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About Weekly constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 185?-1877 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1867)
THE WEEKLY CONSTITTJTIONALLST Mr. Georare Peabody. ANOTUEH MCMriCENT GIFT. Tue following letter from Mr. George Pea-! l»ody, and the aecomi/anving resolutions, will explain themselves : To Hon. Robert C. Wintbrop, of Massachusetts ; Hon. ILumlton Fish, of New York; Right Rev. Charles P Mellvaino, of Ohio ; .General ,of the United States Army; Hon. C ' Rl ', e8 ' ot Vir Sinia ; Hon. John 11. . ‘ linord, ot Massachusetts; Ifon. William! Aiken, of South Carolina.; William M. Evarts, Esq., ot New York; Hon. Willkrm A. Gra- j nam, of North Caroliui ; Charles Maealester, I of Pennsylvania ; George W. Riggs,! „ Ellington ; Samuel Wettoore, Esq., S, Aew y ° rli * Edward A. Bradford, Esq., of Louisiana ; George N. Eaton, Esq., of Mary land, arid George Peabody Russell, Esq., ol Massachusetts: j Gentlemen- : I beg to address vou on a subject winch occupied my mind long before licft England,.and in regard to which one, at least, of you (the Hon. Mr. Winthrop, the distinguish- ; < a am. valued friend to whom I am so much in uebteo for cordial sympathy, careful considera tion and wise counsel in this matter,) vjplll re member that I consulted immediately upon my arrival, in May lust. I refer to the educational heeds of those por tioua of our beloved and common country which have suffered from the destructive rava ges and tiie not less disastrous consequences of civil war. With ray advancing years my attachment to in} native land has but become more devoted. My hope and faith in its successful and glorious luture have grown brighter and stronger, and ‘ now, looking forward beyond my stay on earth, j as may be permitted to one who has passed the limit of three score and ten years, I see our counti y united and prosperous, emerging from ; th' CiOuds which still surround her, taking a .ghqi Lank among the nations, and becoming neher and more powerful than ever before. ~ . m *kc her prosperity' more than super- ! it, V r iutellectual development should keep pace with her material growth, and in.those portions of om -nation to which I have, i etcrred, the urgent and pressing physical needs our almost impoverished people must for some years preclude tlieni from making, by un aided effort, such advances in education and such progress in the diffusion of knowledge among all classes as every lover of his country must earnestly desire. I feel most deeply, therefore, that it is the duty and privilege of the more favored and wealthy portions of our nation to assist those who are less fortunate, and, with the wish to discharge, so flit- as I may be able, mv own re sponsibility in this matter,'as well as"to gratify uiy desire to aid those to whom I am bound by so many ties of attachment and regard, I give to you, gentlemcu, ipost of whom have been my personal and especial friends, the sum of one million of dollars, to be by' you and vour suc cessors held in trust, and the income thereof used anil applied in your-discretion for the pro motion and encouragement of intellectual, mor al or industrial education among the young of the more destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States of our Union ; my purpose being that the benefits intended shall be dis tributed among the entire population, without other distinction than their needs and the op portunities of usefulness to them. Besides the income thus devised, I give to you permission to use from the principal sum, with in the next two years, an amount not exceeding forty per cent. In addition to this gift, I place in your Viands bonds of the State ot Mississippi, issued to the Planters’ Bank, and coruraouly known as Plaut us’ Bank bonds, amounting, with iuterest, to ! about eleven hundred thousand dollars, the amount realized by you from which is to be add ed to and used for the purpose of this trust. These bonds were originally issued in pay ment for stock iu that bank held by the State, I and amounted iu all to only two millions of dollars. For many years the State received large dividends from that bank over and above the interest on these bonds. The State paid the iuterest without interruption till 1840, since which no interest lias been paid, except a pay ment of about one hundred thousand dollars which was paid iu the treasury applicable to the payment of the coupons, and paid by' a mandamus ot the Supreme Court. The validi ty of these bonds has never been questioned, aud they must not be confounded with another issue of bonds made by the State to the Union Bank, the recognition of which has been a sub-, jeei of controversy with a portion of the popu lation of Mississippi. Various acts of tbe Legislature, viz : of Feb-! rnary 28, 1842; February 28, 1*14; February! 16, 1846; February 98, 1846; March 4, 1848, j and the highest judicial tribunal of the State has confirmed their validity, and 1 have uo j doubt that at an early clay such legislation will ' be had as to make these bonds available in | increasing the usefulness of the present trust. Mississippi, though now depressed, is rich in ! agricultural resources, and cannot loug disrc- j gard the moral obligations t esting upon her to j make provision for their payment. In confirm- ; atlou of what I have said in regard to the leg islative ausl judicial action concerning the State j bonds issued to the Planters’ Bank, I herewith ; place in your hands the documents marked A. The details and organization of the trust I leave with you, only requesting that Mr. Win throp may be chairman and Governor Fish aud Bishop Mcllvaine vice chairmen of your body, j And I give to you power to make all necessary by-laws aud regulations, to obtain an act of in corporation, if any shall be found expedient, to provide for the expenses of the trustees and of auyageuts appointed by them, and generally to 'rlo all such acts as may be necessary for carry ing out the provisions of this trust. All vacancies peeuring in your number by , death, resignation, or otherwise, shall be filled by your election, as soon as conveniently may be, aud having iu view an equality ot represen tation so far as regards the Northern, and Southern States. I furthermore give to yon the power, in case two-thirds of the trustees shall at anytime after the lapse of thirty years deem it expedient, to close this trust, and of the funds which at that time shall be in the hands of yourselves aud your successors to distribute not