The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-06-29

| Mortality 1T the South.
While humanitarian philosopher, New Eng
land fanatics and party politicians are spending
their time and breath over the question Of CON
ferring the privilege of elective franchise upon
the emancipated blacks Of the South, daily
events are rapidly solving the problem OF the
future of the race and pointing with uner'
ring accuracy to the fhte that awaits it on this
continent Every report from the South brings
to Us an account Of the enormous mortality
among tho negroes in every locality. Thus
letter from our Charleston correspondent, which
we published yesterday, In abiding to the
previous accounts Of deaths among this class,
stated that "there has been no change for the
better. From ninety to one hundred is the
weekly average" In Charleston alone. Also
that "fearfdl stories are told of the mortality Of
the negroes on the coast between Charleston
and Savannah" We receive similar reports
from every other section Of the Southern States,
from Virginia to Texas. The reports In the
departments at Washington, in reference to the
deaths among tho negro regiments, show
like result All this reveals the extraordinary
frailty Of the race, which many have supposed
to be more hardy than almost any other, and
also showing their predisposition to disease
and death. This feature is, now that they are
assuming their new relations as freemen, devel-
oping itself with great rapidity. They prove
that the blacks, left to their fate and deprived
Of the watchful care and skilful nursing of their
interested masters, are rapidly dwindling away,
| which must in few years tell fearfully upon
their numbers.
Those not familiar with the habits and char
| acteristics Of the blacks, or who have formed
their ideas Of their endurance by the occasional
accounts Of the death Of some negro centenarian,
will no doubt be surprised at these reports. 1t
Is, however, only necessary to refer to facts
within the reach Of every person to prove that
these reports develop no new thing, but only
| corroborate what close observation has long
since shown to be q peculiar characteristic OF
the colored race in this country. Let us take,
for example, their condition in this city. Here
they have been as free ss in any part Of the
country. They have had their churches, and
found ready employment. They have been
subject to no drawback except that which is the
natural result OF difference between two races.
They have been able to crafty their tastes in
every way that their means would justify, just
as fully and freely as white people in the same
financial circumstances. But what is the re-
suit! Thirty-6ve years ago they performed the
duties Of scavengers, hod-carriers, porters in
the stores, hostlers and coachmen, serv ants in
private families, hotel walters and barbers
almost to the exclusion of the whites. They
could then be seen promenading Broadway
every Sunday afternoon by the hundreds, fop-
pishly dressed, and with all the display Of the
aristocracy. No arbitrary laws have since been
applied to them. On the contrary, the leniency
towards them has increased. Yet they have
gradually disappeared. We now find but
comparatively few employed as family servants
or as walters In hotels. The Irish and Germans
have taken their place. They no longer mo-
nopolize our barber shops, but are almost su
perseded by The whites olssssA We enly
see now and then one connected with thu
livery Of our aristocracy; nor is the blacl
man to be seen performing the more severe
manual labor of the hod-carricr. At one tim,
having the monopoly of labor, he has beer
unable to keep pace with the times or maintain
his position, but Is obliged to make way fo
others. Like the Indian, before the march o
civilization, they have been gradually disap
pearing from all pursuits and decreasing II
numbers, % the records show.
| The same result Is true of all other Northern
cities. The data prepared by careful statisticani
show that the mortality Of the free negro Is, IL
the majority of instances, greater than the births
Thus in Boston the deaths among the coloret
population exceed the number Of births nearly
two to one. In Philadelphia, during periot
! of six months in 1859, there were three hun
dred and six deaths to one hundred am forty
eight births. In New England the deaths among
the negroes uniformly exceed the births. Thl
is the locality where the negro is worshippet
and made an idol, and therefore II is supposed
to present greater advantages for health thar
any other locality. But It may be said that th,
climate Of New England is too severe, ant
therefore does not furnish fair example
But the statistics of the last two OF
three years show no better result in the South
The mortality among the negro soldiers in thu
Mississippi valley has been proverbially large
One regiment Of eleven hundred strong, raised
in one neighborhood, every man of which
passed the surgical examination and was pro
nounced good, able-bodied and free from
disease, were placed in camp by themselves
in the very locality where they had been raised
and in less than six months over one-half o
the number were under the sod. These mel
were placed at no severe work, were not en-
gagged In battle not man was killed through
the casualties Of the war. They were simply
required to drill and perform the usual work o
. soldier In camp, and had all the core in re
spect to cleanliness and protection from tn,
weather usually allotted to soldiers; but they
dropped of one by one, until over one-half O
their number were buried, and that, too, with
out the appearance of On epidemic In add