Year: 1867

This officer, commanding the Fourth
Military District, composed Of Missis-
sippi and Arkansas, while being far
from what he ought to be, is the only
Satrap who shows any disposition to-
wards fairness and even handed justice
in his dealings with the whites and
blacks over whom he is given arbitrary
power by the laws of Congress. 1t Is
to be said to his credit that he was the
only one of the five who escaped the
damaging stigma of vote of thanks by
Congress for his administration OF
affairs. Gen. Ord has just issued an
order on behalf of the freedmen, stating
that information had reached him that
in some instances landholders were,
without legal cause, but upon frivolous
pretexts, driving off their laborers, with
view to Withholding from them their
arrearages of pay or shares in the grow
ing crops. The General instrqcts AS
sistant Commissioners ofthe Freedman s
Bureau to investigate these cases, and
where an attempt to defraud the labor
er is found, to bring the offender to
trial before military commission. AS
sistGnt commissioners are also IN
structed to prevent the removal of any
crops, in cases where the shares Of crops
are still due the laborers from last year,
until such shares have been ascertained
and assigned. In case of dispute be-
tween employer and labOrer in the par
tition, and in view of the fact that the
courts of the State are not oper to per-
sons too poor to give bonds, three re-
ferees are to be appointed, one to be
collected by the employer, one by the
laborer, and the third by the other two.
If the two fail to select third, the
nearest Bureau officer is directed to act
as the third party. The decision of the
referees, if made in good faith and in
keeping with this order, is to be entorc-
ed by the agent, who is authorized to
call for aid upon the nearest military
commander. The conclusion of the
Generals order is as just towards the
honest and honorable planters as it
aims to be towards the freedmen who
are defrauded by the dishonest and dis
honorable. 1t shows that the General
respects the people of his, command,
and would not have wrong inference
drawn from the order he has been
obliged to issue. 1t is in these words {:
"The General commanding wishes it to
be understood that the complaints of
frauds upon laborers implicate only a
low class of men in the district, and he
asks all gentlemen engaged in planting
who of course are interested in Lro-
tecting the laborer-tO aid him in pun
ishing and bringing into general con.
tempt all persons whose treatment OF
their hands reflects discredit upon their
class" We venture to say that if the
antecedents of this slow class of men in
the district" were to be examined, they
would show that in nine cases out of
ten where the planter tries to cheat
the freedman he is some northern rad
ical camp follower of the Union army
during the war, who made money
enough to buy plantation by furnish
ing the enemy with supplies or by cot
ton or other thievihg operations. Will e
slavery existed it was universally the
case that the most cruel and exacting
slave owner, trader or overseer was a
northern importation, and the same
rule will now hold good as to defraud-
ing the negroes in their new character
of free laborers.