,ab,a and ;nva-iahIe Tbav an
all -. ra,-,,a,,. -, ~. ,,erro :, oos,,
and IN advance. they al, Offer &c mo ro-
,,,,,, ,orei9a,.a+ior ia Tho negro s,nerl,-
tive PROMISES Of proft or of benefit -
he realized in the future
From, the Iova1 IearDe and the freed
mans bank TO the hurna nitarjan who
made his fortune nv selling the decoctio1
warranted to straiehlen the kinks out
of African wool. the benefit to be con-
ferred is always in the future and the
price 10 be paid Is ALWAYS in the pres
rnt. There is a tender spirit to feel for
him. subtle train to work for him. a
stout nerve 20 fight for him an eloquent
tongue TO talk for him. an extensive in
Huence 10 exert for him. but the money
n1,lSf NJ booming cT hes