Viewing page 62 of 237

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

7

We wish you were to be always with us to go believe us & your people, & make your people understand our needs.  We know you will take our words faithfully & we ask you to tell your friend allow the Govt to help us in this matter of being self sustaining as it is the only way in which we can make progress.

[[?Dahome]]

I will say nothing different from this we are all of one mind.  You know our condition.  I know & you know our weakness & where we find strength.  I have now my piece of land, then I am strong but I am weak if I have nothing to work with.  We have sold some land to the white people & if we can be individually the money coming from that sale we can do as the White people do each man providing for himself.  I see the White people working & I desire to do as they do, but in order to do so I must be allowed to use my own money according to my judgement.  I say these words to you because I know what I am talking about & I know that you will carry these words faithfully & they will faster [[?]] any you find & to the Authorities to whom I desire to speak personally of these needed changes.  The Officers sent to look into our affairs speak only with those at the Agency, they do not look at us personally.  The officers placed over us may say we are getting along well but I do not think so I think we could do better.  We are in [[?ment]].  We wish no employees, we wish them all swept away.  We wish to stand as men we do not wish to have our things in common