The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-22
CHARL EST ON.
TUESDAY MORNING, JANUARY q, 1867.
THE FREEDMAs on HIS TRAVELS.

There was no surplus Of labor here before the
war, nor is there now. Scarcity Of provisions and
a want Of capital have somewhat restricted plant
ing opera ions in some Of tho upper and middle
Districts Of The State, but any temporary surplus
OF labor from those quarters could readily find en-
pigment in adjoi; ing Districts, or on the SEA-
board. The freedmen could thus secure homo
and live .ihood, without leaving the country. The
most serious step in life man can take especially
poor and ignorant man, is to emigrato; to leave
his native SOIL and cast loose from all his friends
and kindred. Even under thesmost unfavorable
conditions, man has better prospect of counsel
and assistance from those he knows than from
utter strangers. The freedmen know our SOIL
our climate our people. Hore they were born
enjoyed the fruits OF the earth increased and null
t;plcd, and, until told that they ought 70 be
happy they we're won't to take life very easy.
Here they have their churches and their school
houses, bureau and savings bank, plenty OF work,
and fair amount of wages. What more can they
possibly desire?
But they have listened TO the voice Of the charm
or. They have been told that on going to Florida
tiaoy viii each and all become landed proprietors;
that the Government viii give them each farm
OF 80 acres. We do not know whether there is any
truth in this not. But supposing it true, of what
advantage Will said 80 acres Of land be to nin:
tenths of the negroes who emigrate? They go
without money, without utensils Of any kind,
without days provisions with very inadequate
clothing, without knowledge Of the country to
which they are going; in fact, they haze no fixed
destination aad no settled plan Of operations The
whole sad picture proves that the move is the con-
sequence Of outside influence, they have been
''over-persuaded." We have conversed with q
number Of these emigrants,- s,-some Of thcm ne
groes we had known for years,-and found, from
the hallucinations under which they labored, that
they had been tampered with. They expect to live
on venison and wild turkey green turtle and Flori
do snapper, with oranges, bananas and cocoa-nuts
for dessert. Some OF our nterlocutors were women
delicate Of constitution, who had been doing house
| work all their lives. We asked them how they ex-
pected to get along in Florida; sOh, we shall stop
! in some Of the villages"
Now what will be the inevitable consequence OF
| such reckless, unwise system Of colonization ?
We have seen it limited that large numbers would
be kidnapped and dcportcd to Cuba; but we do
not entertain such suspicion. A large number OF
| these poor, ignorant, deluded creatures must
| inevitably perish, and the remainder become
rovers and vagrants through the peninsula, q pest
to the community, worthless themselves, and de
moralizing tho negroes to tho manor born and
ere many years the United States troops viii hunt
| through the everglades for outlaw negroes as
they did, for SO many years, for the last Of the
scminoles and the future CAMPBELL will sing
SO, the poor negro"
! During the progress Of the war tho inf uence OF
the United States Army and Navy was exercised
everywhere, to induce the colored people to
leave their masters and their homes. The freed
men were congregated in large villages" and fed
from the public crib; and what has been the in
variable result ideness, vice. starvation, sickness
an few aka s:p yrar k1,o
most heart-rending appeals for succor, in the
Washington papers, in behalf Of the unfortunate
freedmen huddled together at Arlington. We
thought that the Government had experimental
en2ush IN ut @ e9aR'an &c R 'aaneoraton h m Of either
the moral or material condition of the race As
We said before, we know nothing definite Of the
present colonization scheme We knew not
whether it has been inaugurated by Interested
parties for purposes Of gain, or whether it is 8
blind inconsderate philanthropy that is thus
drawing hundreds to inevitable destruction But
wis tever the motive, the result will be the same
! We know there are many who differ with US on
this subject, and say 1sLet them go; we are better
without them" This is not our opinion. True,
we cannot hinder their going; but we can at least
tell them what we think about the matter Some
say, there have always been too many negroes
here, and little thi ming out will be serviceabe
We do not think there ever were too many here;
and even by Gen. HowARD's showing, there are
now some 10000 less than there were five years
ago; and as to the thinning out, always lose by
such operation, as in most instances the best 90
and the most worthless remain
| Let planters and farmers exert themselves and
set the subject properly before the negroes; rea-
son with them, and offer them fair terms for the
ensuing year, and we have no doubt that in many
cases it will have salutary effect,