The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-28
I" HO FOR AFRICA"

promoting O political apotheosis for the
Southern negro, and "whiriwind mingled
with fire" for the Southern white man, now
raises the cry of Ho for Africa" and tells
the "wards of the nation" that the best
thing which they can do hereafter for them
selves, for their pos terity, and for their race,
is TO leave the fold of the "best government
on the face of the earth" and find home
upon the heathenish shores of their father
land.
Now, what can this mean? 1t is not diff
cult to understand why politico-religious
evan gelists of the remarkable brotherhood of
which Parson Newman is shining exemplar,
should assent to Gen. Sherman's scheme for
banishing the Western Indians from all the
pathways of civilization, and segregating
them, in savage solitude, upon territory set
apart expressly for this purpose These chill
dren of the forest, after having been swindled
out of their lands by swarms of former
brood Oh carpet-baggers, have displayed none
of those qualities which they should have
possessed to entitle them to the jealous
attention of the new brood of carpet-baggers
whose deadly benevolence has been monopo-
lized by the sons of Africa. The noble band
to which Parson Newman belongs have mani
tested whole-souled alacrity to consign to
perdition, in this world and the next any
class of unfortunate wretches, white, red or
black, which they could not transmute, in the
political alembic, into regular harvests of
votes and perpetual emoluments of Office
But, up to the present time, they seemed as
proudly confident of their ability to make this
use of the newly enfranchised blacks as a
California gold-digger would be of his ability
to extract the shining dust from q newly dis
covered and extraordinarily rich placer. Some
change, gloomy and portentous, has evident
ly come over the spirit of this glorious dream;
a change not wholly unconnected, we sus-
pect, with incidents and results of the late
election in the South, and with grave antici-
pations of the future which they logically sug-
gest. In short, Parson Newman and his
brethren begin to despair of moulding the
Southern negroes, as political element in
this country, into an infallible instrument
for the work of truly loyal vagrancy and
sanctimonious rapacity, and the happy
thought has occurred to them of "hedging"
against their apprehended discontinue in
this regard, by organizing negro exodus to
Africa, on plan which would secure them
the mortgage of the milk and honey of the
promised land in perennial plenty. Hence
it is that they have suddenly discovered the
excellent design of the colonization society,
&l,o4& 20 al, for Ia
information and Indictment of the colored
man on this continent, the benefcent results
which the society has accomplished. Look,
for example, at the testimony and the ex-
hortation in the subjoined passages from the
last number of Parson Newman's paper:
The Colonization Society own vessel which
will carry comfortably six hundred and fifty per-
SONS They have agents and physicians in Llbe
ria. and for six months emgrsnts provided
with houses and provisions without charge, if ne.
cessary. By that time they will, Of course, be
able TO support themselves easily. Each family is
provided with twenty-five acres OF land I'M
married man receives ten acres. Ii will De seen,
therefore, that those going to Liberia, do not go
into wilderness, and among those who have no
they 60 into well cultivated country where
friendly hearts greet them on their arrival
with words of welcome and provide for their
wants.
o what glorious period in which to live Is this
for the colored man. period when he sees the
shackles stricken from millions Of his race, and
the rights Of citizenship bestowed upon them. A
period when strong State government has been
organized in his fatherland, and kindly hands are
stretched forth to greet and protect him as he
turns bis steps thereto.
Now will their thoughts naturally turn to
the land from which their fathers came, and we
L. kAls a. 49, la~o
are to rise up In America by the ten thousand TO
60 to Africa to elevate, enlighten and Christian.
ize the millions Of their own benghted race. And
to-day
"where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sands
They call us to deliver
Their land from errors chain"
Such strains were heard in an olden time,
uttered by "friends of humanity" very diff
ferent from those who have, of late years,
made friendship for the negro the cover of
political ambition, sectional hostility, and all
manner Of vile and sordid lusts and iniqui-
tous projects. But they sound strangely
coming from an organ of class of politico-
religious missionaries who have insisted on
the same rights and the same destiny on
American soil for men of African descent as
for men of English, Irish, French or German
descent. From this standpoint it is nothing
less than insulting impertinence to say to
the colored people, and to them only, that it is
their duty to migrate as soon as possible to
fatherland; for, from this standpoint, it is
not more their duty to abandon their Ameri-
can home for the purpose of taking care of
Africa, than it is the duty of the white people
in this country to cross the ocean and devote
themselves to the future welfare and glory of
their respective Netherlands.
But we do not condemn the idea of the pro.
posed negro exodus, under the auspices of
Parson Newman and his co-laborers, as bad
thing in itself If they will only pack their
wallets and go along with their charges, the
country will bid them good speed with a
heartiness that has seldom attended parting
guest. And we are sure that the enterprise
would pay them handsomely, in the shape
of results more substantial and comfortable
than they are likely to realize in the long run
from continued labor in the Southern vine