less titan two thirds among such educational or library insti tutions, or for such cducatioual purposes iu the States for whose benefit the income is now ao pointed to be used. The remainder may be distributed by the trustees for educational or library purposes, whenever they may deetu it expedient. In making this gift, I am aware that the fund * derived lrom it can but aid the States which I wish to benefit In their own exertions to dis pense the blessings of education aud morality. But if this endowment s\:all encourage those now anxious for the light of knowledge, aud stimulate to new efforts the very good and uojjle meu who cherish the high purpose of placing our great country foremost not only in power, but iu the intelligence aud virtue of her citizens, it will have accomplished all that I can hope. With reverent recognition of the need ot the blessing of Almighty God upon this gift, with the fervent prayer that under His guidance your counsels may be directed for tbe highest good of present and future generations in our belov ed country. I am, gentlemen, with great re spect your hiynble servant, George Peabody. Washington, February 7,1867. Upon the receipt of the above letter by Hon. j Robert C. Wlnthrop, a meeting of the gentle men named iu it was called to consider the ! matter, whereupon the following action was taken. The following resolutions were pre sented by Bishop Mcllvaine, of Ohio, and signed by those trustees present in Washington.: THE RESOLUTIONS. . Whereas, onr honored countryman and friend,l George Peabody, has, in a letter just communi uieated to the undersigned, made- kuown his ! determination, out of a grateful sense of the I manifold goodness with which God has pros-, pered his life, and of an earnest desire to pro- ! mote the best interests of his fellow-citizens, to devote a munificent donation of property for certain most wise and beneficent uses, indicated in said letter, and has requested us to take in trust the charge and management of the same; therefore, Resolved, That the. undersigned, being the trustees assembled in Washington, deeply sen sible of the honor conferred on them by a trust of such imminent importance and responsibil ‘ ity, and realizing their dependence npon the guidance and blessing of God to be enabled to discharge its duties wtih such wisdom and faith i fulness as may best secure the benevolent de- I signs of the gift, do hereby accept the office of trustees of the same, and promise our best ex ertions in its behalf. Resolved , That we hereby express to Mr. Pea body our grateful appreciation of the enlarged and unprecedented generosity which, after hav ing bestowed on the poor of the city of London a bounty that drew forth the admiration ot En- I rope, and after having exceeded the same in his recent return to hjs native land in benefactions to institutions of learning and education in the | Middle and Eastern States of the Union, has now crowned the whole with the last deed of patriotism and loving kindness so eminently calculated to bind together the several parts of our beloved country in the best bonds of mu tual well-doing and regard. # Resolved, That we express to Mr. Peabody our respectful and affectionate prayer that, iu the gracious providence ol our Heaienly Father, his valuable life may be long Sparta to witness the success of his benevolent contributions to' ■ the happiness of liis fellow-citizens in all parts of his native and beloved land, and that many ; of those-whom God has blessed with large pos sessions may be induced to follow his example ; ol wise aud noble employment of wealth for the ! good of man and the glory of God. Robert C. Winthrop, Charles P. Mcllvaine, U. Sr Grant, General U. S. A., William Aiken, Wm. M. Evarts, C. Macalester, George W. Riggs. Samuel Wet.moue, George N. Eaton, Georg? Peabodv Russell. We learn that an organization has already been effected, of which Hon. Robert C. Win throp, of Massachusetts, is chairman, and Mr. Russell, of Massachusetts, recording secretary, i Committees of finance aud inquiry have been appointed, and it is the inteutionof the trustees I- to commence active operations as soon as pos t slide. - [From the Janesville (Wis.) Gazette, Jan 30. The Indian War. Full Details o f the Fort Kearney Massacre—A Whole Detachment of Troops Slaughtered— Horrible- Atroeitics-tThrcfi United State Forts in a State of Siege. From a private letter to Mr. David Vankirk, of this city, written by his Son, Horace D. Vau kirk, Company C, Twenty-seventh United States infantry, now stationed at .Fort Phillip Kearney, we are permitted to make some ex ; tracts in relation to the Indian massacre which , occurred ou the 21st -of last December. He | says : <, “Ou the morning of December 21st, about * 8)2 o’clock, tiling in the direction of our wood train, en route to the pinery for timber, was heard, and the picket on the lookout hill iinmc ! diately signalled Indians iu Unit direction.— i Company C\ 2d U. S. cavalry, and about forty five infantry, under command of Brevet Lieut. ! Col. Grummoud aud Captain F. Brown, with I orders to go to the aid of the wood train, and if they thought they could take it to the pine ry aud return in safely, to do so, were im mediately gotten ready. Meanwhile, Indians appeared on the hills across the Pinery Fork, about a mile distant, although scattered and in small quantities. The 12-pounder w'as got into position, to give them, a shell or two, and Col. Fetterman’s party started out the North west gate. The Indians had begun to ‘ light out ’ from among the bushes along the banks of the Piney Fork, as a shell or two wcut over tlieir heads iu the direction of their comrades ou the hills. The firing by this time had ceased in the direction of the wood train, and Col. Fettennan had gone down into the valley -of the Piney Fork (which runs only about 400 yards from the north corner of the blockade), to where the Indians were getting out of the bushes, and who had not been seen till one or two shells from the 12-poundei' had begun to make them thiuk it was not exactly safe around there ; they had evidently been lying in ambush there since some time before daylight. There were, I should judge, about 150 iu uumber and they were running up ravines and from one place to another to keep out of sight. When Coi. Fettennan got down into the valley, he ; threw out a skirmish line as he advanced toward the creek ; the Indians were retreating 1 in a uortlily direction toward Pcno Creek j Valley, where Lieut. Bingham and Sergt. Bow | ers were killed on the liith. A