The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-05-24
THE NEGRO EXODUS.


A Mississippi correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune reveals a new solution of the mystery
cnveloping the causes of the late extraordinary
negro exodus from the South. He finds it in
the seductive s,ereop,icon, at numerous cNhi-
billions Of which he claims 20 have been present,
and OF which lie says:
The pictures most admired IN these enter
talnments are Kansas scenes. They represent
negroes in hghlycolored garments chasing
wild builaoes through prairies grown uprch.
" in grass and gram, and performing other
IKE teats of proves, or contentedly sitting in
the shade Of their dwellings, and surveying
their vast possessions.
THIS it must be admitted, though Il very IA
tional and probable solution, is TO say the least
very unrepubican, as it casts aside all the
party whlmpering about bulllosing, denying
the negroes their political rights, &c.
Whether this is the true solution or not,
however it Is evident that the exodus is about
over with at least for the season. 4 St Louis
dispatch to the Chicago Tribune, after deny
ing on behalf of the commanders of southern
steamboats, that passage up had been denied
any negroes who had money to pay for it, adds:
These officers, however, say they are no long
er hailed on the way by negroes and they do
not believe there are any such numbers OF
refugees on the river banks as has been stated
They say farther that the excitement Is dying
out, and will cease altogether in a short time"
Doubtless the better sense Is getting the up
per hand with the negroes as well as with the
whites whose treatment of the negroes, in con-
sequence of the late demonstration, will doubt
less also undergo material modification, nota.
bly, in the matter Of wages and its manner Of
payment, which seems to involve the main
grievance.
There Is no man more competent, in the
present crisis, to counsel the negroes than
Fred Douglas, and being called up to address
large meeting Of negroes IN Baltimore last
week. he gave them the following, including
much more of like sensible talk:
We have been more unsettled by schemes of
colonization and emigration than from any
other cause First IIayti, then Jamaica were
our Canaans Next came Nicaragua, and that
NOUIu DuNc DccI -NlSStiduSb, willy '''ps-
ria has been standing land of Canaan. am
against this going. The moral and social pow
er strong, though invisible, is being to Tie
manner born. The men who made Rome
worth going to see were the men who stayed
there If we could stay in the South in slave
nv we can stay now. We nave advantages
there which we could have nowhere else. Our
people in the South have a monopoly OF the
labor market. They are the arm, the muscle
and the hand, with the vantage ground OF the
constitution behind them, men sympathizing
with them in every state and the power to say,
Give us fair wages or your fields will 90 un-
titled" In the North and West they will have
no such advantage. They will be confronted
by lrishmen, Germans, and Chinese, who can
do all kinds Of labor, even to handling the
wood.saw and whitewash brush. If the negro
has not wit and wisdom enough to combine
for higher wages in the South, where will his
sagacty be when he goes North Capital is
not Invested OF It's central attribute there-that
of getting labor as cheap as it can. II you go
North YOU will have to take yourselves with
you-your qualities, your efficiencles and de-
liciencies sympathy may be yours for time,
but it will soon change into costempt, scorn
and detestation, unless you become selfsup-
porting and Selt.sustainng.