The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-05-22
THE NEGRO POPULATION.

THE NEGRO POPULATION. s.
The statistics contained in the re-
port of the United States census for
1870 do not confirm the common
opinion that there is likely to be a.
steady flow of the colored people to
this State. Time enough has not
elapsed to determine the law of their
movement; still it is interesting to
study the figures, and to use them to
check our theories. -, + T.
! It is current speculation that the
negroes swM fock to the States where
they are already in the majority, and
South Carolina, Florida Mississippi
and Louisiana are named as States
which will probably become distinct
lively negro States. How is this view
confirmed by the census Of 1s70?-
The gain in Florida, was 46 per cent;
but in the previous decade it was Be
per cent. Louisiana, which gained
"a per cent. in 1860, gains only 4 per
cent. in 1870; Mississippi, which.
gained Al per cent. In 1850 gains
only Al per cent. insls70, and South
Carolina. which gained 5 per cent. in
1860, gains only per cent. in the
next decade. Florida was outside Of
the seat of active war, and afforded
refuge for the colored people. This
may account for her gain; but the
gains of Louisiana, Mississippi snd
South Carolina have fallen respeetiye-:
.ly to 4, II and I per cent, although
the average increase of the entire me-
gro population, for the same period,
was IL per cent. Tits true that the
.colored populations of the three States
last named suffered severely during
the war, and that tho mortality
amongst them has been heavy sinee
the war; but, if there bad been any
considerable migration to those States
during the ten years ending in 1870,
the result would have been very diff,
ferent. Nor does the census show
that there has been any considerable
movement from the North to the old
slave States. 80
In general way, tho statistics
prove that the movement Of the negro,
population has taken q Northern as
we'll as Southern direction but it is
difficult t, say what changes are even
now in progress. During the last
two years there has been, it. is be-,
lieved, q steady flow Of colored people
to Mississippi, and it is hardly to be
doubted that the next census will
show that there has been considerable
emigration from this State. One
great danger is that South Carolina
may lag behind in the work Of re-.
forming her government. in which
case the temptation to move in this
direction may be stronger than the
attraction of higher wages further
South. Even so, however, it is open
for consideration whether the new
coiners would not be the few aspiring
colored men who envy the Elliots and
Whippers who have obtained PROM
inent position here, rather than the
laborers who depend upan the gene
raj prosperity of a State for their rate
of wages and the security Of their
earnings. A more imminent peril is
that the continuance Of corrupt and
tyrannical government NAV drive tho
white people away; in which event
the relative strength Of the negroes
would be proportionately increased.
And this result. can only be avoided
by selling every opportunity which
presents itself Of making any change
for the better, however slight, in tho
character of our public officers. This
is as necessary to the well-being Of
the colored people as that Of tbs
whites. If South Carolina were to
lose her white population, it would
be impossible for the colored labor
ers to obtain even the comforts which
now are theirs, and any Improvement
in their condidition would be out Of
the question. /.
We do not pretend to say that the
statistics Of the census Of 1870 are
conclusive. They are, however, trues
as far as they go, and they show that
from 1s6Osto 1870 the increase in the
colored population Of this State was
only 4 per cent; while the average
gain throughout the United States,
was IL per cent, and the natural IN
crease should be- for the same period.
about Is per cent. Up to 1870, at all
events, there was no movement OF
colored people to South Carolina and
it is highly probable that thousands
were lost by emigration to the far
South.-ChYlsston Ne~'. ~