The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-04-11
THE NEGRO EXODUS.
Views OF senator Plumb OF this State.
New York Herald. April3.

THE NEGRO EXODUS.
Views OF senator Plumb of this State.
New York Herald. April3.
Senator Preston B. Plumb, of Kansas,
1t present the promised land to the dis
southern negroes, was visited
Yesterday afternoon at his room in the
Fifth Avenue hotel by 6reporter of the
Herald, when the following conversation
took place upon the migratory excite
ment:
RepOrter-It is naturally supposed,
senator, that YOU have watched the drift |
ing of the negro population toward your |
own state with an especial interest:
Senator-That is true, sir; but when |
left Kansas last this movement had not
been heard of.
within your own observation has
there been much increase of the colored
population
ut has scarcely been perceptible since
the war until the present time. About
year ago, il is true, two colonies arrived
there from Kentucky and Tennessee.
The one from Tennessee stopped at To
peka and camped in the neighborhood
for some time, and were sheltered and
cared for by colored and white citi-
Zens. A good many of them became dis
couraged and went back to Tennessee.
The rest scattered throughout the eastern
part of the state. The Kentucky emf.
grants remained together. They went
north in body, over the Kansas Pacific
railroad, and settled in Graham county.
They have stayed there ever since, and
have done well. They were very desti-
tute, believe, when they arrived there,
but they were far from the railroad, and
however heartily they NAV have wished
to go back they could not do So"
"Was there at that time considerable
cOlored population in the state ~
Eyes; for during the war there was
steady stream of emigration from Mis-
souri, into Kansas
GOOD CITIZENS.
"What kind of citizens have these war
refugees made?''
"For the places which they seek to oc-
cupy they do very well indeed. They
naturally adopt the mental employments,
consequently they have disposition to
stay in the towns. The farmers out on
the extreme frontier have little need of
hired assistance-at least they use very
little of it. They are mostly young, TO
bust and able bodied men, who general
ly do about all of the work ON their own
farms, and who, besides, cannot afford to
pay for additional labor; therefore the
country does not seem to present very
fair field for this class of negro popuIa-
tIon.''
"And these people come chiefly from
the old slave states ?''
Eyes, sir; almost altogether. There
are more who have come from Missouri
than anywhere else"
"Have you received many letters from
Kansas on the subject of this new move
ment?''
Eyes, sir; a good many, and also from
the south. My own impression is that
its occurring Just at this particular time
is due, to some extent, to a freak on the
part of the colored class. There is no
doubt that it means a widespread dis
content and one that is serious in its
character. But there is no particular
reason why it should assume this shape
or manifest itself just now. There have
been no inducements offered to them by
| anybody in kansas-neither by the rail-
roads, the emigration societies nor the
authorities. While there is no more pref
udice there against the blacks than there
is in the northern states still so good a
class of emigrants has been coming and
in sufficient numbers to fill up our va
cant area quite as rapidly as is desirable,
that the people do not care about receiv-
ing any more colored folks
| KANSAS NOT SUITABLE FOR NEGROES.
as Kansas as promising field for ne
gro emigrants as any which they could
seek beyond the Mississippi?' '
kansas is not particularly inviting
to them, especially to those who come
from the cotton growing states"
Does Kansas present as good Oppor-
tunity for the acquisition of wealth from
agriculture as any other of the extreme
western regiOns?''
| HVncf unn6 If fhnca TOnnNIn
once establish themselves there they will
be all right. There remain in the west
ern part of the state many unclaimed
homesteadslR Railroad lands may be had
there for 81 % and 81 per acre. To take
up homestead requires the expendi
ture of only $14, but some capital be.
| sides this is also necessary in order to do
it with advantage. About twelve months
must elapse before the claimant can de
rive any support from the sOil.'
do you think that there is any like
lihoOd of aid being given by the govern
ment to the destitute emigrants ~
mo; the object of Senator WINDOWS
motion was to draw attention to the
movement and to the condition of labor
in the south, and that has been the re-
suit. 1t is to be hoped that there will
now be some concerted effort for ameli-
| Grating the condition of the freedmen.
Another feature of this westward ten
dency is that a great many of them from
the black belt of the Gulf states are go.
ing to Texas, not in fiocks, but in sepa.
arate groups, who easily find places
for settlement and widely distribute
themselves over an immense territory.
In my opinion Texas is far better adapt
ed to their condition and constitution
| than Kansas or any of the states further
north. Let them follow that line of mi
grafton, and l shall not expect to see any
disastrous consequence
do you believe that this movement
will drain the south of its necessary quo
ia of labOr?'
mo; 1 think it will be checked in
time to prevent that. 1t will teach les
son in illustrating the fact that the south
ern negroes may be demOralized very
easily, and that all the productive inter
ests will suffer in consequence
do you attribute the uneasiness of
the negroes to a political cause? 81
There is no doubt that it is due in
some measure to the bulldozing policy
of the southern whites. Then, the man.
ner in which the negroes have been treat
ed in regard to their pay has gradually
| alienated them. They all unite in com
planning that after raising, gathering and
marketing their crops they have found
themselves at the end of the year worse
off than when they began, owing to the
unprincipled conduct of the planters and
ore-keepers."
1.-THE Indian Territory" said Mr..
Plumb in conclusion, would be a
much better field for them. The climate
is very mild and there are already great
many dark skinned people there. 1t is,
however, practically closed at present.
There is room enough for them all in
western and southwestern Texas, and
believe that they will be kindly weloom-
ed there. We do not desire them to
come to us, for the reasons which have
given, yet we do not wish to appear as if
shutting our door in their faces