Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-04-23
The Exodus Increasing.

to see what can be done. A call, signed by
Governor Stone, of Mississippi, aud other
leading citizens of that state and Louisiana,
is out for convention to be held May 9th,
at Vicksburg, to consider the emigration and
labor questions. There seems only one pos
and that is for the planters and property
owners to attend it in strong numbers and
take such decided action as will convince
the negroes that an entire change of policy
in regard to them will be adopted and car
led out. Yet it must be confessed that
there is slim chance of so radical a change
in the South even in the face of the great
danger now impending But If the South
will not take the only course which will in
sure the full benefit of an abundance of col
ored laborers, the consequences must be
upon their own heads. While conventions
of whites are devising means to stop the out
flow, the blacks are holding conventions to
urge forward the movement. Even in Ar
kansas the colored convention declares there
lie no peace nor safety in the state and ex-
presses desire to remove to some other
place where their rights can be enjoyed
The question is becoming very important
one and excites still greater interest in the
public mind.
At st. Louis the relief committee, COM
posed of twenty-five of the most prominent
and responsible colored men of the city, re-
ports that over six thousand emigrants have
arrived at that point so far. Of these about
two thousand were able to pay their way to
Kansas. The remainder were sheltered, fed
and partly clothed by the relief committee,
and their fare paid to Wyandotte, Kansas.
The committee has received in money from
all sources less than $4,000, and clothing
and food valued at $780, This report was
made a week since, and at that time the ex-
penditures of the committee exceeded their
receipts about 5000. In view of this fact,
and that probably many thousand more are
either already on their way up the river or
getting ready to start OH their pilgrimage
the committee urgently appeal for aid from
the benevolent and humane people through
out the country.
Intelligence from all the prominent points
in Kansas shows that the people are doing
their utmost to fulfill the historic mission
which belongs to their state as the friend
and champion of the poor and oppressed
The report of one indicates the aim of all.
The committee at Wyandotte say:
1--WE have this clearly defined policy-frst, to
care for the sick to the best of our ability, and to
feed the hungry poor so long as they are obliged
to stay in our midst and second, to assist these
people, all Of them, to places where they can get
work and become self-supporting To do these
things good deal OF money is needed, and much
careful, wise counsel, for it would be as unwise
as cruel to precipitate these people into some
wild, unsettled country of Western Kansas ac-
cording to the desire OF some of these refugees
Ignorant Of the conditions of settlement in Kansas
they want to go in a body to some new country,
but the committee are diligently and anxiously
seeking solution of their problem which prom
ises permanence, as their scheme does not. And
this is what we have done and are doing for ALL"
As to the cause of this extraordinary move
ment, an intelligent Leavenworth (Kansas)
correspondent pronounces as utterly false
the story that it originated with restless
politicians and interested steamboat agents.
He says:
"This story was widely circulated everywhere,
but the white man who believes that these blacks
have been fooled by any such stuff as that is a
great deal worse fooled than any OF the freedmen.
have talked with hundreds of them and have
yet to find the first man who did not thoroughly
understand himself The movement is headed
and managed by shrewd minds. The head men
among them, though black are not fools by any
means, and all hands are actuated by one well de-
fined fixed purpose, which is to get out of the
South. A large proportion of them are compare
lively Indifferent as to where they go, whether
they settle in Kansas, Canada or Alaska, but they
are united and determined upon one point, and
that is that they cannot and will not live in the
South"
One of the most gent-continues
this correspondent-when questioned as to
the motives and intentions of his people, says
"Ever since afore General Grant went out we
knowed you all didn't mean to look arter us any
more, and jest said to ourselves then, faint
hnu y use ior US " Try W i've mere any more
ives either got TO be les the same as slaves again
or else leave the country, and ever sense that we
been gettn ready TO go. Anew OF us Is here now,
an all de rests comm Yes, deys all comm
1es as last as dey can get away maybe not all to
Kansas, but to some Tree state somewhere out oil
the South"
In reply to the question WHY they had not
waited until better nrenarad he renliad.
Defe wan ho 'iihe W iose' "a h.'ie "hiie
o"oA uo ue'hocra'' gov hoiu ohe emu ooh-
s'o's al NJ" ueS . so' ue ouue' emu Inc ueni-
oo,"s' party was NC parry Va, Aep US IN slavery
an ue repupne''n party was oe party ua' sol US
hee' "hen ue parry ia. SUI US iree goes OUT
On ue party oa' hep US III slavery COMES IN, Hs
'i.he ior ue n'sser !" iooA ou' ,of n'sseii' |on-
s.i'u.ionai a'nenuiien's al al ueh ui'nss very
mus iof Tue whi'e man W lam ABOUT pu' 70
hh'eh'y nshy BUSINESS ior US meppy we DC AL
f'sh' uo"h oou'h anu ineppy we wouiun u pu'
ten YOU poss' we don want 10 take any chances
on ua'' anu ~heh we gets 10 hanSas' 'hahk ue
Lofa' we KNOWS we saie'
Another st. Louis correspondent says:
"U,o,,,;,, ma, ,oo,,,o AL Az ,a h.,,,..