Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-30
EEGKO meRTALIrY

Statements have frequently been
made that the negroes have been
dying at a fearful rate since the
war. A month ago meeting was
held in Washington, at which ex-
President Roberts, ofLiberia, made
a speech, and urged the negroes to
emigrate to Liberia, where they
would have a government con-
trolled exclusively by men of their
own race, and where, he insisted,
they would be free from many OF
the fatal diseases to which they are
liable in this country. A negro
preacher at the Same meeting stated
that since the commencement OF
the lato civil war not less than two
million of the negro population OF
this country had died. If his states
ment approximates the truth, there
has been a fearful mortality among
the negroes, as it shows that nearly
one half the negroes in this country
at the beginning Of the war have
passed away. There can be no
doubt that the ratio of mortality
among the blacks has been much
larger than among the whites. We
have evidence of this fact in the
mortality eturns of this city. The
proportion of the former is fully
three to one Of the latter; perhaps
an accurate census would show tho
mortality to be much greater. The
Charleston Mercury of . recent
date makes the following statement
touching this point:
"Any one who has read the health re-
ports Of the city of Charleston, since the
close Of the war, cannot have failed to re-
mark that the number of deaths among
the colored people, as compared TO those
among the white, has been in the proper
ton of more than two TO one. This pro"
| portion has been, as we are informed, great"
er in other places; and the question natu'
| rally arises, why should this thing be.
| Before the war mortality was about equal
among both races, but since peace has
been re. established, the negro has been
| diving out much more rapidly than the
white man.
ITO us the reason seems TO be in The
| fact that the colored people, as class, are
not laboring as earnestly and vigorously as
thew could be compelled to do TO procure
the necessary comforts which conduce to
| health and longevity. Ia the competition
! for bread which we fad everywhere, the
| man who falls below the average amount
| of work which a white man can do IN a
day, must at least want, if he does not
starve. Hunger, poverty, and squalor-
| the fate of those who fall below this ave.
| rape-sre not favorable to the birth and
rearing of children, or the preservation Of
health and life in the adult. They are the
parents of disease and of death, and the
race that does not labor sufficiently to
keep them off must be constantly deci-
mated.
awe notice this stan Ting fact, in orr
der that our colOred population may seek
a remedy. We are interested not in the
destruction, but in the preservation Ofthe
race. Let the Radical manufacturers of
opinion among the colored people at
tempt to poison their minds as they will,
the day is not far distant when they will
see that they have been deluded by vile
demagogues, anxious to accumulate plum
der at the expense of the white and
| black man alike. They will soon see, as
we see, that each race is interested In the
prosperity of the other. Every industri.
Gus laborer is an additional source of
strength to any country, it matters not
what may be his color, his nativity, or
his religion. Every owner Of capital,
every possessOr of brain, honestly ap,
piled, adds power to the State and fur
nishes what labor requires, and what
labor will produce. Living side by side,
| the white man cannot spare the black
man, nor can the black man do without
those who possess the soil, the capital,
and a great part Of the education and
intellect of the State.
1.-The remedy for this mortality among
the colored population of the State is to
be found in work, hard and steady work,
united with prudence and frugality. By
means Of labor and economy the mates
rial condition of the race will be inn
proved, and with improvement in its
material condition will come better
health, increase Of births and greater
longevity"
The Courier makes some i'm
portant suggestions to the negroes,
which are equally as applicable to
that race in other portions of the
South as in Charleston. There is
too great disposition among them
to live with as little labor as possio
BILE, and hence they drift toward
cities and large towns where they
hope to get small jobs at above the
range of prices for field hands, by
means Of which they can exc out a
sort of living They should stay
in the country and labor on the
farms. If this plan were generally
adopted by the negroes they would
very percoptibly diminish the NOR
tuary bills among theirrace. By such
acourse they would not only benefit
their general health, but add largely
to the wealth of the South. The
suggestions of the Courier should
be impressed upon the negroes in
all portions of the South, not alone
as a sanitary measure, bnt as a
step highly beneficial to themselves
in pecuniary sense.