small party of men joined Col. Fetterman’s part}'in the Piney Fork bottom, consisting of about three sol j diers and three or four Indians, who went out on their own hook. “Colonel Fettermau’s party kept on, and finally disappeared over the hills towaid the Feno Creek Valley, and shortly after heavy fir- ( ing was heard iu that direction. It was by this time most 11 o’clock A. M., and everything in the garrison pursued its regular routine of gar rison duty. About half-past 11 A. M. a mes senger arrived from from the scene of action and requested more assistance, and men were soon gathered to the uumber of about forty five, under charge of Captain T. Ten Eyck, to j go to their assistance. The messenger reported j the Indians charging on our men iu great num- j bers. I was anxious to go, aud I could not get! a gun bandy without going down to the coin- ; pany after my own, and I kuew I would hot have time enough for that, so 1 concluded not j to go, but- an intimate friend ot mine went, and 1 get the following statement from him, and he is, I think, a very good judge. “ He says they proceeded in haste to the field, and upon arriving at the edge otTeno Creek Valley, they discovered further down and in the valley, what appeared to be Cottonwood limbs stripped of their bark. The valley was one I moving body of Indians, yelling, riding around ' and cutting capers, as far as the eye could reach. ; My triend estimated them at from three to five ; thousand, aud lie lias seen armies in every posi- j tiou, and I think he has made a careful estimate, i They proceeded along tbe edge of the valley to see if they could tiud any trace of Colonel Fet- | termau’s party, but uot daring to go down into : the bottom of tbe valley for they knew it would be folly, for they would be immediately sur rouuded by the Indians if they should. They continued along the edge of the valley till they got to a point opposite to where the* apparent cottonwood trees were lying, aud Captain Ten : Eyck sent twenty men td go down and examine the scattered rubbish, and 10, and behold, they ; were the dead bodies of Col. Fetterman and , party, and not one was found to have the least ! particle of life left. When Capt. Ten Ej’ck left j the post, an ambulance and the army wagons, ; with hay in the bottom to bring in the womid-! ed and take out 8,000 rounds of ammunition, was sent oat directly after Captain Ten Eyck’s party bad left. After it had oeen discovered that none of Col. Fetterman’s party w ere left to tell the tale, the wagons and am balance were ’ driven dowu and all of the men, except a very* ; lew that were left on a high point to keep a i lookout, went down to load up the bodies; the Indians had retreated down the valley and did not seem over anxious to renew the combat, but very slowly kept falling back, leaving about 35 dead ou the field, being unable to bring them in, bot returned the next day, 23d insl., and brought in the remainder. The bodies were stripped perfectly naked and horribly mutil ated, some had the top of their skulls cut ofl and their brains taken out, others with their arms cut out of their sockets and were mutil ated iu every shape and way imaginable, and h3d arrows in considerable quantiles stabbed in | their bodies. One man, a soldier in Company E, 2d Battalion, 18th Infantry, had 165 in his body, another 65, and some had only five or six, more or less. From all appearances the best | evidence is that the party, Colonel Fetter man's, ‘ went down into the valley on a charge, and ; only 150 or 200 Indians were visible, and when ! thev had got fairly in the bottom the Indians sprang out from among the ravines and behind ! the little bills in immense numbers and imme- I diately surrounded them, for they had evident ly fought to the last man, and by all appear anees fought well. Their bodies were all in the { space of forty feet square, although they were : not piled oa top of one another. The Indians could not have finished their work of torture i many minutes before the arrival of Captain j Ten'Eyck’s party, for heavy firtug was heard : after he had crossed the Piney Fork, in that di • rection. 1 haje given you the particulars as far as l can, as far as the fight is concerned, and I will try and relate the feelings of ihe garrison j on foundation of such a fact. Our total loss is three officers, seventy.-&ix enlisted men, three j citizens I know of, and perhaps more. Col.; Carrington, iu his dispatch, reports ninety-four .j killed, but I think it less than that number. I know, on the night of the 22d inst., Capt. Ar nold came into the office and told the Sergeant Major that he wanted every company to ac- j count lor every man, as there were ninety dead bodies at this post, and there were otfly seventy six enlisted men aud three officers, making a total of seventy-nine, accounted lor, making a deficiency of eleven men. The garrison were in a high state of excitement alter the dead were brought in, and no doubt the Indians could have taken the fort if they had followed up their success, as they were in overpowering numbers. The general assembly was sounded and the troops formed in Hue of battle about 4 o’clock, p. m., on the 21st. Colonel Carrirtg- ! ton made a speech and said some encouraging words. Our whole armed force at that time only mustered one hundred and eleven men in fighting trim. Think of that. Immediately ; after dark platforms were built to every loop-! hole, and wagons were hauled in a circle around the magazine to make nu effectual stockade, determined to fight to the last man. At 8 o’clock, p. m., tlie same day, the general assembly was sounded again, and the troops were again formed in line." The Colonel said a few words and the troops deployed around the 1 stockade at the loop-holes, so that every com pany would know which side to take aud every j man what loop-hole to take in case of an attack. Our determination, and that of our officers, wa, to fight at the loop-holes around the stockade as long as'possible, and then fall back iu the stockade around the magazine with the women of the garrison, and there fight to the last man, if necessary, and then blow up the magazine; 1 but I think that we could stand against a large force at the loop-holes, as we have the advant age of good-sized logs to stand behind. Wo were called iii as soon as we had our places as-1 signed to us. A running guard or night-watch has been kept in the company’s quarters everv night since, aud I think it will continue iu the future. There was not much sleep that night, everything