New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-16
SOMEWHAT ALARMED.


The Pic, which, like Orson, is some
times endowed with reason, has semi
weekly article against the White League.
Then its revolving light turns its beatiic
beams to illuminate some other of the
numerous programmes which it advocates
in ''immovable neutrality
It seems somewhat alarmed at the posi-
bility Of the labor exodus to result from the
violence of the White Leaguers. Itquotes
from the Galveston N8,0s the assertion
that this danger is suggested with view
to discourage the whites in Louisiana in
the effort to control their own affairs.
The Neaes then proceeds:
Louisiana negroes will not be apt to gain
anything in political influence by coming to
Texas, where there are three white men to
one negro, instead of remaining in Louis
lana, where there are more negroes than
whites. Besides, Texas has never encOur-
aged the immigration of freedmen from
other States. There are more in this State
already than can be induced to work, and
the counties which have most of them are
decidedly the worst off.
We can not directly attribute this argu-
ment to a political philosopher who has
emigrated from New Orleans and is un-
derstood to be writer on the Neacs; but
it seems to have emanated from a disciple
Of the same school.
l. We have never said that the negroes
will emigrate from Louisiana to gain
"poIitical influence" They leave the
land of their choice to save their lives
from shotgun suffrage. What, women
and children and simple crop laborers
emigrate to obtain more political infu-
ence" There must be some other cause.
We do not deny that these people would
like, as European immigrants do, to live
in a country where they would be allowed
peaceable suffrage, but it is life and not
suffrage that the negroes of the Red River
parishes wish to save.
2. Texas never encouraged the immigra.
ton of freedmen from other States. 1t is
very we'll known that laborers of all colors
and nationalities are welc ONE in the eli.
mate and crop culture of Texas. TIC
say that in the const ruction of railroads
and production of cotton, labor skilled in
those occupations is not wanted, is un
reasonable. To affirm that colored me.
mails are not welcomed by Southern PEG.
pie, always accustomed to employ them,
seems improbable, SO we turn to the only
authority accessible, and find that Texas,
in 1860, had 1872, SOS slaves, and that in
1870, she had 253, AIS free people of color.
There is an increase of seventy per cent
in a decade, which seems quite encour.
aging.
3. AS for the proposition that the coun-
ties that have most negro laborers and
menials being ''worse of, and that there
are more than can be induced to work
we reckon the White League may be
mistaken.
We bank greatly on the statements Of
business men. the cotton dealers of this
port can not be roped in by the White
Leaguers to conceal the state of labor.
They are in honor and interest bound to
tell the facts about the growing crop.
They recently covered the White Lea
guers with confusion by showing that
the labor is excellent in all the nine
cotton States. The Leaguers wish them
to say ''good crops and bad labor" but
the cotton dealers know this to be absurd.
Now, what will the public think upon
the statement of the Galveston Neps9
Undoubtedly that there is very little
negro labor in Texas. But there are
between two hundred and fifty and three
hundred thousand negroes. Then it
will be supposed that the negroes scan
not be induced to work" On the con-
trary, the Cotton Exchange, reporting
the state of labor in Texas says 'Hlabor
sufficient and good
There is, then, some danger for alarm
lest these laborers should fly as the He
brews from persecution to peace, and the
demand for labor in Texas makes it plain
that they are ''no nice of recruits" and
they could not import better or more eff
Gent labor than that which the Leaguers
are soaring to death with shotgun suffrage
and Ku-Klux assassinations. Better quit
it. The politicians are betting an Office
on the election; the planter is betting a
crop, with possibly the whole valHe of his
lands, on the same result. 1t is not equal