The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-10-21
Peoples Ticket.
THE NEGRO AND HIS WANTS.

uonsl facilities, ratons, clothing, pure po' |
lisicsl gospel, and everything that consider
ate guardians could provide for promising
wards, it appears that the real wants OF the
race are lust now being discovered. Parker
Pillsbury, after spending years OF his lite
and writing up reams Of paper and gallons OF
ink enlightening readers Of anti.slavery pub
LEGATIONS on the poor negro aud his miserable
condition as bondsman, has Just, for the
first time. made visit to the South and oh.
tanned his first knowledge Of the favored
race. He has seen no slave, but the gen
uiu- free negro, the nations ward, and
finds the contrast between what fancy pant
ed him and what ne actually is, so great az
% hs almost revolving. His disgust at
wba, he has seen with his own eyes is so
s,rong that he cannot repress it, but hon.
estly confesses it in some letters to the Her'
oLution Newspaper, written from our South
ern Bahomey.
Mr. Pillsbury's severe Judgment upon the
Southern negro should probably be received
with some grains Of allowance, for fair mind
ed people will not forget that Mr.. P. has, in
his auiet study and by the free indulgence
Of gu exubersnt fancy, made himself
negro enthusiast; and it is but natural that
those who allow themselves to become en-
,husiasts about people OF whom they kno"
bu, little should be disappointed nbecom'ng
intimately acquainted with them: and this
disappointment is generally in proportion to
the enthusiastic excessive admiration 80
we would bespeak for our unfortunate cor
ored brethren in the South q Judgment less
severe than that passed upon them by Their
heretofore ignorant adnirer and advocate
There are not wanting people among the
abused negro haters who feel more chartabIy
inclined toward them than Mr.. Pillsbury now
il, as there have always been men in his
party less enthusiastic than he in their
devotions at the shrine Of the negro.
Writing from Charleston Of the quality of
whisky ordinarily drank by the colored breth
rem there, he says: "lhe whisky here is
diabolical, and yet they (the colored people,
appear to love it more than anything else,
women ~ well as men
Mr.. Pilsbury either torgets or refuses TO
state in excuse Of the failure Of his co!ored
brethren 10 keep on hand good supply of
choice whisky, thu fact that their guardian,
the government, has imposed such high
tax on the manufacture Of this article,
which among southern negroes ia regarded
both as a luxury and as necessary of liiel
that in their poverty they cannot afford TO
buy the large quantities consumed in their
families. The fact that the brethren openly
offered this "diabolical" stuff to Mr. Pills
bury should not have bsen taken as an
offense for the reason that his reputation
had not preceded him among them and if
il had they probably would have felt like
offering him the best they had as token of
their hospitality-a weakness which they
have received from their late barborous
masters.
While comminging in a familiar man.
ner with the new estate in American gov
eminent little piece Of democratic logic
on the subject of indiscrmiuate negro en-,
Reimbursement fitted into his mind, and he
wrote as follows: ale surely must have
low estimate of the solemn sponslblities
Of government, who would force the ballot
upon thousands and thousands to be seen
all over the South. And forced ii was on
many men, wherever the Slaves have voted.
They knew no more
and cared no more for what they did in vot
ing than if they were as infantile in years
AS they are in political experience
At the time wholesale and unconditional
emancipation was proposed, the Democratic
party insisted that such mistaken measure
would result in material injury to the blacks
OF the South, as it would precipitete the
whole race into condition Of helplessness
and beggary, leading them to all the worst
forms Of social vice end crime, and to
their rapid degeueraCy AS IL race. What
was then treated rs so much copperhead
twacdIe is, according to Mr.. p. nov history,
for he saws thnt among the South Carolina
negroes "verv few children are born, aud
"nfantcide Is common" Il saw infants
and 7ery young children naked from morn
ing till night says the penitent Pilsbury,
aud BOYS o; at least a dozen years with
only single garment, aud that but scanty
apology Many women, young and Old, had
little on above the waist, and nothing below
the knees"
The attire Of the South Carolina negress
though considerably curtailed Of its prope
proportions at top and bottom, is probabl
neariy equal 10 extent TO that of the bellies c
New York whom the great radical patriarc
is accustomed to meet in fashionable society
on full dress occasions.
Radical politicians It was supposed, su
ceeded in persuadinq the country that Il
negro had been endowed by them with eve
needful thing except the ballot and VIII,
this was demanded assured their reucta
followers that it was necessary to prOte
him in the enjoyment Of his newly acquire
rights Reconstruction gave it to him