quiet, men talking in squads in low voices, guessing if 60rne wounded man had not made his escape and one man left to tell the tale, but none has yet appeared and all hope is given up. 1, however, went to bed and slept well till about half past two o’clock, a. nu, when I awoke and fouud the Colonel sitting by the stove talking and gassing wit h some of the boys who were still up. The special courier had left that night for Fort Laramie with dispatches of the full accounts and requesting reinforcements. Thc22d, 23d and 24th passed off quietly. The excitement had somewhat passed off, the men of different companies were busy dressing their comrades, lately so full of life and good humor, also digging the grave; the 25th (Christmas) was not as joyful here as in the States. That day it snowed quite hard, and the coffins or boxes being finished and numbered, (they were made large enough to hold four bodies) the bodies were put in the coffins and I took their i names, rank, company, and number of box in I which they were buried as fast as they were 1 brought out ol the buildings. On the 28tli ; they were buried; the grave was a ditch fifty | teet long six feet deep aud six feet wide, and i they were buried two boxes deep and covered. I The boxes were placed iu rotation, and every man’s box has a uumber, and it is on file, so if his body is to be taken up, they will know where to go for it, but they are so disfigured that uo oue would know them, so it is of no use to take them up. Everything has passed off quietly so far, no Indians having been seen since the day of the massacre, up to.to-day. No doubt the Indians lost a larger number of killed, aud I think rather more than ours, although we had none wounded, all of the first party (Colonel Fetter -man’s) being killed —not one left to tell the tale ! Our total loss was seventy-nine eoidiers and three citizens. [From the Macon Telegraph. To the Colored Citizens of Georgia. Macon, Ga., February S, 1867. In response to a large number of interroga tories, relative to this Western emigration, which has attracted the attention of so many of you, and of late has caused such an astonishing exodus from amoug us, I beg to give you my opinion rather more publicly than I have been iu the habit of doing heretofore. Again and agaiu have I been asked: What do yon tit ink of so many of the colored people going West ?” At first ray reply was: “Well, T suppose everybody has a right to go where they choose,” and thought no more about it. But for the last six weeks I have failed to be a disinterest ed spectator, because I believe a false idea has usurped the throne of your better judgment. I take the liberty of imposing my advice in this matter the more freely because every where I go our people desire to learn my views; secondly, because at your convention, which was composed of the best colored minds in the State, you, without either my sanction or knowledge, elected me as your spokesman , (or delegate as termed,) and if I understand the duties of my office, it is to point out every evil, correct all mistakes, aud furnish you with all the information 1 can. True, I have done but little of either, owiug to my ministerial labors; \ but this emigrational stupefaction has grown into such cuormous proportions that longer silence upon it would be a censurable crime. Now, w hat I have to say is this: I positive!}' believe if there ever was a time when going West was beueficial, that time is passed. Geor- j gia is the Empire State of the South, and At lanta iu a few years will be the metropolis of the South. Iler productive resources are in exhaustible; her climate is both pleasant and healthy ; her railroads net her cities, towus and villages together witli.a marvelous facility. In that Respect slip is unequalled by any oilier State iq the Union, affording every desirable convenience to the seaboard, aud possesses enough square miles to give comfortable borne steads to three million inhabitants. Besides, iu her you were born, reared and arc known, and if you have any friends they are here, and 1 cannot sec what the advantages to be gained in going West are at this time. It was well enough for some to go, especially to drain off the surplus: I..think a few of us should go. everywhere. But if our people do not stop, they will run into the same dilemma they are trying to run from. The plea has been that our people were so numerous that it reduced wages to starvation rates, and raised house rent so high that it required you to be a 6lave on another’s farm to pay it.* That may Lave been partly so, but that time lias nearly passed; wages have increased and rents are gradually decreasing. And look at the number that has gone to Mississippi and Arkansas. I estimate the num ber that have left Georgia within tbe space of three months to be 45,000, at the least calcula tion. Thgse are all gone to two States ouly, exclusive of the incalculable number gone from other States. Judging from what I have seen and heard, I verily believe 100,000 colored per sons have gone into the State of Mississippi within the last three months. N6w, if my cal culation bears any resemblance to the facts in the case, I can’t surmise where they get house room, unless the soil is so productive that houses spontaneously grow out of tbe earth, for it would require 7,000 carpenters to build houses sufficiently fast to receive the influx of the population, unless three or four families live in one house; if so, Heaven pity their morals ! It is useless to speak of the church facilities, convenience to physicians, and educa tional organizations which are springing up as ! by magic, which cannot possibly accompany j such a mass of emigration. I believe Arkansas ! is near about the centre of tbe United States, | and will one day be classed among the Middle ! States. I also know it has been the custom in aU ages to follow the sun, by going West, but i not in mass. Some say the laws are so hard I here. But what better are the laws of Missis- J sippi and Arkansas ? Georgia has gone further iu her legislation than either of them, and the i ory must always pare the way for practice. They were both slave States, as well as Geor gia, and tte Bureau have re- I ported as hard things from them as ever was or : ever wifi be from Georgia. So you will gain | nothing in that. There is another argument, ' too, often addueea in favor of going West, viz.: : that so many never got any thing last year for ] their work. That I believe to be painfully true, sin a large number of instances. But remember i that last year was an unusually droughty sea 30 o n ’ cr .