The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-03-25
"THE NEGRO PARADISE


of the white bul-dozer is as false as it is
foolish.
The plantation negro of to-day is nothing
more than grown up child. After his
fourteen years of freedom and ten years OF
citizenship, he IS lin the Southern States
at least the same ignorant, superstitious
creature that he was in the days of his en-
forced servitude. He has never out-lived
the idea that he is the governments heir,
| and is certain, at some time to come into
possession of his heritage Of forty acres
and mule. The dream of wealth and in
dependence was given additional vividncss
by Senator Ingalls, bill to set apart vast
body of Kansas lands for the special use
and behoof of such colored people as
would come and occupy it. To the
negro this visionary proposition soon took
| the shape of governmental munificencc-- Il
farm, already stocked, and $500 in cash to
every negro man who would go to Kansas.
The long deferred gift of the "torty acres
and mule" was to be more than realized;
and regarding every man as an enemy who
attempted to destroy the pleasant vision by
impressing upon them the truth, hundreds,
nay thousands of Mississippi and Louisiana
negroes commenced preparations for trip
to the promised land" In the first
named State the movement was given in
creased impetus by the report that Presi-
dent Hayes, having become disguised with
the negro race as Republican factor in
Southern politics. had given order that
every negro voter, found in Mississippi
after the 10Th of April, should be put to
the sword, and that General Sherman was
in the South to see the bloody order exc.
cuted. This horror to drive them, and the
golden dreams of Kansas to enticc them,
| the desire to be off be,
came mania-a turore. Well
to-do negroes, farming on the shares and
owning the stock they used, caught the
fever with the rest, and sold off everything
they possessed at any price that was offered.
An offer of SEQ for a $50 horse, or $lj
tor $1j mule, was eagerly accepted. and
the farm products on hand were, in effect,
given away-no sacrifice was considered
too great, if it brought means enough to
pay passage to Kansas. And now some
thing Of the result Of the furorc can be
seen in st. Louis. Every boat and train
that arrives from the South, brings its score
or more of colorcd Kansas cmigrants
Hundreds of them find their means eX-
hausted on their arrival in st. Louis; but
still talk and dream of Kansas Others
have gone forward, without knowing where
they are going or what they will do when
they get there; but satisfied that all will
be well if they can only reach Kansas,
Many Of tho white and black employers
of these men have followed them to st.
Louis, in the hope of being able to per-
suadc them to return home. And right
here we viii take occasion to say that the
newspaper man who does not know that
the whites of Mississippi and Louis
lana, from which States these negroes fed
have everything to lose and nothing to gain
by the hegira, is an ass, and dis
graccs the position he fills, The
labor OF the black man is the very
basis OF Southern prosperity. Remove it,
and every industry agricultural, mechani.
cal ana commercial, will languish and die.
The South would fare worse without the
unsklled labor of the black, than Lowell or
any of the manufacturing oenters of the
East would faie without the skilled labor of
the whites. No people understand this as
well as the whites of the South, and fore
seeing the disaster that is sure to follow
continued exodus, many of them have fol-
lowed the foolish blacks to St. Louis, and
are now there using all the persuasive pow
ers they possess to induce them to return,
In view Of this condition of affairs, and
with full knowledge Of the entire alb
seucc Of all cause for excitement in the
South, the effort Of Republican newspapers
to make it appear that the shotgun and
Bowie knife of the white ull.dozer, are
responsible for the exodus, is wholly with.
out warrant, and Is nothing more than the
desperate resort Of dishonest men to bolster
upa desperate party. 1t is SO palpaby
dishonest and insincere that even the aver