Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-04-09
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9. 1879.
THE LATEST PHASE OF THE
NEGRO QUESTION.

In the negro question the politi-
clans of this country have found
material for stump-speeches, party
platforms, and all sorts Of campaign
thunder, for more than half cen
fury. When the Southern heart
was to be fred, preparatory to pre-
cipitating the South into rebellion
against the Government, the negro
was the fuel used for that purpose.
Fire~eating Democrats, who had de
termined to rule or ruin, talked We
hemently about fighting for their
sacred right to own, and, as Petro-
leum V. Nasty would say, to oval
Top niggers ;; Southern preachers,
from their pulpits, read from Rev
citation to prove that African slavery
was a divine institution. This
question has been presented in a
great many phases, but the latest IS.
one which had never been thought
of before. A few weeks ago a
movement of the colored people
began from Mississippi and Louisi
ana. Later it was spoken Of
as an exodus" hegira." Now
the movement has assumed the
proportions of a stampede. " L
has become so formidable that the
planters in many localities are filed
with alarm, and CONSERVATION pre-
walls. The chivalric Southrons,
who drove negroes from the polls
two years ago and rode through the
country with seYen-shooters belted
round their waists and fendish
malice in their hearts, do not regard,
with any degree of complacency, the
prospect of seeing their cotton and
sugar plantations lying uncultiva-
ted. The direst calamity that could
befalI many of them, in their own
estimation, IS the necessity of per-
forming manual labor with their
own hands. The alternative to
work or starYe is not a pleasant
one, and in the wild delirium with
which they coveted representation
in the offices Of the land by men of
their own sort, they never dreamed
that it would come to this. They
thought the negro was only pa,
tient beast of burden, who woald
continue to DO their service
in a State worse than slavery,
without asking questions. They
never dreamed that in the great
West there was room plenty for al
the colored people in this land, and
that they might finally seek home
there where they might live free
from the domination of White
Leaguers and bulldozers.
We are told that this movement
has Just commenced. If hall
million of colored people are trans
ferred from the Southern to the
Western States within the next
year we will not be at all surprised.
The tidal wave in running in that
direction, and there is no telling
where it will stop. It may gather
additional force for a long time to
come, aud we fear that many sees
tons of the South will be denuded
of their labOring population. 1t
will seduce the supply Of cotton
and sugar, and the whole county
will feel it.
There is another view Of
this question, which will by this
time present itself, at least to South,
ern politicians. The loss of this
population in the South win dimin-
ish Southern representation Con
gress. Now there are nu-ber OF
Demo Gratis in Congress by virtue Of
a population they have kept from
voting at the ballot box, or forced
to vote their way. Next year the
census will be taken. The transfer
of half million from the South to
the West takes four Representatives
from the South and gives them to