The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-04-17
The Negro Migration Westward.
From thb Philadelphia Recori.l

OF Il most heartless form of rascalitv Hun
dreds of negrOs are flockng thither rom
the far South, under the impression that
the long looked for forty acre and Il
inule" tO each Of them can be had in That
Slate. The delusinn is fOster9l Ivy rail-
road ticket sliarperS, who induce the -
norant negroes tO part with their small
I properties In raise money tor IL third class
ticket tn the promised land The fraud
has been carried to such aD extent that nc
4 lion by the Stale government may be nee
essary to end it.
Travelling all over this country, as
l DO, 1 suppose know as much about
the cplored people as any man living.
am just from an extensive tour,
which embraced two thirds of the
States south, where this intcnse ignor-
ance is supposed to exist, and ] aver
that there is not colored man in Il
million that has the least idea OF get
ting a mule and forty acres of land by
going 10 Kansas. Such language is
the basest jargen. gotten up for the
urpose of throwiug dust ia the eyes
of the white people Of tie couutry,
ana concealiDg the true reasons that
have necessitated th Kansas emigIa-
tiOn.
There are tens of thousands OF col
ored people in different parts OF the
South; yes, men with wives and chill
dren, who are trying TO exc out an
existence on twenty-tlv cents a day,
and pay rent cut OF it. l could mar
rate other fa- Is that might curdle the
blood OF bruies, il they possessed AN
ounce of sympathy; but il would be
useless 10 do so, as it is very evident
that North and South have shaken
hands over the negro. and they are
determined 10 credit nothing said
J about his grievance, uuiess it suits
; them. So far Us the colorcd people
going to Kansas is concerned, they
, have right to go il they wish. Not
; one colored 10 ID thousand whites 60
for nearly every train going into Kan
sas, either from the East or North is
crowded with white men, women and
children, thousands OF women cannot
speak the English language.
; Have not the co!ored people, who
r have toiled here for two hundred and
, fifty years. as much light to settle
r there as foreigners. especially wher
Il portion OF the people from whom
they should expect better things are
, trying to staiye them TO death? The
sober sense OF any reasonable mat
q will concur with their right TO 10 so
, As a cUlored man am in favor o
+ as many going 10 Africa as beiiev,
hey eau staud the climate, for / bav,
) very litile faith in cur future here
) But 20 those who are opposed 10 AZ
= lica or feel they cannot stand tina
Z tropical CLINE, or are too old, etc,
: have told ia my speeches, addresse
: and public remarks, TO go TO Kansas
or anywhere out West. 1 have no
e only given this advice TO hundred
II Of thousands in the South, but TO on
), young men and women everywhere
n In Kansas they eau become land own
o eIs, stock owners and, ia short. own
q ers OF everything, foe when a peopl
a become the owners of the soil, every
n thing else will follow.
% As for the mule and forty acres @
IL land, about which so much has bee
"a said for the last ten or twelve year:
the Southern negro has not expecte
J. ii ia the lowest or most illiterate eli
~ cles for eight years to my knowleds,
~ When l was chaplain ia the army
was "a common thug for white sol
diers especially TO tell the colore
- people, both in Grants and Sherman
- armies, that "when the war is owe
we intend TO cut up these lands an
~ give them TO you" This rumor wei
- abroad in all parts OF the South, an
= some parties ut the early stage OF II
~ construction revived it, and put
~ mule in with the land, in order to 6,
them astir In political matters.
they knew that the negro OF Il
60 South wanted land more than anl
~ thing on earth 60 his honor be
F" said), such report would have Ia
=" ismanic effect upon all who could
% induced TO believe il, aud. for "a viii
'i' many did believe il, but this delusiC
'cs has long since been dlssipated.
~ But after all, II the negro OF Il
-. South Qor ] am one) did look (
-, forty acres you must admit he look,
for no more than he had right
look for. God will yet punish ii
nation for turning five millions of Ia
man beings out 10 starve and q
10, without foot of land or u dollar
- commence life with, after reaping {
a.. hundred years. Now, after bel
90 treated with the basest OF treache
-o,, upon record by the nation we ha
,oL ever been loyal to, deserted in eve
- way and In everything in a mann
do that has no parallel in hirtory, y
s9Y tell US "that action by the State 60
the ment may be necessary to end 1
.;,, AS l understand il. the State Cover
ment may have 10 legislate TO lie
nat negroes out OF Kansas. But 1 ha
tell this 10 say, from my knowledge
yirl such legislation in the past, as gai
md cred from reading the history OF 1
tions. Woe be 10 this country, wh