The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-08
THE COLORED EXODUS.
Agitation of the Subject in the Country.

THE COLORED EXODUS.
Agitation of the Subject In the Country.
The mass meeting at the Cooper Union,
New York City, on Wednesday, to eX-
press sympathy with the colored people
who are leaving Louisiana and Missis-
sippi, to seek new homes in the West was
large in numbers, the audience consist
ing almost entirely of colored people of
both sexes. The features of the affair
were the bitterness of what was said and
the insignificance of what was done
only 1924 having been collected. The
following literally savage resolutions
were, however, adopted:
"Whereas the colorhd people are leav-
ing the South by thousands and are seek
ing new haunts in the West; whereas
their innocent fathers, mothers, brothers,
sisters, wives and other relatives and
friends have been stricken down in cold
blood and their lfeless flesh been left as
food for the Southern turkey buzzard
whereas tree has been made by brutal
men perpendicular delivery bed for an
innocent pregnant wife and a mother to
die on; whereas the colored people have
toiled without being compensated, and
have been mercilessly robbed; whereas
extreme extortion has been the policy of
those who have furnished them with the
needs of life; whereas education has
been denied them; whereas they have
not been permitted to worship God in
peace; whereas they have relied on the
Federal arm at Washington, and it under
the control of professed friends, and
found no protection and have been made
to live life of peril; and, whereas, the
colored refugees have horror stricken
fears as to the state of things which will
be true of the South, should the Federal
army after 1880 be under the control Of
those who have affiliated with their op.'
pressors;
"We approve Of their movement to
such new home in the West, and re-
solve to do all in our power to assist
them, and do call upon every man, wo-
man and child to extend to them help
ing hand"
Thurlow Weed and others of less note,
black and white, spoke Wendell Phil
lips and William Lloyd Garrison sent
letters, the reading of which called out
the. most enthusiastic applause. Wen
dell Phillips wrote: 81 am exceedingly
sorry that I cannot be with you. My
health is not such as to allow of it. 1
have no words to describe what I consider
the Importance of your meeting. Only
two paths are open to the colored men of
the South: one is to resist, and protect
themselves against intolerable oppression
by arms; the other is to leave, one-half
of them, their homes, and teach their op-
pressors justice by the severe lesson of
suffering. Leave the tyrants and bullies
to till their own soil or starve, while they
do nothing but wrong and rob their
laborers. Without laborers the Southern
acres are worth nothing. Even South
erner will come to his senses, or if he
never had any senses, obtain some, when
he is starved. l trust the North will, as
in Kansas days, organize and help to
open channels and contribute means for
large emigration from States ruled by
thieves and cut-throats, who know no
means of getting their bread except by
robbing their neighbors."
After regrets at his inability to be
present, William Lloyd Garrison wrote ::
"The spectacle of thousands of half
naked, empty-handed, despairing men,
women and children fleeing as for their
lives from one part of the country to an
other, preferring to risk starvation and
death by the way rather than remain
where they naturally belong, is one cal
culated to move plying Heaven and to
awaken all that is sympathetic and gen.
erous in the human breast. Their claims
for Immediate charitable relief are equal
ly just and imperative. In these South
ern States conspiracy and usurpation sue
cessfully bear sway. In all the late
Rebel States there scarcely exists single
legitimate State administration for no
election has been permitted without be-
ing controlled more or less by fraud, in
timidation and lawlcssness. It is clear
that the battle of liberty and equal rights
is to be fought over again, not in party
sense in the ordinary use of that term,
but by the uprising and consolidating of
a loyal, freedom loving North, over
whelming in numbers, determined in
purpose, invincible in action, and su-
preme in patriotism, based upon impair
tial justice and an all-embracing citizen
ship. While therefore grave, exciting
and relatively important as the present
exodus of few thousands of colored
refugees from Mississippi and Louisiana
may be, it is only an incident of the hour,
demanding succor and aid in various
forms, until they have time to selet t
their dwelling places. But what of the
four million of colored people in the en-
tire South? Their exilement is q ques-
tion not to be seriously entertained for a
moment, either as a desirable or possible
event. The American government is but
a mockery and deserves to be over
thrown, if they are to be left without
protection as sheep in the midst Of
wolves. Let the edict 60 forth, trumpet.
tongued, that there shall be speedy end
put to all this bloody misrule; and let
the rallying cry be heard from the At
lantic to the Pacific coast: Liberty and
equal rights for each, for all, and forever
wherever the lot Of man is cast, within
our broad domains
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