The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1857-11-18
Negro tasmisratiIon,.

] For many years it has been the practice il
the South to send all their emancpaied and
free negroes to Ohio. Almost every day we
read accounts ofsome negro or negroes being
manumitted and brought to Cincinnati and SET
ahoat there. Hundreds have thus found their
way to Ohio from the South, generally beine
old, and decrepid and worn out men and wom-
en- with their families. How Ear this class oi
people 90 to improve Ohio society, may be learn
ed from an article written by the late Charles
Hammond while editor Of the Cincinnati Ga
zette, in 1885. Mr.. Hammond was an honest
Free Soiler and contended Hianlully for the
rights ofthe negro, but his good ssnse and hon
esty of character permitted him to see both
sides of the question Of Abolitionism. In speak
ing OF the negroes set free and located in Brown
county, Mr.. Hammond said C2er. Sun. ri
"Some forty miles from Cincinnati, to the
east, there are two settlements Of free negroes
probably a thousand men, women and children
OF the true ebony color with little mixture OF
the mahogany or lighter shades. The negroes
own the property occupied by them, but with
cut power to sell. Each family has a small
iarft. Whey are emanclpated slaves, and these
lands were purchased expressly for them, and
parcelled out among them fifteen years ago.
Their lands are not of the best quality of O.
AA'N AotoSB DuS " SpOA htdAhASSilAShb COuNl US
made very good. They are particularly well
adapted to grass, either meadow or pasture
Having been slaves, compelled to work, one
would suppose they ought to have Industrious
habits. They have had every inducement to
industry held out to them The experiment
was made in order to test the merits Of the ne
gro race under the most fayorablg circumstances
for success aa 4,
Has this experiment succeeded? 1t has not.
In all Ohio, can any white settlement be found
equally wretched and equally unproductive?
Farms given to them fifteen years ago in
stead of being improved and preserved for farm
ing, have been sadly lnanaged.--small awkward
clearings, and those not in grass, but exhausted
and worn out in corn crops, the timber greatly
troyed- wretched houses with mud not ;,
with chimneys OF mud and wood, and little tim
ber for farming. f' .f4' h-.f -1.*
They are so extremely lazy and stupid that
the people Of Georgetown (near their 'camps')
and the neighboring farmers will not employ
them, as work hands to any extent. They do
not raise produce enough on their lands to keep
their families; much less do they have a surplus
for sale abroad. They pass the most Of their
time in little smoking cabins too listless even
to fiddle and dance. One may pass through the
negro camps as they are called, passing a loz-
en- Struggling cabins, with smoke issuing out Of
the ends in the middle oflittle clearings, with
out seeing soul either at work or at play The
fear Of starvation makes them work the least
possible quantity, while they are agreat deal too
lazy to play. 4i'l Fa s."
Why do not some Jealous abolitonists 90
there, and see the experiment in all its beauty?
The slave changed to free but wretched say
age! Why not make something of these thou
sand negroes? There are not more than two
or three families out Of the whole that are i'm
proved by the change from slavery to freedom.
The two negro settlements are dead weight
upon Brown county, as to any productive bene
fits from negro labor and that space of the coun-
ty might as well, to this day, have remained in
possession of the Indians.
If Southern wealth can be applied to buy and
colonize such worthless population among us,
what farther in Ohio is sale24, Has he any guar.
anty that a black colssy will not be established
in his neighb6rhood?
Let any one who wishes to learn the opera
tions Of enancipating negroes, visit the Brown
County Camps; as they sink into laziness, pow
erty and filth, they increase in their numbers
their only produce is children. They want
nothing but co,Ories to make them equal to the
negroes Of the Niger" e ei..,6