°P s y e U e c ut short, and but little was made at beat. Besides, many of vour employers were unaccustomed to free labo'r, while others were no doubt notoriously mean. Yet a large majority done admirably well, Considering tlTat so little was made. Bnt this year it will to bet ter ; the signs of the times indicate better sea sons ; wages are higher, house rent is cheaper and the turbulent passion of civil war is subsid ing. The eourts are giving ns more justice. For instance, here iu Macon for an offense that we were fined twenty dollars one year ago we arefteow fined only three or five. The cars are excellent compared to one year ago, aud the press that used to slander us daily is ■ changing its tone, and se%ks onr patronage. In some places where schools were prohibited the whites now- teach themselves. The agitated waters of revolution, I think, are calming down remark ably fast. ai nrst we were an oiyinK ; we got intoxica ted over the idea of being free, and the whites over the idea of loosing their slave property! without compensation. And neither panv had very man level heads. But all these troubles will soon be among the things that were, and we will not hasten it any by all going off in such masses. Here schools will soon dot every hill and enliven every valley, aud our means of mental culture will develop our capacities, aud ; prepare us for greatness. Then we can afford to roamfc because we will kuow where we are j going and what’s the character of the place. I do not believe the tenth part of the fabulous stories about the West, which works as a talis- i man ou our people. The cow and calf each j one is to have, and the cotton trees which you j have to climb to get to the cotton ball is all a | hoax. These men who throng ther air and j darken heaven to get hands, will say anything to get you there, aud you will see that cow and.i calf, sow aud pigs, &e., minus. There are col- ! ored men employed to go round and tell you stories that know- nothing about it. I Saw oue | the other day at Branchville, S. C. He thought j I wanted to hire, and I let him talk a few min- ; utes, merely to hear what he would say, and if I had not known better I would have started aud run all the way to Mississippi. But having been through a portion of it once in my life, I know something of the facts in the ease. One of our Bishops, who has recently ta ken a tour through Texas, also reports that there are large numbers there who hastily went j off and would give the world to get back. ■ Suppose, however, these States are the great “•promised land;” let us remain iu wait for the return of some of these “spies,” and let j them not only return and bring glowing ac counts, but bring some of the fruits. Surely out of 45,000 Georgians some will come back, j and show us samples of their great profits—if nothing more than a few hundred in green backs. And do you know that it is a much : easier job to get there than to get back ? If ; you do not know it, let me inform you : 1. The Bureau gives transportation to a num | ber of those represented to be in indigent cir : cum,stances and cannot find employment. 2. The railroads make considerable reduc tion iu the fare where a large company are go j ing together. o. The money that carries you off comes from the pockets ot other men, because hundreds are speculating upon it; but when you want to re turn you will have to go Into your own puree, and if ydu are not careful ysur greenbacks will be onnest. There is no one on earth that thinks more of their race thau I think of mine, and God grant me my grave rather than I should be an imped iment to the advancement of my people. I ; desire their education morally, literally, religi ! °usly, politically, pecuniarily, and in every I other respect, and if I thought this great mass j emigration was calculated to accelerate either J of them, I should say nothing ; rather 1 should encourage it. But as I am of the opinion it is destructive to those means, I am forced to enter my protest to the measure. Therefore, I say, wait and see whether you are correct or not. i The old proverb is, “ The world was not made | in one day ;” as one I do not believe it was i made in six. There is another thing which -I would like td apprise you of: In six Southern States alone, j there are 80 acre homesteads offered alike to white aud colored by the Government, to the | amount of forty-six millions of acres, all ex clusive of the territorial land?, which you will have as good a chance at as tbe whites. And at present our people are going West with men who do not own a foot of land, except what they procure by these Government entries, for the sole purpose of developing its resources, and enhancing its value, when it will do them no ultimate good, beyond the wages of an hire ling. Now, inasmuch as the price of labor has gone up here, why not stay aud work the fields al ready under cultivation, until we get something, aud then we can move on these homesteads, develop their resources and own them also ? We are the people that stand in need of land, aud i see no necessity of us exposing our lives to the milaria of Mississippi and Arkansas swamps, to clear up lands that will do us no ! good, when, if we remain a few years at home, i wc will be able to clear them up for ourselves, i One says, but hold on, I got nothing for my I work last year. Well, that will never be the j case again. There are enough of good men now j who want laborers to make the rest honest, or ! go to the fields themselves. Then there are j thousands of acres that can be rented very rea- ; sonably, aud many can work on shares: There- j fore, I say again, stand still and see the salvation j of God in this matter. _ I might adduce a thou- \ saud arguments more, in favor of remaining in ' the States, but think over these first, and if more are necessary I will give them. Ido not j advise you to work for bad men, but I positive- j ly believe there are good men enough to employ i every man iu the State, who are uot able to rent or buy land themselves. Likely some of my white friends, who are j holding out inducements to tbe colored to go | West, will not like this letter. But, gentlemen, j allow me to inform you, this is a negro talking to negroes. ri&sop in his fables refers to a flea j giving advice to an elephant once, and it -was j decided to be nobody’s business, if the elephant ! accepted it; so if you approve of my ideas I j would be pleased to have you read this letter to j any colored person about