The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-06-05
THE STANDARD.
RSDAY, JUNE 5. 1879.
[Chronicle and Examiner.l
What an Eye and Ear Witness Says
WITH THEM IN ALL WAYS.

letter OF Nv. b. u. IN The Examiner OF
May 8th, and have no doubt of his
honesty in regard to what he says. l
have lived in the South twenty-six years
and have been from there only few
months, and [ am Southern man in
every fibre Of my being. 1 have mingled
freely with the negroes in nearly every
capacity. l have worked with them in
the field. l have preached for them. |
have taught their schools. 1 have met
with them in their Associations and Con
| ferences. I have eaten at their tables,
and I have slept in their beds. But
brother G. goes among them only "occa
sionally." Thus. feel that have quite
as definite a knowledge of their condi
ton and treatment as he has. He is cor
rect when he says many Of the colored
people have good homes. l saw in Ten
nessee last summer one farm Of 600
acres, and another of 500 acres owned by
Freedmen. l spent a night with one
who owned $40 acres, and plenty of
stock. Many others own from one to
hundred acres. But, taking them as a
whole, the proportion of those who are
thus fortunate is very small. 1t is said
that one third of them have retrograded
one third are stationary-and one
third have arisen to higher life.
KNOWING THEIR INNER LIFE.
Brother G. says he has little opportu-
nifty to see the colored people, except
when he occasionally breaches for them.
I am sorry this is true of all Southern
the inner life of the almost heather
negroes around them-and yet they are
doing all they can to elevate them !"
A strange way to do it. He thinks that
"if nine. .tenths of the negroes would go
West or North, it would be the grandest
thing which ever happened for the
South They have been a drawback to
the country ever since they were intro
duced." This may be the feeling of our
brother since the a0ar. But it certainly is
not the opinion of the South at large.
1t was not the expression of the large
Convention of wealthy farmers and busi-
ness men of Vicksburg, Miss, on the 5th
inst The whites in that Convention
voted unanimously to have the negroes
stay--but the negroes themselves did not
vote, and many thousands have chosen to
face death by starvation in the far West,
rather than face it in another form in
the land of their birth. l myself think
that as slaves the negroes were a draw
back to "the home of the free"
know how the negroes are treated
where l have been in the South, and
lust as ! know that such State as Miss
citizens there have not equal rights. II
is too well known to the country to be
denied Yea, l think it is even worse
for negroes in that State than it is III
s States this side. | have observed in
going from Boston TO Memphis that the
III feelings towards the negro increase il
a kind Of arithmetical progression, and
have no reason to think that they de
crease on crossing the Mississippi line.
FACTS THAT ARE FACTS.
A respectable colored man expressed /
to me in this way: He said that he pur
chased in Boston through ticket t.
Tennessee. In Boston he stepped int
the coach as the other gentlemen did
In New ork they looked cross eyed a
him. In Washington, they shrugged
their shoulders. At Cincinnati, they
ordered him out At Louisville they
dragged him out and at Nashville h.
dared not attempt to enter any othe
than the smoking-car. l cannot coun
the number of times l have seen nice
intelligent colored men and women drag
ged or driven from the cars as if they
were criminals. l was passing from st
Louis to Nashville once, and there were
on board young colored man and two
nice looking women. They all sat as
quietly as anybody. The conductor or
dered them out but they refused to go
Very soon the conductor appeared witt
his brakemen, and hauled them out
This have seen in every State where
have been south of the Ohio. The Ju
bilee Singers have sung nearly all ovel
America, and before all the crowned
heads of Europe, and have become re
fined men and Women-capable ofappear
ing well in any company. But they
were dragged like base slaves from the
cars in Nashville, Tenn, only three
weeks ago. l have seen negroes driver
from the polls I have known white
men to tell them if they voted so and so
they should lose their homes or thei
lives Immediately. Yea, more. | hav'
known their lives to be taken after the.
had voted.
1 have lived among negroes who work
ed for $8 a month, and they received
only So of that in money. The rest hac
been taken up at the neghborhood store
which charged two prices for everything g
Many a time have they told me the!
wanted to 90 away, but could not get thu
money to pay their fare. taught schoo
for them, and instead of paying me il
money they had to give me tickets OF
the store, and what use had | for suga
and coffee and pork? The high rent o
land and exorbitant prices for food a
plantation stores are SO well known tt
the country that need not repeat them
l find that colored people throughout the
South decidedly prefer to have their Owl
hotels and public accommodations. Blu
where they cannot have their own, it Il
sometimes necessary to apply to thu
whites-who almost without exception
refuse Them no difference how wei
educated or dressed they may be.
was on a train with fifteen colorec
teachers one night. 1t so happened tina
we all stopped at Mckenzie, Tenn, t.
wait ten hours for train to Memphis
The night was dark, and the rain fel
slowly. There were ten men and five
women. Knowing they could not enter
the hotel, they sat on the old bench out
side the door. In an instant the propri
etor came out and drove them off, as
l would not drive domestic animal if i
sought shelter. One of the young mer
moved as if he did not like it, and in one
second he had bloody mouth. While
this was going on, number of white
men stood around with hands on theil
back pockets, as | supposed ready fol
action. How l pitied my dusky broth
ers and sisters, as they moved off to 6
skirt of woods near by One of the girl:
was as white as the landlord himself, but
she had to go all the same. Where they
were to stay that night l could not di
vine, but next morning they appeared a
the station looking wretched and rest
broken
ONLY FEW OF MANY.
The cases have mentioned in this
letter are only few Of the many l nigh
give. They are not culled from what
have heard, but from what my eyes have
seen; and q man might as well tell me
Il T J. frlI hos