Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-04-10
The Negro Flight.


mystery. The negroes themselves tell
different stories. IT. is a strange disease
that is taking them oii--one that is
more catching than yellow fever. One
that is certain, they are the victims oi u
concerted plan, and there is II general
belief that few persons are going TO
make fortunes at the expense OF thou$'
ands of the ignorant blacks. Kansas,
BLEEDING Kansas" has been held up
to them as their Arcadia. 1t Is thc old
cry OF forty acres aud mule. Every
one of them expects land in plenty in
the new country which they are about
to explore. Milk aud honey are 10 bc
had without work. So strongly are
they impressed with this doctrine that
they sell their cutire possessions for
Just enough to pay their fare, being
assured that all will be well as soon a.
their feet touch the promised land. No
other state will do. 1t is Kansas where
they are going and all the argument
and all the logic IN the world could not
shake them. The stampede, which is
now fully inauguratcd, is uudoub ,cdIy
the effect OF several causes. First come
the land agents with marvellous stories
The negro IL told that he can have all
the land he wishes for the asking. and
the more wonderful his statement the
more firmly does the black man believe
In IT. Then again the uegro's condi.
tion, 1t mast bc admitted, is not of the
best. He cannot understand the posi-.
ton in which he has been left by the
war. In the old days he was fixture
on the plantation. IL made no differ
,uh h. e al
IL was perfectly immaterul to him
whether the planter was pressed for
money or not; he belonged to the
plantation, and there hs remained.
Now all this is changed. The ncrroe-
cant realize that they must earn their
own living. Hundreds of them have
for years been hanging on 10 the plauta
tious without earning their salt. They
have remained simply because the
planters were 10th to turn away old
servants who had followed them in
years gone by. Had it not been for the
hard times and the financial dis.
tress Kansas would not have been
thought Of Planters have put their
best foot forward to keep abnye water.
II the employer has no money the enI.
ploye must suffer. That i, Just what IS
the matter now Especially in Mlssis-.
ippi is the condition of affairs in mot
deplorable state. There is no money.
planters cannot get advances aud the
credit system is almost at "A complete
standstili. The negroes cannot help
but be affected by it. No one dcnic,
that their condition il depiorablc, but
what can be done? A negro Is always
more or less in dependent condition.
He pays ten dollars an acre rent. but
when his cotton il sold he is almost al.
ways in debt. Especially is this true
just now. Nearly every negro sold his
cotton at q disadvantage, and his condI.
ton is much more dcplorable to-day
than a year or two years ago. III"
whites who helped plunder the state
under the carpet.bag rule claim that
the planters cheat the negroes at every
turn. To what extent this Is true !
cannot say, but If the negroes of the
upper country are so illtreated as 1t is
claimed they are why haven't they long
ago gone 10 work in the cane fields =?
No one ever thought OF pretending.
even in the palmiest days of the r.
turning Boards, that the negroes Of the
sugar districts were bull.dozsd. There
is plenty of room there, and the very
beat of feeling prevails.
THE NEGROES DESTITUTE.
| came down from st. Louis tie other
day. The scene there was not pleas
ing one. Probably four thousand. ne.
groes have already arrived there,
and Others are arriving daily. SJch
destitution | have never witnessed.
Were the colored men Of this city not
moving in their behalf the emirrant-
would starve. They haven't the slight
est idea what they are to do. They
only know that they want to get to
Kansas in the shortest time possible.
Work has been offered to several hun.
dred on the railroads in other states.
but not a man accepted. II is Kansas
or nowhere with them. That is the
only state they have any faith in. or,
indeed, know anything about. The
colored churches have been thrown open
to them, and they are sheltered until
transportation to their new homes is NJ
forded. Beds are improvised in the
Easements and ratons served out.
CHOSE who have sufficient money to pay
their way are sent on as quickly as pos.
sible.