you, that can’t read j themselves, aud if you do uot approve of it, I | would be pleased to have you give it a severe letting alone. Very respectfully, Henry M. Turner, Elder in charge African M. E. Church. Athens Matters. —The Anniversary oration before tbe Demosthenian Society ol the Univer sity of Georgia will be delivered on the 19th rnst., at 10, a. m , iu the Town Hall, bv Mr. S. Spencer, of Columbus, Ga. The members of the Society and the orator will be pleased to see their friends and the public generally. Tbe Anniversary of the Pbi Kappa Society will be celebrated bn tbe 22d inst., at the .Town Hall, at 10, a. ra. Mr. H. A. Whitman, of this place, will be the orator. He, too, with his fellow-members of the P. K. 8., will be happy to see his friends and the public on that occa sion. Major Knox, of the Federal army, arrived here last week to take charge of the F. B. Wc were not aware that it required any nursing in this locality ; but of course, not being behind the scenes, we are not supposed to be posted. We take it from what we hear, however, that the Major is a sensible man, and disposed to do our people justice. If such is the case, he will soon find his office a sinecure. Mr. Robert Lumpkin will commence, at an early day, Cos take the caucus of our town. It is net anticipated that the return will show | quite as large a population as Atlanta. That small “ nig ” who gave the information about the “ whipping machine ” at the “ mis sionary ” school, came to great grief The “ missionaries,” his paler, and the colored lady i who boards him, all “ walked hfe log ” we hear. “Telling tales out of sehool” is “a ! crime aud must be punished.” “ Layaltv ” | must be encouraged; “ Rebels must take ba*ck i seats, ’ and not know what is going on within the sacred precincts.— Watchman, 13 th. ! A sister-in-law of the Radical member oi j Congress from the St. Joseph (Mo.) District, daring the war, gratified her malignity by go ing out to see four Confederate youths hanged in cold blood by jayhawkers. The woman was ; encienle at the time, and &oon after a son was bom her whose tongue lolls continuously from his mouth, and whose neck bears the frayed j appearance and goes throngh the convulsive 1 motion of one in the final agonies of snffoca . tlon. [From the London Saturday Review, Jan. 19^ Impeachment of President Johnson. If the impeachment of a President were not an unprecedented proceeding it might be ar gued that the practice is logically correlative to the habitual carelessness ot American elections. As severe discipline is necessary in a regiment of loose or doubtful character, liability to pun ishment may perhaps be a suitable cheek on the eccentricities of accidental Presidents. No retrospect delicacy interferes in the United States w ith harsh and even libellous criticism j on high functionaries who have lost popular I favor. Mr. Jefferson Davis, who has been a Governor of a State, a Cabinet Minister and a j lender of a majority in the Senate, is still ac-! cuscg by zealous Republicans of complicity in a base and causeless assassination. It has never occurred to his assailauts that the proof of the charge would reflect discredit on American in stitutions ; nor can Mr. Andrew Johnson, who once countenanced the calumuy on Mr. Davis I expect tenderer consideration for the dignity of = his own high office. The Republican party ap pointed him Vice President, wHh a contingentl right 0 succession to the President, because he. hail disregarded all legal restraints in his iiuaiitnoi ized proclamation of the freedom of the slaves.m Tennessee, aud in his establish ment ot a State government renresentinf oulv a minority of the citizens ; and if it hail been supposed that his character would change in the event of his accession to the Presidency he would probably not have received the nouiiua j tiou of the party at Baltimore. Mr. Liucolu whom he succeeded, had exercised almost un j couttol ed power; and Mr. Johnson, during ; the ■early part of the term, was encouraged to I assume dictatorial functions. He had publisli ! ed a qualified amnesty, he had recognized the new governments iu the Southeru States, aud he had derided on the abolition of slavery be iore the majority discovered that he still adher ed to his former Democratic opinions. Excess and irregularity would have been tolerated if the President had been supported by a North ern majority. There is nothing inconsistent in the remedy of impeachment for a course of policy which thwarts the general desire; yet it oddly, happens that the first President who is threatened with impeachment is supported by far more than half of the entire population of the Uuited States. The object of the prosecu tion is to assert the sovereignty of Congress and to break down the prerogative winch has • hitherto been the chief power in the,-Union. It is still uncertain whether the House of Representatives will eventually vote the im peachment, and the judicial decision of the Senate is still more doubtful. The most de fined of the alleged charges is fouuded on the disturbances which oecuired in New'Orleans, when the party which had been recognized by General Banks as the constituency of Louisiana attempted to hold a Convention for the purpose of framing a constitution. To foreigners it may seem that the President judged rightly in taking the part of the people of the State against a small faction which assumed to itself the character of the entire commonwealth; but Americans are the best judges of their own affairs ; and the bloodshed which ensued, whether it was a misfortune or a crime, is uatiimlly resented and condemned by the Re publicans. Yet it will be difficult to prove that the President can have directed from Washing ton the proceedings of the New Orleans police, although he may have approved of the forcible dissolution of the convention. The charge of j habitual intoxication will scarcely be adopted |by the House or by the managers. The un- pleasant circumstances which occurred when Mr. Johnson took the oath as Vice President .were hushed up by general consent. It is ex tremely'unlikely that he can have fallen into bad habits for the first time during his Presi dency, and if his intemperance was notorious, before his 'election it was hot thought a dis qualification for office. There will be a general feeling that personal scandals belong to a do .mestic tribunal, and that they arc not suited to a solemn process which is to occupy the atten tion of the world. A similar remark will, to Some extent, apply to the injudicious