The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-04-04
NEGROES FOR KANSAS.
Why They Left the South and What
They Expect to do in Kansas.
KanSas City .Iorrnnl. lst

Why They Left the south and What
They Expect to do in Kansas.
Kansas City Journal, LIST
The packet Joe Kinney arrived yester-
day about noon with three hundred ne
groes on board bound for Kansas. They
were scattered about on the lower deck,
on the floor and ON piles of freight.
There We're few old people and some
small children among them, but the ma
jority were strong, healthy looking
young men and women. A Journal re-
porter endeavored to learn from some of
the more intelligent looking men some
thing about their condition financially,
why they left the south. and what they
proposed to do. There were no bloated
bondholders among them; only few
perhaps half a doZen-had any consider
able sums of money; number had
few dollars apiece, while many were al
ready entirely out of money and suffer
ing for something to eat. Such was
their condition as nearly as could be
learned. One man had $3.50 deposited
with the clerk, and an old "aunty," be
ing asked why she came all the way to
Kansas with no money, stopped down
| and pulled a roll of greenbacks out of
her shoe. There were several tens in the
roll and it may have contained 800.
Their reasons for leaving the south
contained the same sad story of oppres-
sion and wrong beyond endurance.
There were neither political liberty nor
| rights of property. One old man, who
talked very intelligently, said: Its no
use, boss, we couldn't stay dar no how.
We mought got long 'thout votin',
but dat wasn't all. Dey wouldn't low
us TO get nuthln' ahead. 1t didn't make
no difference if we raised much or little,
dey was boun' to have it all. KEEP a
book at de sto', an de sto' keeper he put
down what l got, when I got it and
when / cum to settle up, if I had raised
good crop he had mo- on de book and
charged me mo- dan he did some udder
man what hadn't raised as much cotton.
had to pay it; course did. He'd take
anything had if ,jected-my chick
ems or my COW or anything. A man was
bout as well off with poor crop as a
good one. Dey'd shoot us right down
if we voted de publican ticket, but
could git long 'thOut votin' if dey would
only give me what l earned, but dey
wouldn't do it. OATS de reason desc
peoples heah. We'd site ruther live in
de Souf; we's raised dare and OATS home
to us, but it's no use, boss: we couldn't
stan 1t and so we've cum out heah to see
| If we can't better our 'ditiOn. We amt
| beggars; we wants to work; we amt
skeered o. work, an all we wants is per
| teckshun.
What are you going to do when you
get to Kansas >"
| I'VE wants to get guvment lam"
What Will you live on till you can
raise a crop?"
Dunno sab. Specks we'll work for
dem white folks what lives dah.''
| But if you go out on the border to
take up government land you'll find very
| Nln Il IL
pie there-what few there are there-are
generally poor and are obliged to do all
| their own work.
That rather staggered the old man he
seemed not to have thought of that, but
he replied:
| Pears like de guvment mought help
us little till we can git start. De
guvment helps de Inguns and de good
Lawd knows we need 1t as bad as dey
does. Pears to me like if our people
nd stick togedder mo- ike the Inguns
de guvment might help us mo-" The
old man heaved sigh and continued
81 dunno. boss; mebbe we'o gwine to
starve to def out heah, but de gOodILawd
knos it can't be wus nor it was down
dar in Mississip'."
| The old man was talking about the
danger to life ON account of political
matters, when the bell rung and the re-
porter was obliged to hurry off the gang.
plank, already being hoisted from the
levee. However. he heard the old man
name John Hather, a Republican who
taught colored school, who was killed
in Kinds county just before the last
presidential election because he was a
Republican, and Stephen Dorsey, color
ed, and his son, Isaac Dorsey, who were
shot because they voted the Republican
ticket.
The colored people were landed on
the levee at Wyandotte yesterday after
noon. A few of them have horses and
wagons, and will start out in them, but
the majority will only be able to leave
the river by walking. They came prin-
cipally from Mississippi.