The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-01
THE SAN DOMINGO MfEr1Ra.

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which was proposed to carry their race ms a
colony to the Island of San Domingo, where
they could live without toll and harvest
without sowing-where the fruits of tropics
hang in ample profusion to supply the
wants of every settler. Some six or seven
hundred laborers left their work and came
to Anderson in quest of the news concern
ing the "New Eldorado," to which they cx-
pected to start Immediately. Soon after
reaching Anderson it began to appear that
the meeting was to be political one, and
large numbers of the colored people who
came to town, realizing the fact that there
was no sincerity in the San Domingo move
ment, did not attend the meeting. Some
three hundred, however, repaired to the
Greeley Institute and organized meeting by
electing Seaborn McCurry Chairman, and
Green D. Williams Secretary. The meeting
was called to order, and Moses Lee. coal
black descendant of Africa, with infinitely
more lungs than brains, offered preamble
and resolutions, which for some reason he
did not read, but called upon the Secretary
who read them as if he had studied over
them for long time. These resolutions
have not been furnished us, but in substance
they commend the Presidents message
about San Domingo, and ask Congress TO
adopt its recommendations. They then at
tack the Democratic party on its labor pol
icy, and denounce the white people of An
derson as inhuman prosecutors Of the color
ed laborers who have served them during
the war, and in clearing and settling. the
country before, &c, &c. They provide for
sending copy of the resolutions to the
President, to each Of the Senators and Rep
resentatives from this State, to the Governor
of each State and to number of Northern
Republican newspapers. These resolutions
were adopted without debate, and Moses
Lee offered another resolution, which he
got the Secretary to read, endorsing Cham
berlain's administration, and asking his help
to secure the removal of the colored people
to San Domingo. This was also adopted,
and the crowd looked sorry that it could
not resolute something further, as 1t had
finished its work entirely sooner than was
expected. 1t is proper here to mention that
no white Republican attended the meeting,
and that Moses Lee, who lives upon Senator
Cochrans land, and has been one of his
political runners all the time, was in posses
sion of all the resolutions. Senator Cochran
was in Columbia.
After the adoption of the resolutions
speaking was in order, and William K.
Parker, colored preacher of the Fork
Township, who is under indictment for en-
bezzling school money, was the first spokes-
man for the day. He commenced by locat-
ing San Domingo, and saying that if the
colored people had to leave this country he
wanted better home than San Domingo.
He then attacked the white people ofthis
country, and claimed that the country
was as much the black mans as the
white mans, because they had cleared and
drained it, and worked for the white people
until emancipation. He complained of the
people for not letting Republicans vote as
they please and continuing to employ them.
He said that this harsh policy was driving
the colored men to starvation, and that they
were living in huts in the woods and old
fields. That the time had come when the
father would go to the mother and say we
are all starving to death. Let us kill our
oldest child and eat him, and the mother
would object, and they would name over
each of their children and decide at last all
to starve together. (He had evidently for
gotten that he was speaking to civilized
people, and imagined he was addressing
barbarians at this stag of the mecting). He
said that the white people made it necessary
for the colored race to steal, for if they did
not give them employment they must live
anyhow. He then said that the whites were
false to their promises to the colored people,
for Democratic colored men did not fare any
better than Republicans. (He is either false
in this statement or he has proved that poll
tics has nothing to do with the imaginary
hard times of which he speaks). He said a
great deal that was vile and bitter towards
the white people, but We cannot afford to
follow his incendiary and violent harangue
any further.
The next speaker was another colored
preacher, Phillip Morris, who wanted to say
that he ''don't know nothing about st. Min
co." but that he did know a great deal about
the expressions practiced upon his race in
this country He said that simply because
colored men voted the Republican ticket
and tried to get others to do so they We're
considered leaders, and the Democrats
would not give them employment. He
said that besides this they did not half pay
laborers, and wanted them to work the
same as if they were we'll fed. He said the
colored people did not want anything but
a chance to work. This speech like the pre-
ceding one was of the most incendiary
character, and was evidently intended to
dissatisfy the colored people with the re-
enumeration they received for labor He
said that the white people violated the laws
of God, and that he believed they had ceased
reading their Bibles.
After him another colored preacher, Elias
Terrell, undertook to discourse upon the
subject of going to "St. Gomingo," as he
termed it, and followed to considerable ex-
tent the line of abuse indicated by the pre-
ceding speakers. His remarks were evil
IDENTIFY called forth by desire to have a
voice in the wholesale abuse of white people,
which was the order Of the day.
Next Gilbert Rutledge, Moses Lee and
Green D. Williams made speeches very
much in the same style as the foregoing
The meeting, as we predicted, was purely
political, and at its close secret session was
had in the Greeley Institute under the pre-
tense of organizing a cooperative store.
The whole affair was in q bad spirit, and no
doubt had its inspiration from Columbia.
Four-ffths of the colorcd men who were