The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-24
AIDING THE NEGRO EXODUS.
AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING OF SYM
PATHIZERS IN COOPER UNION

hnyes EvnstVe In Regard TO the Move
ment by One speakers-John Browns BODY
call issued to those desirous of extend
ing encouragement and aid to the coored peo-
pie emigratinR from the South was successful
in bringing out last night an audience which
almost filled the great hall Of the Cooper Union.
The Rev. II. II. Garnett presided.
Mr.. Thurlow Weed occupied place upon the
platform. He was received with hearty ap-
llausc. and in response said few words ex-
pressive OF his sympathy with the purposes Of
the meeting. The following preamble and
resolution were read:
Whereas, The coored people leaving the South by
thousands, and are seeking new homes IN the West;
Whereas. Their innocent fathers, mothers brothers,
sisters wives and other relatives and friends have been
stricken down In cold blood and their cless flesh been
left as food for the southern turkey buzzard;
Wher,a, tree has been made by brutal men perpen.
dcuar delivery bed Tor an innocent pregnant WIFE aud
the mother too. died omit;
Whe,n, The colored people have oilcd without being
compensated. and have been mercilessy robbed.
Whecis. Extreme extotton has been policy with
those who have furnished them with .-needs OF hfe
Wheret', Education has bcen denied,
Wherein. They have not been permitted TO worship God
| in peace;
Whereas They have relied on the Federal arm at
Washington and II under the control OF friends
and found no protection and have been made to live
| life OF peril, and
WAsrol, The colored refugees have horror.stricken
fears to the state OF things which will be the
South should the Federal after 1880 be under the
Of those who have affiliated with their opprcss-
ors. approve OF their movement TO seek home
and
Rsroi To do all in our power to assist them and so
call upon every man. woman, and child to extend help
| ing hand
Letters expressive Of sympathy we're read
from William LLOYD Garrison, Mayor Cooper's
| private secretary. District Attorney Phelps.
| Wendell Phillips, and others. The letter from
Mr.. Wendell Phillips was Ms follows:
GESrtK~rs: 1 am exceedingly sorry tlst cannot be
such a. to allow oft have words to describe what
sGn1sr the ~ @ oI your meeting nee & on two
10 resist and protect themselves against lntocrable
han Of them. ~ their home. aud teach ,Ssir
Of sSs Leave the Wants and buss 70 I'LL thcir
own soil or starye while they do nothing bu, and
are worth nothing Even soutlern,r viii come to his
he starved ns % 1 the North viii SD s IN KsSs SS dawn dawn
organize and help open channels aud contribute mean,
eutthroat who know no means of getting their bread
Yours respectfully, wrSprLL Pnuuirs
Capt c. II. Tandy Chairman OF tho Relief
Committee Of St. Louis. who have charge Of the
ton to Kansas was the first speaker He said
Within the past four weeks there have come
into St. Louis about 5000 q our people fleeing
from LoasisSS a'nsT snd MSss MssssippS Srn'fRhy fheyy
came suddenly. without our being at all
that they, came on brought $50 men. women
and children. Then came II boat load Of 500
| anu Vi <oO anu 80 on uillll O.Otu OF
them had come ashore on our lever. They
| were in very destitute condition. illv prepared
dermen .grudgingy gave sloO as aid to the
| emigrants. Judge Crum urged that they
were entitled 70 the same aid that the
with no little difficulty. the Board of Aldermen
gave $3.50 more. The speaker had gone TO
Washington to endeavor TO enlist the sympa-
| thies OF the President and had called upon Mr..
| Frederick Douglass. whom he ass ed TO 40 along
with him to the President. Mr.. Douglass how
| gave him a cold recentlOu lnlsaeSl
| and showed that he had very little mpathy with
these peope' or enG9nraEement 70 give 70 their
fought with the dogs for the crumbs tnat fell
from his masters table. and had fied
him that the poor coored people. his
own race. followed his example to-day
| in fleeing from oppression. qs he had
done but Mr.. Douglass coldly replied they had
changed his theory. TO which the speaker re-
theory but practice. and SO left him. He next
called upon the President he said. and pre-.
