St. Landry democrat., 1879-05-31
The Southern Sensation.
A COURIER JOURNAL CORRESPONDENTS S
TALK WITH A MISSISSIPPI PLANTER.
WHITE LABOR IN THE SOUTH.

Memphis, May 12.-" What will you gem
tlemen do if all the darllies pull up stakes
and clear out 2" asked of a well-to-
do Mississippi cotton planter on the
wharf to-day. "Do? ? Well, can't say
lust now. Sometimes | think we will all
do better after the first three or four
wears. There will never be peace in the
South until the negroes leave it or OBJ
tain absolute con troll of ali the propel-
ty. We are all trying, and have been
since the close of the war, to do the best
we can and treat the negroes fairly and
justly. pay the darkies on my farm
twelve dollars per month and board,
and during the year round | am com
PEELED to support half of their families
or else see them starve. The wages we
pay them here, fifty cents day and
board, is equal to the pay of white labor
in the North. Besides, they have much
easier times, as they lo not have as hard
work to do. And then, without we are
pushed, we give them Saturday or the
best part of it for Il holiday.'
"Whcn did you leave home ?'
81 left home Friday. Got here to-day
on the steamer Ouaclita Belle"
Are there many negroes leaving your
pa 1T of the country ~
i
about 300 have left in the counties near
me, and | think at least one third of
them have returned"
" What for ? "
Well, guess that they did not find
Kansas such happy land of Canaan as
they expected
"Have these negroes who have gone
any money
A little, suppose; not much
How do they expect to get to Kan
sas 80
Well, they don't know themselves,
but they have been led to believe that
as soon as they reach the North they
will be well cared for and furnished
transportation from point to point.n
Have you talked to any of them
about their moving?'
"Oh, yes. | have advised some of
them to stay at home and let welI.enougll
alone but they have got the Kansas
fever, and guess the best thing for us
to do is to let them alone until the fever
goes down.
Did you notice many of them on the
banks as you came along 2"
Yes at several points there were
quite Il number gathered OH the shore.
They hailed the boat but the Captain
would not land. | felt sorry for the
poor DEVILS"
Why do the boats refuse to take
them ?'
The principal reason is that when
they get Oh the boats the cases are rare
If they have money enough about their
old clothes to pay their passagcan as the
boats DO not propose? to transport them
free, the Captain thinks it is better to
y,ni TN t,l o1t t.>
be compelled to land and put them
ashOre.n
How did your negroes gain informa-
ton about Kansas -
The first intimation | had of the
business was in picking up an envelope
on the place one day last winter. 1t
was addressed to Charles Hawkins, a
sort OF boss nigger in my county. The
envelope contained printed circnlars
from Cincinnati and Chicago, detailing
in glowing terms the advantages OF
Kansas and the Western States to the
colored men. The Inducements were
brought out in the most eXtravagant
manner on paper, and | wonder that
more negroes have not left than there
has. 1t was just the sort of a thing to
catch that class of people"
" Do you know who the parties are
that are sending out these circulars ;"
;" No, | do not"
"Who do you suppose they are -
| at first thought that it was scheme
of the railroads to get travel, but | have
changed my opinion in that respect.
think now that it is some sort of mis-
chlevous order or society in the North
that is doing the work, and it may have
some political significance"
In what respect Z"
Well, to reduce the representation
in the South, and to colonize enough
negroes in the doubtful States in the
North to carry them for the Republic
cans. Did you say you were from In
diana?"
Yes, SIR
We'll, if four OF five thousand ne
groes were to stop over in that State
until after the election next year it might
go for the Republicans, mightn't it ? ;"
Yes, it might; but the chances are
that at would not. In the first place it
would take it least 10000 of them, and
in the second place it would have the
effect to drive many of the poor white
Republican voters to the Democratic
side. Is there any white emigration to
your part OF the country ?
Yes; more in the last year than
ever before"
W hat nationality ?"
Principally Irish, but number of
German families have settled in my
county since last summer"
DO you think that if the colored
folks were to leave the South, white
men conld be obtained to do farm
labor ?n
Yes, / think so. White labor will
never come to the South as long as it
has to compete with the negro race"
Are the planters in he|South max
ing much money now9H" - '. '''
:" No, they are barely making both
ends meet. There has been really no
money made in the South since the war.
Cotton has been low, and after it is
sold, and the liens on tile
crop paid off, there is very little left, I
assure YOU. | came out about even last
year, but hope TO l., ac .c better this season:
Cotton is advancing steadily, and !
think this years crop will bring ten
cents a pound. 1t was only eight last
year. The cut worm is in the cotton IN
my State, as we'll as in Tennessee, AZ
xqnsas md md other Southern '''les' ~
has, howegef, up to this time uv"~ out
little, damage, and Should the warm
weather continue for two or three days
longer, it will kill them off"
Have you any fears of the yellow
ever in your State ?"
" No; we do not think we will have
Thanhing Col, Sinclair for his kind
less in answering my rather pointed
questions in so courteous Il manner,
Did him goodbye. He is really an
'eader can judge from the interview,
well-informed. 1 conversed