speeches which were delivered during the Chicago jour ney. Iu some instances Mr. Johnson’s lan guage may have been treasonable and revolu tionary, and he can scarcely expect impunity for his denunciation of Congress as a usurping assembly ; but as far as be was guilty only of ribaldry and bad taste, the fault rests rather with his constituents and present prosecutors than with himself. If a great country boasts of elevating a working mechanic to its highest dignity, it ought not to impeach him for not having the manners of a gentleman. The standard of political language in the United States is pot yet sufficiently fixed to allow of specifications iu an impeachment founded on deviations from the authorized style. There appears to be some doubt as to the constitutional mode of administering the execu tive government during the pendency of the impeachment. If the House of Representatives can, by preferring charges, condemn the Presi dent to immediate suspension from his func tions, the subsequent trial before the Senate sinks into comparative unimportance. The trial of Warren Hastings lasted as long, as two Presidential terms, and there will be nothiuglo compel the managers to accelerate proceedings when they have already accomplished their object by removing Mr. Johnson from office. As the constitution is silent on the subject, the 1 1 esident would assuredly not acquiesce in any argument for suspension which might be founded on analogy or convenience, nor could any substitute who might be appointed dis charge bis duties except by the consent of all persons who might be subject to his authority. As the Chief Justice would preside over the Senate at the trial, it has been supposed that Mr. Foster, as President of the Senate, would become temporary President' during a provi sional Interregnum ; but American lawyers appear not to be agreed on the point, and there is even a doubt as to the law of suc cession jl the President were legally de posed. It seems to be the better opin ion that, on the failure both of Presi dent and yiee-Presideut, there must be anew election; and if the ease occurred the Southern States would almost certainly be excluded, in the present temper of the dominant party, from all share in the choice. But the question is of secondary importauce, because the. impeach meut, if it is commenced, will jprobaWy occupy the whole residue of Mr. Johnsou’s term of office. The ordinary election will take place in the autumn of 1868, and by that time all parties will have decided on their ulterior poli cy. The Republicans are, perhaps, uncon sciously preparing,the way fora revolution, though an impeachment is, in itseli, a perfectly constitutional and regular proceeding. A jour nalist, who probably intended to saturize the exuberant zeal of his party, lately declared, with little exaggeration, that a public officer was liable to impeachment for doiug anything he ought not to have done, or for omitting anything that he ought to have done. The peualty is only exclusion from office, which, to an outgoing President, is a stigma rather than a punishment. Precisely the same conse quences would follow to an English Minister, if the House of Commons expressed a desire, in an address to the Crown, that he should not hereafter be employed iu the publie service.— The Constitution, however, of the (Juited States is less manageable, as there is no easy and undisputed method of providing a tempo rary or permanent successor. The doubt whether the President can be suspended stands at the very threshold of the proceeding, and it may be iuferred, if the vote of impeachment is carried, that the House of Representatives is j prepared with some practical solution of the j difficulty. I It is probably an error to suppose that there j is any risk of civil war. Physical force is for the present with the Republican party, and -the author of au armed collision, even in vindica tion of law, would be universally condemned. General Grant and General Sherman are said to be favorable to the President, but they have neither the power nor the wish to nse the army for political purposes. With many defects, American society is still far too sound to he subjected to military dictation, and, except in respect of their deserved personal popularity, the most successful Generals have in the United States no political character. The army which terminated the war forms no inconsiderable portion of the constituency, and more especial ly of the Republican party. For the present. Congress is exempt from the danger of armed resistance, although its Impingements of the Constitution tend eventually to diminish the securities for free and orderly Government. The Constitution is disregarded whenever its provisions interfere with the supremacy of Cougress. A divergence of practice from the text of a written document was inevitable but in ordinary times it would have been gradual" and, like judge-made law, it would have affected a declaratory character. The Republi can leaders of Congress have invented the theory that the war still continues, and that therefore all questions of reconstruction belong to the domain of political or diplomatic ar rangement, aud lie outside the Constitution. The hollowness of the pretext is illustrated by a recent proposal to reduce the Democratic State ol Maryland to the rank of a Territory. As Maryland neither seceded, nor engaged iu the war, no disability which may be imposed on. the State can be in any sense a condition of peace. The project will probably not be seri ously pressed, but, in times when the Constitu tion was respected as supreme, the disfran chisement of a State actually in the Union, for political heresy, could never have been devised or suggested. The advocates of European De mocracy who point to the success of American institutions as an example will find their pre cedent inconclusive until the Republic has as sumed a more definite ffcrm, and until it is ascertained that Cougress will be competent to exercise the vast power which it is, for the first time, attempting to assume. Doubtful Honors to Sheridan. It is really rather hard that a man, simply because he proved himself a bold rider and a dashing soldier in the country’s service, should be-forced to submit to such an ordeal as that to which General Sheridan was put in the House of Representatives ou Tuesday. Cau anything more undignified and ridicu lous be imagined that the spectacle of a whole chamber of national legislators deserting their seat and crowding open-mouthed about an emi nent offieer, as