, 1879-03-25

|
messed for many yoara.
................-s--4
THE NEGRO EXODUS FROM THE SOUTH.
There wcro printed In tho lass issue Of THE
TRIBUNE tho af1ldavits Of large number Of
tho fugitive negroes from tho South In 81.
| Louis, en- route to KansaB. Tho plain mud
simple statements In tileso aflldayits confirm
the reports that hnvo beon mado from tmo
to timo in a general way Of the persecution
OF colored mon in the South by bulltozors.
They show that somo of them fed 10 save
their lives; some OF them because they
wnut 10 vote but cannot do 80 with.
out being shot; somo hecauso they
wero not only afraid Of being shot, but be.
cause thoy approhoulel starvation. Some
Of them had tried to cducato the i]titcrato
blacks, and woro threatened with donth If
they persisted. One quite intelligent colored
man said: "I'ho condition Of tho black
/ people down South FOR tho past few yeara
has been very bad-tho ill.trcatrnent Of tho
whito men; NO matter low good crop you
made, You couldn't mike anything" Anothcr
/ saya: II 1nade very bad living thcro, bo-
canso I was charged SO high for rent an.i
provisions that at the ond of tho gear tho
! landowners Ind it all." Another says: III left
tito South bcca,,Bo couldn't ,naks living
tloro, aud couldn't vote ns wanted to,
because Tho planters, on whose lnud we wero,
nlade them vote rs they wnntod or wo
would have to leave." How they nude them
vote US they wauted them to, or altogether
| prevented them from voting, is told by ol,e
! Of them as follows:
''Ths reason loft tho South was because ryc
bud organ!zed club get reduction In rent and
was President Of tho club OIL Widow CnANE's
place; was accused Of teaching tho pooplo to leave
tho South for Knnsas, and heard siat threats had
boon u,Hlo against my lifo; was afraid thoy would
make nway With mo ut night. A young nun who
had lived right ncxt TO me moved into TcnsaH ras.
lsh. and told uo tAat thu ou!l!ozcrs along in An
gust or September, 1878, came into that parIsh anil
Killed mud slaughtered there jnst for fun Ills
nalns was En DAHnr; he was a preacher, atd sail
that II hc toftt tho people how to vote liu would bp
ahot. 11a tDARuF} also told fno That after tho riot
in TcNeas Parish tho Democrats compromised thu
matter With tho col0tcd people, n,lsl the colorot
men went 10 work again. While they wero In Tho
folds t!ls white mon, about 200, mounted on hurso.
buck, went nround, broke Into their houses, took
thor guns, and, going to tho aelds, shat and hing
nonso Of tho men; tho others wosn afraid TO ataY
there, because they lsad no protection"
These poor wrotchrs III st. Louis, tho1,gh
thoy wero iuaucod to 60 10 Kansas by falso
reports, and haye boen cruelty deceived,
nevertheless rojoics that they have escaped
from the South, md aro at Inst FREQ from
persecution. Not ono Of thonl expresses
regrot at leaving, though they have been do
ceiyod. They prefer tlieir wretohod, home.
less, penni1ess condition, md thoir dark
prospects in future,- they prefersven to wan
der oil into strange country to earn a
Bcanty subsistence, or even to eubsist OIL
oharity,-rather than to return to their homes
md endure afroah thoir tesrible ordeal of
persecution md the daily uncertainty Of
life, Starvation and every forn. of hardship
in the North they nro willing to ncoept
rather than return again among tho bull.
| dozers.
Tho general reports hithorto received havo
apperta!ned to ontragoa during election
campaigns, in which shooting, hnnging,
whipping. and every form Of threat md H.
ttmidatfon have been successfully employed
to prevent Them from voting, but thoss affl-
davits slow that persecution IL kept up Just
rs persIstently when thoro Ia no campaign
ponding. The bulllozors aro determined not
| only that tho negroes shall not vote, but
that they shall not enjoy any Of tho rights
guaranteed them by tho Constitution.
They arc determined not only that
they shall not bs oltizons, but that
| they shall not be froomen, aud that
II thty remain in tho South they shall bo
reduced to Tho conditions Of ssrvitude, with.
out being nominalIy ol,nttcls. ri,sy can no
longer own them as slaves, but thoy arc do.
tor1nined that their rolntions to tho white
| 1aco alall bc Of seryile character. To this
end their schools aro broken up 80 that they
shall not bo educated. They aro not al
/ lowed to voto unless they cas. their votes In
| accordance with the directions of tho OK
slave masters. They arc tlobarroil from nc.
quiring property, aud, If they rent property,
tho rental and other cl,nrgos arc made so
enormous TINT they cnnuot earn living.
They arc not allowed 10 servo upon jur!os,
md they are deniad justice III tho courta III
any case where white mnn is purity to 4
suit. If my ono Of than tlares to assert Ills
righsa, ho IL kille1 or pcrsacuted. or warned
to losve. III tl1a. tho negro IL still troated
rs q alaye, though not rs slayo in fact, anu,
though all tho conditions hayo changed
since tho days Of slavery, almost au
| cntlro generation hns boou born mud growu