Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-11-29

DepiorabIe Condition of the South Hinton
Helper Startled by the Fruits of his own
sowinS-tie De1ouuCcs the Radicals, &c.
! Hinton r.. Helper, of North Carolina,
author of "Ihe Impending Crisis OF the
South" a well-known anti-slaVery work.
published not long before the war, and
which was endorsed by many Republican
members of Congress, has addressed from
Asheville, North Carolina, an appeal to the
Good People of the Old Free States, +"
upon the condition of the African race in
the Southern States and upon the oppres-
sion and impoverishing effects upon the
mass of the white population, arising from
| the iuxtaposition Of the two races and the
| blighting effects of Radical rule. When
Mr.. Helpers book on the tImpending
Crisis appeared, it excited great interest
| in both the North and South, tanning the
abolition flames in the former to fever heat,
and arousing in the latter spirit of fierce
resentment, inasmuch as, having the formal
approval of the leading Republicans in
| Congress, and the eager advocacy Of North
ern Republican journals, whose columns
were constantly occupied with extracts from
the book, it was regarded almost as Re-
publican manifesto of war against the in
stitution of slavery in the Southern States.
When Mr.. Helper predicted i'll this book
the downfall of slavery, he may have evlnc-
ed something of the prophet but it cannot
be denied that he helped in measure to
| fulfill his own predictions, for he dealt with
| the subject in such q way as to accelerate
the crisis which was the burthen of his
song, and to give momentum to q cause
which might, at any rate, have been una
voidable in the end, but which, if accom-
| plished gradually, and through peaceful in
strumentalities would not have been so
violent or destructive in its effects. When
Mr.. Helper surveys the present lamentable
condition of the South, which he so graph
| ically describes, and when he dwells SO en-
| phatically upon the increased domoraliza-
| ton of the negroes since their emanclpa-
ton, setting forth facts tending to show
that they are not only at present unfit for
! freedom, but openly contending that they
ought not to be permitted to live i'll the
same country with the whites, he must very
much underrate the influence of his own
work exerted in fastening the present de-
plorable state Of things, if he does not re-
cognize i'll this harvest OF misery, disap
pointment and ruin, legitimate fruits of his
own planting.
Mr. Helper in his address to the people
of the old free States, defines his position
at the threshold by stating that his Opposi-
ton to slavery was chiefly for the sake of
the whites, although he also believed that
it involved moral and social guilt of revolt
ing magnitude, but always held that when
the negroes were freed, they ought to be
speedily colonized somewhere beyond the
present limits of the United States. Pass
ing from this point, he goes on to say that
under the public policy of the past, and ''a
most atrocious public policy OF the present,
large majority of the white people of the
| ~ Al I L. i
less consideration and justice than if they
were negroes. This latter class, under the
old system, WAS employed everywhere, out
doors and indoors, while the white popula-
ton was debarred from the pecuniary pro-
fits of employment. This has been going
on for two hundred and fifty years, and this
condition Of things remains unchanged
since emancipation, the negro, from the
ancient sympathy between the stakeholder
and himself, and the lower wages at which
he is able to work, being employed in pre-
ference to the poor whites, whist to dou-
bic the distress of this latter class, the rad
ical legislation of Congress, with lvs wrong
fully discriminating eractmcnts in favor Of
the negro, is not only diminishing the tide
of white emigration to the South, but many
of the whites already there are anxious to
emigrate to any part of the earth rather
than remain under the thraIdom Of negro
supremacy. The writer states that almost
every day for several months past, he has
seen whole families, and sometimes two or
three together, leaving North Carolina for
the Western States and others for Brazil
and other foreign countries. His picture
of the extreme poverty and distress of many
of these poor cmigrants is very sad He
says
"Within the last few weeks especially,
many white families have l seen leaving
the State, all on foot, and barefoOted at
that, apparently possessed of no clothing,
except the two or three soiled and tattered
garments which they were wearing at the
time, and carrying, i'll small bundle on
their backs, every article of property, OF
whatever nature or kind, of which they
could claim the ownership. One family of
eight persons, whom | met on the road,
particularly attracted my attention and
my heart, from an involuntary feeling of
commiseration, almost bled when | be-
came a witness of their dire destitution and
wretchedness. This family was composed
of the father, mother, grandmother, and
five children, the eldest child being not
more than twelve years of age. Except the
youngest child, which was i'll its mothers
arms, all were travelling on foot, and all
were barefootcd, with the single exception
of the father, who had on very old and
widely patched brogans. ~ single outer
dress, of the commonest and cheapest stuff,
and that much worn, and by no means
clean, with q dingy-looking sun-bonnet,
appeared to be the only article of clothing
Of which any one of the females was pos,
sessed. The head of the family had nc
coat; and, as for the boys, uncombed,
ragged and ignorant, they had, indeed, il
a truly serious and melancholy sense, al
most literally nothing to wear Coarse
straw hats, common shirts, and very com
mon pantaloons, all badly worn, wero the
only things they had as shields from the
weather and these shabby ve5tmonts
seemed to constitute tho sum total of theil
personal effects. In a small cotton clotl
wallet, which was swung across the should
ers of the father, and which he evidently
carried without its causing him any partic
, ular burden or Inconvenience, were depos
tied the only movables, the only goods an6
, chattles, the only household goods of this
poor, this uneducated, this politically OPP
pressed and unfortunate family. Nor il
this an exaggerated picture. Were it bu
a solitary case, or but one of few, the
| condition of things would not be SO bad
but, sad to reflect, it is only one of many