The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-16
|PARSON CONWAY'S PLAN
How to Induce the Negroes to Emil
CRATE to the North.
An Invasion Of the South by an Armed
Body Of Men.
Isl. I.nnis Times. May 1s.l


| Last evening the reporter saw Gen. Con-
way. and found him quiet, determined look
| ing man, not Inclined to be over-communica-
| tive, but approachable. The General gained
his title In the Federal service, and after the
war resided In Louisiana several years, where
as president OF the State Board OF Education,
he says he became thoroughly well aequaint-
ed with the negro question. He IL now
citizen OF New Jersey.
| 81 came out here" he said to the reporter,
| lat the request Of gentlemen Of means IN the
East who take 10 Humanitarian view OF this
negro emigration, and who desire to exercise
present matters have hardly taken definite
| form. In few days / expect to have an
Office and to get plans In operation"
You have information that the negroes
are denied transportation North r
eyes, sir. / have ascertained that since l
| came here. The steamboat companies refuse
to bring these people. They have been intimi-
dated. The Southern white men have threat
! II they carry the colored men North; and 80
they refuse to come. There can be no ques-
ton Of the right OF these poor people to go
where they please, and If they want to come
the gentlemen am acting for say they shall
come"
"You propose to bring boat down and
bring them up, II 10 said 2
Eyes; that IL the proposition now. / have
sent several kilograms, and shall know In a
few hours"
s'Shall you start from st. LOUISE"
Probably not. An Ohio river boat will,
think, be selected for the purpose and the
start will be made over there"
"Do you anticipate trouble pposition
such mission p
1 Gen. Conway answered this question rather
slowly and with serious look. NO. think
not. It will be political death to them to at,
the right entirely on our side. Their leaders
will advise them surely and restrain them
from It," The General added, as II his real
sentiment beied his words I'VE shall 70
prepared, however, and IL assailed shall de-
i "You mean to carry arms -muskets and
ea aYes. 8
"And If fired into to fire back p
yes; we shall be fully justified 10 such &C
tion. We shall have the law entirely on our
side. We shall have picked crew of brave
men. apprehend there will be no difficulty
In securing all the force we shall need"
! "It not a political MATTER" he said, as II
willing to argue the question. ut is q labor
problem. The planters should pay these ne
grOes for their work in money, weekly or
monthly. The system of credit Is all wrong.
II keeps the negro IL bondage q debt which
IL the next thing to slavery. The negroes
themselves have seen for long time that the
relations between themselves and their old
masters were not what they should be- and
many have despaired OF ever seeing them
growth; 1t has been looked forward to a long
time. Even In 1868 the negroes formed their
secret organizations and began to discuss
this movement many concluding then that
there was no hope for them but to leave the
South"
"To what extent have you information that
negroes are On the river banks awaiting trans
J portation?'
~. -.
! trustworthy, arrived here to-day from Vida
liza. When they left Natchez there were
seventy-five refugees who tried to come on
the boat and offered the money for their trans
portation. They were refused permission to
, come on board. / learn there are 200 at Vida
liza. 800 at Good Hope, 500 at Buttonwood
, bayou, 500 at Bass bayou, $50 at Bonant, 600
At two other landings and 800 at New Car
thage. There are also bodies OF refugees In
! varying numbers at many other places Some
OF these people despairing OF obtaining trans
portation have even started to walk north
. ward"
t "Have you fixed any date for the departure
Of your expedition southwark ?"
, mot yet. shall have to visit Cincinnati
9 first ard shall await reports from the two
l Quaker gentlemen who left for the South this
? morning I anticipate much good as the re-
t suit Of their visit-much Id fact to both the
Q negroes and the planters. They do not pro-
, pose to encourage the exodus. Where 1t ap.
!. pears for the mutual advantage OF employer
9 and employees that the.colored people shoule
Y remain these gentlemen will act as mediatort
and advise continuance Of the relations
J. there at least until the present season ID over
9 But where these people have left the planta
!, tions apd are bent upon. coming North 1t Il
! proposed that they shall come When I hear
! from these gentlemen the exact status OF at
h fairs then the date of the expedition will bt
! determined upon. We shall make no secret
I of It,"
In the conversation which followed Gen
Conway said he had an arrangement mad
by which considerable numbers OF these ne
groes would be sent to New York, Ohio ant
y Wisconsin. He would commence sending