Macon, Ga., July 9, 1867
Dear Sir;
A mass meeting was called last night at the Methodist Church to urge upon the people to exert themselves to save their Congressional districts from the wicked designs of men who are trying to prevent our people from registering. After listening to me very patiently, an association was organized to raise money to pay a lecturer to travel through this Congressional district. The ladies fired by a similar zeal immediately organized another and each association had the names of fifty subscribers at 10 cents per week. By 10 o'clock we had so organized that we proceeded to elect the person to speak and organize when Lewis Smith of this city was selected. He accepts the position at $70 per month and will immediately enter upon the work. Fifteen counties were assigned to him. Mr. Smith is a brave and well informed man and will do much good. I trust the people of Savannah will go and do likewise. I shall visit all the large places and will try to induce each one to employ a traveling lecturer. After we were through with organizing last night and electing our man about one o'clock, the people shouted, jumped, clapped their hands and cheered till the white people in the vicinity were frightened. One man asked "what in h___ are the negroes doing - have they found Thad Stevens?" "No," replied one of them, "we are raising John Brown from the dead."
Rev. Henry M. Turner
