The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-17
THE END.
The st. Louis Steamboat Lines and
the Negro Emigrants.
No More Negroes Applying for Transports
tion to Kansas.
Numbers Of Negro Emigrants Returning
to the South.
lChleago Timas.l

ST. LOUIS, May Officers of the latest
boats up from below deay the reports that
there are negro refugees at the landings
awaiting transportation. Theodore @. Zlsgler,
secretary OF the Memphis Packet Company.
in reply to q question, said:
We have never refused to bring these refu-
gees up from below whenever We did not have
@ full complement Of passengers. The law.
you know, limits each boat to so many pas
sengsrs, and we are allowed to carry no more
Whenever we could carry them we have taken
them on board, when they had money to- pay
their passage.
Reporter you brought up many re-
cently2
Mr.. IieeIer-Ths last three boats have not
brought up any, not because they were re-
fused transportation, but because 1t was not
reported that there were any who desired to
come.
Reps 1T true that Southern shippers have
threatened to withdraw their patronage from
| those lines which carry the negroes up the
| Eiver
Mr. Il have never heard Of such threat
| Certainly 1t has made no difference in our
business. for We have as much upstream
| freight as We have had. That's all talk,
| think. 1t has not made q dollars worth OF
| difference with our business.
| Rep..What do you think Of the proposition
| to send an armed transport down the river to
| bring up negro refugees
Mr.. Il don't know what that'n amount
| to- 1t looks to me like a political move, and
| don't see any necessity for it. The excite
Inent seems TO BE- dying out down there.
| The John b. Maude arrived to-day. Capt.
Fitzgerald was asked:
Did you see many negroes on the banks OF
| the river on this trip waiting to eoms up?
Capt. Fitzgerald At Greenville the
wharf boatmen said there were several
families waiting to come up, but they had no
| money. He did not know how many there
were, but thought there were between forty
and fifty. That's about all We heard Of 1t
would be id sight better to keen them
hat Af. fffYsf
want to work, and those that want to work
become dissatisfied when they hear all the
talk about Kansas. But there is a good deal
more talk than anything else about this
thing.
Reporter Did you bring up any negroes on
this tripf
Capt. F.-No; but we brought up one family
on the last trip. Those that we saw then
were waiting for the Grand Tower. They
think that the Grand Tower Is the govern
ment boat, and they all wait for her, but
when they come to pay their passage they
Rep.1What do you think of the statement
that the white people down there to want to
prevent the negroes from coming no here?
Capt. F-That's all talk. It's better for the
people there to let them go II they want to-.
| Reps there falling of In the excite
ment down there among the negroes?
| Capt F.-Yes The excitement at Vicks-
burg, where it was the strongest, has died
out, and so 1t has at other places.
|
| Anchor Line, in answer to the question,
| HAS your line ever refused to carry the COL
ored refugees Northr' said:
| we take anybody who has the money to
| pay for his passage There's a law that pro-
hbits a steamer from carrying more than a
| certain number, according to the capacity Of
the boat. | understand tnat a suit has been
brought against the Grand Tower at Vieks-
| burg for carrying more than the specified
number, but We have never had any trouble.
We have brought them up whenever they
wanted to come and had money"
Reps it true that some Southern ship
pers have threatened TO withdraw their
patronage from the steamers that bring up
| the refugees?
| Mr.. Welrick- There we're some parties that
did SO, believe. | understood that orders
we're sent ny parties In Cairo not to ship by
| the Anchor Line because 1t broughtup negroes,
but we have taken great many back free OF
| Charge
Rep.-What do you think of the proposition
| to send down an armed transport to bring up
| Mr.. VI think that mans fool. sup
pose 1t Is gotten up for political effect, for
political purpose. don't hear OF any great
| quantity OF niggers who want to come any
| more It seems to me that the excitement is
| dying out. / don't know what started this
| fellow who proposes to take transport down
there, but suppose it ls politics altogether.
| | haven't heard our folks say that there were
any to come. We have never refused to take
them when they had money. The law re-
quires that OF us as common carriers. We
have carried some. but the Memphis Packet
Company has carried the most.
Capt. e.. ID. Court, OF the steamer John A.
Scudder, was asked iY he saw many negroes
on the banks of the river on the up trip wait
ing to come North He replied:
1--WE were not hailed. The niggers were all
going the other way, and we didn't see any
coming up The Howard had lot on board
going down"
Reporter-Is there much excitement below
over the exotiuss
Capt. Court No, the excitement seems to
be all dying out.
Rep-Are the white people opposed TO the
negroes ieaviDg2
Capt. C.-There is no opposition TO it. They
tell them to go.