The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-03-27
miscellaneous.
AN AFRICAN EXODUS.


RmIgratIOn Of Destitute Negroes From the South
that Alarms st, Louis.
The exodus of negro plantation hands
from the South has got to be a subject se-
rious not only for the States from which
they come, and to Kansas, for which
they all start, but to st. Louis. Atten'
tlon to the wholesale emigration from
Mississippi and Louisiana has been
drawn several times in this paper, but it
is only within the last day or,two that the
matter has been forced upon the author
tiles. To put the question fairly and
squarely, st Louis is threatened with the
influx of thousands of negro families
who are absolutely without means. The
negro mind, South, and particularly in
Mississippi and Louisiana, is crazed with
the fever of emigration to Kaneas. 1t is
worse than the Leddville excitement
Oukageously absurd as it is, the chill
dren of Africa down there, with an igno'
rance as dark as their skins, have some
how got it in their heads that il they
Come up to St. Louis they will be trans
ported free of charge to the fertile plains
Of Kansas, and when there the Govern
ment will provide them with land, sew
eral hundred dollars, mule and a
plough. All they have to do is to rake
up enough dollars to pay their way to
st. Louis, and it only costs them $4 a
head to come here from ViCksburg,
Nine-tenths of them arrive here without
q cent in their pockets, but in the inno-
cence of their hearts they inquire their
way to the railway ticket Offices and
Coolly ask for a pass. Tnen they learn
that they have been fooled" But still
they hope that in some mysterious way
they will be transported to Kansas and
will come out "husky. dory." 1t will at
oEce be seen, therefore, that st. Louis is
in danger of having an unprecedented
call upon its charities. At Cote Brilliant
are 200 colored people from the South
who managed to find their way out there
in some manner-and they are all fiat
broke"
Every day there are new arrivals on
the steamboats,. The other day $50
landed. OF this number about fifty had
enough to pay their $3.50 boat fare to
Kansas City. When they reach there har-
dly one of them will have dellar. There
are 1874 here yet, The aggregate cash
wealth of them all combined would not
most likely figure up So. They camp
out on the levee, where there are fami-
lies; the single young men hang
around town."
The advice of Mayor 0verstolz has
been asked. While he is willing to do
all in his power, he is afraid to set up the
precedent of feeding starving immi.
grants. There is an ordinance imposing
fine of $25 to $500 upon any railroad or
steamboat company bringing paupers to
the city. Yesterday the Mayor told a
prominent commission merchant that he
would to-day institute proceedings which
would put a stop to the steamboats,
bringing up dependent people. But a
nice question of law here arises The
steamboat companies are common car.
riers. All the negroes pay their pas
sage-that is all the company can re-
quire of them in this regard. 1t is held
that the company has no right to ask a
passenger whether he has any money
over and above his passage.
Ever day letters and kilograms are be-
ing received by commission men and
steamboat and railroad companies in re-
gard to the matter. At one landing in
Louisiana the other day there were 900
people waiting for the boat to bring
them to st. Louis. All along the banks
of the river the negroes sit with their
household traps around them. In the
daytime they wave their hats to attract
the attention of upward-bound boats,
and at night they light fires and dis
charge firearms. The white people of
Mississippi and Louisiana are alarmed
at the stampede. They are afraid that
the muscle which has hitherto worked
their plantations will desert them. In
some counties and parishes negroes can
not be employed at double the usual
rates. Yesterday telegram was reCeiv-
ed from s. W. Davis, of Vicksburg, ask.
ing whether he could not get fifteen
hands to 60 back. But none Of the men
or women would return. The reporter
had conversations with great many Of
them yesterday.
"Childer," addressed an aged darkey
to the rest of the company, "this var
gennemsn forms US whatwe have ready
larned--that we've been fooled about
that raillerd and land and mewl biz
And then this var genneman asks us
whether we'd not go back to Egypt
Childer, I've gibben him de wing OBJ ole
Mississippi knows what you thinks,
and l told him you'd rather jine hands
and walk into Jordan's tide. And was |
not right, childerP"
And the "Childer" all said "yes."
Louis Daily Globe,