The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-01-05
LIGHT ON a DARK QUESTION.
Can they Take Care OF TheH"
selves.


EDI- ons CHICAGO Tribune -
Facts are the only reliable basis for the
cries. A briet chapter of facts with which
| | recently became acquainted, seems to
indicate capacity in the eolored popula-
ton of the Southern States to take care
of themselves, not accorded to them by
many citizens Of Illinois. | will record
them in as few words as possible. You
NAV draw the differences aud make the
practical suggestions
An educated lady of Bridgeport, Conn,
married citizen OF Georgia Lone twenty
odd years ago, and accompanied him to
his home in that State. He was planter.
Not succeeding there to his mind, he re-
moved to Arkansas and bought
land and negroes and resumed
business as . planter. He had but fairly
started in business when he sickcned of
| fever and died. His estate, consisting of
thirty negroes and plantation, the size
| of which my informant did not state. was
| involved in debt to the amount of = 10 900
| Tie widow Judged it best to cell portion
OF the land and negroes to pay the debt,
but the foreman on the estate, himself a
slave, advised her to another course
I" wouldn't do dat, Missus,' said he;
ode boys won't like it to 60 down Souf
and if Mssus give us de chance well raise
a big crop and pay off de debt, and have
il clear iu two or tree year" He inform
ed eMissus' that he had q talked to the
boys bou ii, and dey all say dey stick
by and work off de debt, if de Missus
please not sell en- She followed the
counsel of this humane and heroic negro,
and "de boys" worked with will -
They raised a splendid crop of cotton, the
. entire labor being done-even to the sale
of the crop and the delivery Of the mon
ey into the hand of the mstress-without
the advice, help or interference of any
white man. The debt was reduced &c.
900 the first year. A brother of the la
/ dy, AN Invalid clergyman of Connecticut,
( spout the first winter after the planter 8
a dectase, on the plantation. Grateful. as
any man would be, to these ignorant but
faithful and kind hearted fellows, for their
e ge0rous devotion to his sisters interests,
!, he improved his leisure time in teaching
the son OF the foreman and few others
of the young negroes, and before spring
some of them could not only read tolera-
bly we'll but could write legible hand
: Spring came, and the lady. with her
: children, accompanied her brother to
Connecticut, and there spent the sum
d mer, tearing her negroes TO make a second
: crop under the leadership aud manage
! mem Of her nrgr3 foreman, without 9
c white man on the Promises. She held s
! regular correspondence with the foreman
IS through the educated but dusky tingtr
Il of his son, and was kept we'll informed u
e the state Of things on the plantation
= Late in the autumn she returned, accom-
= panied now by a sister who spent the win
ter with her and followed up the work o.
o her brother, in the educational line, with
e out, however, any public proclamation o
&c the fact, for obvious reasons.
e The second crop swept off the remain,
q of the debt and left surplus, Thus The
n work has gone forward for nearly tel
n years, The working force of the planta
is ton having increased, by the natural in
d crease of the negro families, and add
Q tons having been made to the plantatio,
81 from time to time by purchase, at thu
$, suggestion and by the advice Of the ne
J. gro overseer, with a succession of splen
re did crops produced by willing hands un
ir der the stimulus of lindn SIS and encour
b. ue,iutut, Instead Il bc lash the proper
&c u was estimated, when the war com
J. menced, to be worth over 100000
a. The mistress has spent her summers i
s, Connecticut with her relatives, and Their
be she has done what she could not do TO
tx them in slave community, she has Civ
OF en- them first rate education. Whe
an intercourse stopped between Arkansa
and the North the lady, with her eldes
son, was on the plantation and her othe
children in Connecticut. There had been
;, when my informant left Bridgeport, n
communication between the parties fo
six months. The members of the famil
~ ~ at the East are exceedingly anxious I
- hear from the mother, and lest their eide
: brother may have gone into. or been fol
- ced into the rebel army.
- Comments leave to you Mr., Edito
y While many are asking, just now, if th
~ negroes in IA state of freedom Gan any wa
- be managed. or take care of themselve,
/ such facts rs those above stated may a
- ford the anxious some comfort.
~ Yours for freedom to all men unles
j. forfeited by crime.
" D0- Among some readable reminscer
ces of the past, which we find in the New