The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-04
SPIRIT OF Tzn PRuss.
EdItorInI Opinions of the LendinA Journals
Upon Current TOpics-COrRpiIed Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.

MIGRATIOES OF SOUTHERN POPULA-
TION.
Prom the NJ Y. Tribune.
An army officer who has for some years
held chief command in one of the Gulf
States has been engaged in making observa-
tions and collecting facts regarding certain
noteworthy movements of the elements of
population that have latterly been going on
in the South. 1t appears from the notes of
the General that both the whites and the
blacks of the Southern States have begun
shifting very extensively their localities
the movement of the two races not being
in the same direction, but towards different
regions.
The white emigration from the old slave
States lying on the Atlantic coast, and stretch
ing to the Mississippi has attracted the at
tention of the General. There is q great
stream of laboring whites moving from these
regions to the West, to the Arkansas and Red
rivers and to Texas. At many points on the
Mississippi the boats have not been able to
put them across fast enough. 1t has seemed
of late as though South Carolina, Georgia,
and Alabama would be depopulated of that
element which formed the only link between
the dominant white and the laboring black.
The General says that, short while ago, he
travelled through Eastern Alabama with
large body of white emigrants and he has
come to the conclusion, after careful observa-
ton, that not less than 30 600 whites have left
Georgia and Alabama within the year for
Arkansas and Texas. The General accounts
for these movements thus:-The white man,
having at last discovered that he must work,
is going, with all his household gods, where
land is cheap and grain plenty, and where
he can own the soil.
In regard to the freedmen of the Southern
States, the General has observed that there is
a very extensive movement of the colored
population to the "black belt"-that belt of
counties reaching from the Sea Islands in
South Carolina, westward through Middle
Georgia, Middle and Southern Alabama, Mis-
sissippi, and Louisiana He says that the
place of the whites departing from that region
will be filed by the blacks who are moving in
that direction, and whom he regards as the
''only real emigrants" thither He believes
that if the colored people were educated so
that they could write to their friends and re-
present 4natters to them, there would be
an exodus of these people much greater than
what has yet been seen from the more
northerly parts of the Southern States to
what he alternately designates as the cotton
belt" and the 'black belt" AS it is, the
exodus is as yet limited, though it is none the
less certain and definite. BY reason of these
movements now in progress-the movement
of the laboring white westward and the colored
freedman southward-the General believes
that there will be great change in the ele-
ments of population in certain parts of the
Southern States 1t appears to him assured
that the status will be this the old slave
master will be face to face with his old slave
now freeman; and the negro will inhabit
the black belt, and control it.
In 80 far as the observations of the General
indicate facts that have come under his own
notice, we recognize their value and import
ance. In so far as he INDUCES in speculation,
1T is not necessary that we should assent to
them all to admit their interest. Some of the
statements have been confirmed in remark
able manner by advices we have received and
news we have published, frsm time to time,
from other sources. We have had corres-
pondence from the far South alluding to the
westward emigration of the poorer classes of
whites; and the reason generally assigned for
this emigration has been the same-the diff
Guilty which poor men find in becoming
IlndhoLderS in the older States of the South,
and the facility with which they can
acquire land in the newer States Of the
northwest. The southwark movement of
the colored population has also been fire.
quently referred to in our letters from the
more northerly parts of the old slave States.
Only few days ago our Washington CORE
spondent sent us some interesting news from
Virginia on this subject. BY this it appears
that the active demand for negro labor in the
far South is showing itself by the extraordi-
nary efforts that are being made to secure
colored emigration from Virginia There are
labor agents there representing whole COM
munities Of planters in the Gulf States. In
the principal cities of Virginia they are doing
an active business in hiring hands for the
cotton and cane plantations of Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Alabama. One of these agents
advertises for negroes by thousands at from
S15 to $22'50 per month; and in some cases
additional inducements are offered, such as
separate houses, rations, garden-patches,
privilege to raise pigs, fowls, etc., and free
transportation by rail. II certainly is not
wonderful ifs with such attractions, there
should be a rapid growth of the colored
population of the Gulf States, and rapid
decrease in Virginia and other border States
The subject, in all its incidents and bear
ings, is one of very great Importance. We
hope to obtain such additional information
about it as will enlighten us concerning its
consequences. Particular pains, we hope,
may be taken by the superintendent of the
forthcoming census to gather all possible
facts on the various features of these move
ments of population.
ANOTHER GREAT STATESMAN AGAINST
CUBA.
From the NJ Y. Sun.
Mr.. Mark Twain favors the public with hs
D,l,,