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as follows. Whites 357. Blacks 424; leaving a Colored Majority of sixty seven (67) in the county, which will I think secure the election here of the Union Republican ticket. Some of the Blacks will vote with the Conservatives, and some against a Convention; for the reason that the United States Officers on duty are the only ones to whom they can look for justice, but the latter two classes are small and will not probably affect the general result.

The freedmen are generally entirely ignorant of the real political issues and sadly need able honest men to enlighten them on these subjects to enable them to vote intelligently.

In conversation I give them information and instruction on these points and while they appear to fully understand at the time they are unable to inform others on the same points, as is shown by the fact [[strikethrough]]s[[/strikethrough]] that distorted versions of conversations between myself and some of the freedmen often reach me weeks after such conversations have taken