the nurses and the children in the Park might do about a newly arrived rhi noceros or gorilla ? Ovations of this sort certainly cannot be physically agreeable to their object. To be pressed upon and stared at, to nave ones face breathed into, and oue’s hand shaken till the arm aches in its socket, by a mob of people all or nearly all of whom are perfect strangers, is such a refined kind of torture as even tlic genius of the Inquisition had never hit upon. But, if they do not please the sen ses, neither can these ovations flatter the spirit of any intelligent being. Generai Sheriden knows perfectly well that the Ashleys and Binghams and' Stevenses and Grinnells, who made up Tuesday’s man-slide upon his own de voted head, would rush in precisely the same way to stare at and gape npon and pump-handle a Daimio from Japan or an ex-President from Mexico, Or any other strange and curious po litical or diplomatic monster whom Fate might throw in their way. Homage of this kind is really as insulting to its object as it is discred itable to those who render it. We are informed by the telegraph that, after eating up and pawing over General Sheridan to their full satisfaction, these decorus and re spectable legislators proceeded to force him down into a scat by a desk, and to compel him to dash off scores of autographs, as if he were another veritable “ Yankee card-writer” or “ Japanese Tommy.” It is to be hoped that when he was writing these autographs, the gal lant General may have remembered the wise practice of Talleyrand, who, whenever he was requested to furnish his autograph for a col lector, always took the precaution to write it at the very top of a sheet of paper. General Sheridan may depend upon It that, if he has carelessly signed his name at the bottom of ft sheet of paper, he will before long be edified by reading iu Radical newspaper remarkable letters from himself, setting forth views and opinions such as itjias never entered his head to conceive of.—Nero York World. The New Haven Register speaks of the Con vention as follows: Grand Democratic Convention.—The convention that met in Hartford on Wednes day was beyond all question the grandest ex pression of popular feeling ever seen in tins State. The delegates were pervaded with a solemn conviction of the importance of the oc casion, and a proud belief in the speedy over throw of the Radical Disunionlsts, who are aim ing at the destruction of the country. We have no time tp-day to speak of the candidates se lected, or the generous conduct of the old nominees, who cheerfully tendered their ap pointments to the exigencies of the occasion. The result is one that cheers the hearts of all Conservative men in the State, and will combine irresistable strength at the polls. We met with many in Hartford, on tbe day of the conven tion, who have been among the prominent Re publicans of the State, who will from this day battle against the inad policy of the Radicals. We tell our friends at home and abroad, that the skies are bright! that Connecticut is to be redeemed! that lances are being laid in rc6t, that will empty the saddles of Radicalism, when the bugle sounds “charge for the Constitution and the Union!” It will be seen. by the resolutions, that the party fearlessly meets all the great issues of the day, and without abandoning any of its long cherished opinions, places itself on a platform where all conservative men can unite with them in administering a crushing rebuke to the Radi cal party in power. Homicide.— We are pained to record an event yesterday afternoon which sent another human life to its long account. According to the statements made it appears that a Mr. John C. DeVaun, who is engaged in the construction of a portion of the Columbia and Hamburg Rail road in this City, discovering Mr. Charles Ben nett in an endeavor to employ the negroes al ready at work, ordered him away ; whereupon an angry altercation ensued, during which Ben nett threatened to whip Mr. DeVaun and made certain demoustrations. The result was a pistol shot through tbe breast of Bennett, and his al most immediate death on the spot. Until a Coroner’s inquest is held, and the full particu lars are officially-made known, w 6 deem it un wise to enter into further details. Mr. DeVaun promptly delivered himself to the authorities. Since the above was put in type, we learn that a jury was empaunelled by Coroner Walker, and an inquest held on the body of the de ceased, when the following verdict was rend ered ; i That Charles E. Bennett came to his death by a ball wilfully fired from a pistol in the hand's of John A. DeVaun. f Columbia Carolinian , Feb. 13. Indictment against Judge Warmouth.— Galveston , February B.—The United States Grand Jury have found true bills against H. C. Warmouth and G. S. Dennison, late United States Treasury Agents, for embezzlement.— Mr. Warmouth is charged with embezzling $28,000, in connection with James Morris, dep uty. Dennison’s charge is $4,000, in connec tion with Munson, deputy. A capias has been issued tor arrest in New Orleans. He was a Congressional delegate of colored people in that city. He was also formerly a judge and a colonel of a Missouri regiment ot United States- volunteers during the war, and served on McClellan’s staff Death or the “ Immortal J. N.”—Many of our readers will regret to learn that the great philosopher, statesman, satirist and orator, J. N. Free, is no more. Here was a terrible example of the force of a strange hallucination in reducing power to weakness, greatness to humility, grandeur to decay. This hallucina tion pursued him to the grave, and like an in veterate, but powerless demon, now sits and bowls upon its brink. “J. N.” was to have visited our town on the 22d instant, but this will explain all to his disappointed friends. [Lauderdale Timet. One Hundred perCent.— A correspondent writing to the Boston Poet states that a woolen manufactory at Winooski Falls, Vt., has for several years past declared yearly dividends of one hundred per cent., but tbe fact has never been published, owing to the owners, who are few in number, not allowing it to get into the newspapers. Other manufacturing estaDiisa menls have beep making similar dividends. An Act Concerning the Advertisement of Sheriff’s Sales. — Section I. The General Assembly do enact, That notices of Sheriffs sa launder execution shall be published weekly for four weeks, instead of thirty days, and of eale under mortgage executions, weekly for eight weeks instead of sixty days, as now re- Approved 15th December, 1866. . j