him kindly, but eyaded any direct an
| swer. He also called on a dozen Senators
who received him kindly. The Hon. Roscoe
| Conkling lcheersl not only received him kindly
| but called caucus in his reception rooms. at
which the speaker presented his appeal. and
was given the warmest encouragement neces-
The colored people. he said are fleeing from
cruel oppression in the South They are taxed
| TO death there in the rent of land: for every
thing they have TO buy they are charged three
prices, and they are liable to be shot down in
twenty-five afiidavi,s showing how they had had
been treated. One Of those set forth the prices
he had had TO pay in Mississippi for the neces-
sarles OF life. Among the items quoted were:-
bushel otcorn meal s2 worth g. 80 barrell in
st. Lousl: 4 pounds OF bacon, 81 worth 8 cents
per pound in ST. Louis); one plug OF tobacco. 50
cents comment unnecessary; one gallon Of
molasses. $3.50 worth 80 cents in st. Louisl one
bushel OF corn. 81 80 worth 20 cents one steel
plough. $l2 worth $3.50 or s3l-a total in all Of
sl3764; 50 that when ths mans three bales OF
cotton his years crop. were sold. and the pro-
ceeds turned over to the storeke-per the man
who rented the land and raised the cotton was
1862 IN debt.
From among the affidavits he read fragments
Of three. One from an old man who had fed
from Carroll parish, Louisiana, set forth that
living, The year before last he raised
ten bales Of cotton, and the man
to sell 1t for him. sold II. kept all the proceeds
and he had never been able TO recover 10y suit
or otherwise. single, cent. They wanted him
TO pawn his horse and begin over again, but he
thought he had better sell his horse and try to
get away TO Kansas with the money COlored peo-
pie about hlm had been shot down inrold blood
Tor being Republicans. Another afiiant from Mis-
sissippi told how his nelghbors had been killed
and said; The whites say they will wade in
blood up TO their waists before they will
other afiant from Grand Gull said Thai n
club Of white men numbering thirty-lve men
went 10 the house Of "A cOlorrd man who was
going TO Kansas with the intention OF killing
seized his wife. and though she was encente
hung her to "A tree before her cabin and she
WAS selLeu WIN llld phllkH ol maternity Wulle
thus tortured, and gave birth 10 her child be-
meath the tree upon which they hung her.
Prof. Richard T. Greener made a stirring ap-
peal in behalf OF the fugityes. This cry for aid.
he said. comes from people who have been
true to our country-not from those who have
borne arms against il and sought TO trample
it's flag in the dust-but from those
VINO succored tho fleeing Northern soldiers who
escaped from the rebel prison pens, who. when
they were refused the privilege OF bearing arms
for the nations cause. dug the trenches for the
soldiers of the North and tenderly buried their
dead. incidentally the speaker paid n tribute
Of affectonate respect to that gallant citizen
ana statesman of South Carolina. ID. Ii. Cham
berlain now a citizen OF New York"
Addresses were delivered by VIM. f. Dicker-
son. John y. Allen. and Geo Il. Downing while
a collection was being taken up. The latter
speaker declared that this exodus from the
South settles finally the fact that great outrapes
have been perpetrated upon the colored people
in that part OF the country, else 1t never would
have been,
The Rev. H. II. Garnet announced that con-
tributions OF money and clothing might be sent
70 the Secretary. Mr.. Charles A. Minnie l22
West Twenty sixth street the rooms OF the
Young Mems Union Christian Association, or TO
himself. The Treasuer Of the fund will be Mr.
j. NJ. Thomas OF COrnela street Robert In
gersoll is coming to lecture in aid OF tho fund.
Tor which he has promised TO raise 81 900 by
lectures