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and their Bonds, Notes and book-accounts are little better. They cannot furnish the material and labor for the full working of their estates.

2nd Hostility to the Freedmen. This develops itself by turning off colored hands and employing white where it can be done. Recent instances have occurred in the Tobacco Manufactories, and Gas Works of this city. This hostility is very general and active. It crowds all unproductive and inferior hands off the farms, employs the fewest possible of the better class, and harasses and defrauds these in as many ways as are found practicable.

There might be a little relief to this state of things, if the land owners were willing to sell a part of their estates and with the proceeds work the rest. But they are generally averse to this course; and if they were willing to sell, the Freedmen could not become the purchasers for they are more destitute than their former masters. Further, whoever might be the purchasers the delay would be fatal and the relief doubtful.

Two other courses could be adopted by the planter. 1st Allow the Freedmen to cultivate the land on shares. 2nd Let the farms to whites, who have the necessary means, on shares or on rents.

The objection to the first plan is that the same outlay would be required as for the owner to work his own land, expect as regards wages.

The objection to the second plan is that the land is so poor in the greater part of Virginia that the price of labor must greatly be depressed, in order to yield the means with which the lessee may pay his part and have a profit left. While there is no doubt that the labor of all the Freedmen now in Virginia will be needed

in a few years it is equally certain that until that time there will be great suffering as well as great expense to the Government, unless some relief measures can be devised. The only way that I can see to obviate these evils is to open the door for colonization of these people upon some of the public lands. While this colonization should not be compulsory, I would have the Government afford such as wished to migrate, every possible assistance. The effect of this would be to raise the price of labor to its fair value and give the Freedmen that independence within the state they would never acquire while their employment is considered a favor by the employer.

It would at the same time demonstrate the problem whether the Freedmen are better of by themselves or with the whites.

I am General
Very Respectfully
Your Obs Srvt
(Sgd) O. Brown
Col & Asst Comr

Official
J.A. Bates
Bvt Lt Col & A.A.A.G.

(76)
Telegram July 31 1865
Howard Maj Genl O.O.
Commissioner &c

Will you please secure from the War Dept the detail of Capt E H. Toby 6th N.Y. H. Arty for duty in this Bureau. His regt has been ordered to Washington.

Very Respectfully
(Sgd) O. Brown
Col & Asst Comr

Official
J.A. Bates
A.A.A.G.

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-01-17 11:51:24 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-01-17 13:07:56 to fill multiple blanks and correct mistranscriptions, but mostly nicely spaced, thank you ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-01-17 14:31:35