Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-09-22
THE NEW SOUTH.


Mr.. Nordhoffs paper, read to the
Social Science Congress, treats of the
negro in the South. In 1865, the ne.
gro actually owned only the clothes he
wore - ragged as they we're. For
eleven years these people have had
freedom. In Georgia the au horities
have taken pains to inquire into the
condition and progress of the freed
men. The State has been Democratic
for five years. and the negro has had
little opportunity to play the states
man. In Georgia the coiored voters
number about $4,000, and, according
tosthe returns Of 1874. the freedmen,
who by the census of 1870 numbered
545, 600, were possessed of 338, 760
acres of farming real estate, 81, 200, lis
worth of city and town real estate, and
paid taxes on valuation OF Sc, 157, 1893.
So far as ascertained from diligent in
quiry, the negroes of Georgia own
more real estate per head than those
of any others of the States. The
negroes prefer to buy uncleared land
near cities and villages, and clear
it for themselves. The planters
do not like to sell these small
lots, as a negro settlement deterio'
rates the rest of the estate. Thus il
is that we hear of planters refusing to
sell land to the freedmen. The system
of leasing cotton lands is such that the
freedman will have a surplus at the
end of the season of from $3.50 to $4OO
This he sells at his leisure. The negro
distrusts savings banks. Once pinched
by the philanthropists of the General
Howard school he cannot be fooled
again. Mr.. Nordhoff says that in
every Southern State you may find
colored families who lost money in this
bank, and that cruel fraud was a Sc.
rious encouragement to thrift amorg
the whole colored population of the
South. Almost universally the rela-
tons between the planter and the
freedmen are kindly and agreeable.
The colored man seeks the planter g
advice in all the relations of his life,
deposits his spare cash with him, and
in fact deals with him as his friend up
to the point where politics come in,
and then he shoots over to the other
side without q moments hesitation.
He will vote for bad man who is Re
publican rather than for planter with
whom he has the kindest relations.
The negroes who are fairly dealt with
by the planters, and such is the rule,
give satisfaction. Free labor is central
izing population in towns and villages.
1t is introducing labor saving mis-
chimes. It is inducing the negroes to
migrate. and the fact that they 60 from
North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia
to Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkan
sas, in which States it is said that the
negroes life is not safe, shows that a
good deal of the cry of Southern out
rage is pure invention. The negro
does not remove wildly or blindly,
says Mr.. Nordhoff. and by this plain
statement disposes of much or the
bloody shirt business, and the necessi-
ty for such circulars as emanate from
Washington. The only trouble at the
South is political. Industry proceeds
apace, and crops are large. Mr.. Nord-
hof says: ''There are fewer persons
there unemployed, the average earn
ings of the laboring classes are larger,
the surplus produced in those States
over and above what is necessarily ex-
pended by the population in living has
been greater for several years than in
an equally numerous North ern popu-
lation.''