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0408

been disposed of, the names of all likely to become dependent have been furnished the Civil Authorities with request that they provide for them as quick as possible, a little delay will cause no suffering.

The season has now arrived where it is customary to make contracts for the ensuing year, and some "complaint" is made that they (the farmers) cannot get the freedmen to enter into contracts for the year. The same probably arises from the facts of the existing conditions required of them.  The question has been pretty well settled, at least in this county, that where they have made fair contracts, and have complied faithfully, they have had more than a fair returns, but there is so many leeches who almost require the blood of a negro to be satisfied, that it produces general dissatisfaction against the requirements of the farmers.

During the last month a meeting of the whites was called at the Court House to elect delegates to the Conservative Convention at Richmond.  Advantage was taken of the same to canvas pretty freely the subject of "Our present system of labor" and the "stealing going on". All crime is laid to the freedmen when almost every court convicts a white man for stealing.  This remarks of the speakers all tended to keep the negro down, irrevocably down.  The freedmen are very quiet and orderly and behaving themselves admirably. If the same amount of trouble was taken to elevate and encourage them by the prominent men as they take

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