Year: 1874

gro. has been adopted, until now he


is the political equal of the white


man. Now that this has been achiev-


ed, the negro business ought to stop.


The country at large is booming dis


gusted with the efforts now being


made to opprcss the whites in the


passage of a bill which is not esseu4


tial to the protection of the


blacks. What the people and


States of the South need, is to be


let alone by Congress and given q


little opportunity for recovering from


the desolation and waste of war.


The Southern people have been


whipped in the battle between the


sections, and except small class of


fossilized politicians and n lot. Of


weak minded young men who part


their hair in the middle, they ac-
knowledge and feel it. FL no State
is the negro deprived of full and


equal protection before the law. Bat
in several Southern States, like
South Carolina, the white man has
no rights which the negro is bound
to respect. The Southern people
have been sufficiently punished for
participation in the rebellion, and in
stead of harrassing and further hu-
initiating them, Congress ought to
extend to them 4 helping hand.


in saying this. do not detract one
iota Of nay previously expressed opin-
ions Of the folly of the Southern peo-
pie, and the crime of their rebellious
leaders. I never supposed that, in
being loyal to the Government, /
ceased TO be q Tennesseean and a
Southern man, and to have a right
to regard the interests of my people
rs a New Englander or Western man
regards the interests Of his No mem
Der Of either House of Congress, has.
suffered more in person at the hands
of the Rebels, than myself, and if /
can afford TO do simple Justice to
those who Have been in error. / do
not see why othes should not do so,
who have less cause than / for re-
feelings.


Instead of Expressing, the Nation
should lift them up from the slough
of despair and encourage them, 1t
is alike its duty and policy to do so.
The iniquitous bin under considera-
tion, does not affect Davis, Toombs
and the South. 1t is, in reality, a
war upon the hundreds of thousands
Of destitute widows and orphans of
the South With the termination Of
the wa. the Southern people, as a
class, were poor, but little property
of any description being left them.
Since the war ended, IN several of
the Southern States, the ignorant,
colored officials and white adventur-
ers, particularly the latter. have
stolen everything that could be car
ried off. The public buildings of
Charity, the Orphan, Blind and In
sane Asylums are left, but the means
for their support are wanting. The
buildings would have been stolen,
but the thieves could not pat them
in bank vault, or carry them in
their pockets. - r.. .....l


The land could not be carried
away, but has been rendered worth
less by taxation, which is so high as
to amount to confscation. il is with
the greatest difficulty that large class
es of people once in afiluent circum-
stances, are enabled TO provide the
of life in the Southern
States. Nearly all the hope of the
rising generation is in their Common
School System. Under this the col
ored people have equal educational
facilities with the whites, though
they don't pay one mill on the dol
lar Of the taxes which are collected
for the support of the schools.


The thousands OF women in every
Southern State, who, though the wid-
Owls of Rebels, arc in no wise respon-
sihle for the war are told, "Your
children shall not GO, to school. un-
less you are subjected to the humil-
Iation OF seeing them educated with
of your former slaves"
The manhood Of the country ought
% rise up against the, petty perse-
cution.


And the undoubted courage and
of President Grant leads
ne to believe he will veto the viii
famous measure If it is passed. The
'esult Of its passage will be that the
school system will be. destroyed, the
var and race preiudices which are
being rapidly obliterated will be re-
rived, with unwonted fury, and the
present generation will not live to
zee so favorable a condition Of af-
airs as exists at this time. A feel
ng of returning loyalty which was
growing in the South will die out
and one of hostility to the Govern
nent will take its place. The mixed
school bill might appropriately bo
"A bill for the encourage
nent of riot and chaos in the South
ern States and for the humiliation Of
he widows and the oppression of
he orphans of the South


With my view Of this question. I
I'M glad to see. that the Superin-
.endent of Public. Instruction for
Tennessee, has taken The initiatory
step for the abolition of the whole
common school of the State, SO that
f the bill should pass the system
nay be abolished without delay. In
he fullest and most emphatic man
Ter possible ! wish to see Tennessee
express the Indignation and disgust
II her people at this palpable inva-
sion of their rights in their purely
domestic relation. H#


If this abomination is submitted TO
BY the people, il will only invite the
adoption Of 10th Amendment To
,hc Constitution, depriying them of
other rights. and after that some
1arrow-Ininded partisan and second
class lawyer, who imagines himself
l statesman. will propose q 18th
Amendment to the Constitution, pro-
Fide7 the fpOple shall then have any