The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1879-05-06
NUMBER 1896


could be found who would consent to
return. One and all made the same
reply 10 these propositions-they
would starve in Kansas rather than go
TO any Southern State. They would
brave hunger, cold, sickness. death in
any form, rather than 10 back.
Their condition for the past eight or
ten years, they say, has been far worse
than slavery. When they were slaves
IL was TO the interest Of their masters
to feed and olothe them. Now tho
whites manage 10 get their labor for
nothing: cheat and swindle them OF all
they earn; abuse and outrage them in
every conceivable way; and as they
grow old, or when sickness comes, they
are left To die like dogs, in tho bitter
est destItution. The denial OF their
political rights, and the outrsges to
which they are subjected about cleo
tion iimes. might be borne with pa
tience. But the wrongs OF which they
complain most bitterly, and from which
they have fed, are not those which
grow out Of political contests, though
these are bad enough; they are sys-
tematic, persistent, continuous, and
have reduced the colored people Of the
South 10 condition infinitely worse
than that OF slaves.
CAN THEY SUPPORT THEMSELVES?
From the kansas City Journal.
"A niger won't work unless made
TO" and "pigger can't manage for
himself" is the stuff we hear talked
about the oolored immigrants. That
was heard before emancipation; yet
by free labor, oppressed and swindled
as it is. there is more cotton produced
than under slavery.
But there are some facts that are far
better than all this kind of talk. These
immigrants now coming are not the
arst. by q great deal, who have como
to Kansas. Speaking of this matter,
the Topeka Commonwealth has the
following:
Facts are stubborn. and set aside
theories very quickly. The negroes
in Graham county we're there without
means. They we're as poor as those
now coming among US. They are sup
porting themselves, and are self sus-
tanning. They required assistance at
the start, but now do not. The negro
will get along and live aud take care
of himself where a poor white man
from the South would starve."
Here then is one fact at least that
can be discounted in favor OF the black
man. And why should he not? Four
millions OF them in the South have not
only supported themselves but eight
millions Of white people beside, by
their labor. The colored man may be
ignorant OF many things, but not OF
work. That is second nature 10 him,
and he takes to il naturally. Give him
the land and he will dig his living ont
Of it, and be able to pay taxes beside.
SPEECH OF COLONEL JOHN HAY.
At q meeting for the relief OF the snf-
iering refugees from the South, held
at Cleveland. Ohio. Colonel John Hay
made IN eloquent speech. from which
we make the following extracts:
Without one word Of warning from
our vigilant nswsgatherers in the West
and South, this strange exodus began.
II came against the course of nature
upstream. II broke through the ser
RED ranks OF white men by the river
side, armed with whips and revolvers.
In the bleak and bitter days Of March
il left the sunny, vernal fields OF the
South, and came North into cold and
mist aud snow. And all at once st.
Louis aud Kansas are flooded by an
invasion Of harmless, honest. helpless,
poor men, too industrious 10 tramp,
too honorable to beg for anything but
work. There are 6,000 Of them, and
more are coming.
They are cold and huDgry-that is
all we need 20 know Of them for the
present. IL is our business 10 give
them something to eat and wear--be-
fore discussing the question how they
came on onr hands.
We are not free from responsibility
in this matter. The ancestors OF these
people were brought here by our au-
cestOrs. The whole natiou-not
part Of it-shared in the shame aud the
profits Of slavery through long course
Of compromising years. aud when ut
last the time for compromises was
past. aud the gage OF battle was hung
down by the Sonth, the people OF the
North assumed "A new responsibility
that OF freeing the slaves. We set
them free-God our help-and we can
not altogether stop our ears TO their
cry nov by saying that We are not our
brothers keepers. Especially in this
Western Reserve OF Ohio is this plea
impossible. You did too much 90
make these people FREQ 10 look upon
their distress with coldness now.
1t is in no spirit of hostility 10 any
party, sect. or section that this appeal
is made. The effect Of this flight Of
colored men from the land of their
former bondage we hope may be in the
end beneficial 20 all parties. The new
States aud Territories will gain a valu-
able class OF agricultural laboreIs
whom they greatly need. and tboea
who remain in the South will be better
treated than heretofore. The South
ern planter will look upon the negroes
as among those blessings that bright
en- as they take their flight. OF course.
as IN all sudden immigration, there
will be great incidental privations aud
sufferings--tbese il should be our priv
ilege 10 help relieve. 1t is not pro-
posed, as / understand, 20 incite or
encourage = general emigration, but
simply TO help those who have already
started, and who are destitute. IL does
NOt rttil CftNlhAt AHhN h4N NtEl lAEko
proportion Of the laboring class in the
South are 10 be driven or frightened
away. The Southern people cannot no
mad as that. Only once in the worlds
history has there been seen such spec
tacle OF insane feeling on the part of
community as that would be. L
mean the expulsion OF the convert
ed Moors from Spain in the reign Of
Philip III. BY the combined power
Of bigotry and greed this awful crime
was made possible. One million II
the best citizens OF Spain, professcd
Christians, skilled farmers and artisans
we're driven from their homes and cast
half.nnkcd and half-starved, on tho
barren cOnst Of Africa. Heaven does
not suffer such wiekedness 10 60 un-
punished Spain has never prospere1
from that hour. There has never been
any agriculture in the country since
then worth calling by that name. All
arts and Industries languished. Brig-
andage as trade took its rise az that
time. Robbers swarmed in the vacant
farm houses Of the banished Moors AMI
ravaged q country already depleted by
fsmine and pestilence. A curse from
million breaking hearts eeemed To
fall on these abandoned lands, blight
ing the soil which had been moistened
by the tesTs of helplossness and de-
spair. Let US pray that no such doom
vail ever be the penalty OF such crime