The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-02-19
INVESTIGATION PROCEEDINGS.
The CoIored Exodus.


Warren @. Tearing, colored, am employee of |
one of the Executive Departments at Wash
of Secretary of the Emigrant Aid Society; he |
had received letters from his relatives IN !
North Carolina reporting that the c0loTed
people of that State receive very low wages
and are dissatisfied with their treatment and
Charles n. Otny, colored, editor of the
Washington Argus, n weekly paper devoted
to the interests of the cOlOred race, and Pr1n-
cipal OF Howard University school, testl-
fed that he is a native of North Carolina,
a graduate of oberlin College, and OF
Howard University; that he mas
visited his native State every year since he
left it, and has made careful study of her peo-
pie. His last visit was only few weeks ago.
He further testified that he was one OF the
founders of the National Emigrant Aid Socie-
ty, having himself drawn up It's Constitution
Its object was to furnish aid to cOlOred people
fleeing from oppression, such as the destitute
crowds accumulated at St. Louis on their
way to Kansas from Mississippi and LOuisi-
ana At one of the drst meetings, how
ever a Mr.. MendhaH made a speech
suggesting that it would be advisable to
divert emigTants from their then objective
point {KanSas) and to "send about 3 900 into
Indiana, as that was doubtful State in the
coming election Witness objected to this,
and soon he saw that the Society was to
] he used politically, he withdrew from it. Wit
1 ness further testified that when the exodus
/ from North Carolina first began ne addressed
/ the State, asking what caused this sudden
| uprising. All the answers were that there
/ ry, Williams and Taylor, who had
such glowing news that the people
/ could not resist them Witness further
! described conversations personally held by
him in North Carolina during the past few
| weeks with James II. Harris, Osborne Hunter,
Jr., NJ V. Turner and other very prominent
colOred men, and with Gov. Holden, Richard
Badger and Col. Ike Young, prominent Radi-
| cal Republicans, all in full accord with the
foregoing explanations OF the real causes OF
| the exodus. They aIIlikewise agreed that the
| condition of the colored people Of North
| Carolina, although susceptible OF improve
ment by contemplated amendments to
some of the laws, and especially
| by restoration of their rights to
elect certain county officers, is, on the whole
highly favorable, and that there is no ade-
| quate incentive whatever for colOred people
to leave the State. Ia fact, -" said the witness
| - every intelligent cOlOred man in the State is
| opDOsed to it. and the six cOIOred newspapers
| OF North Carolina are all fighting il, and l say
! that, although the exodus from the Southern
States may be a blessing, the exodus from
North Carolina is a fraud and a curse"
WASHINGTON, Jan. 80.
Charles II. Otny, colored, who testified be
fore the committee on the 26th, was recalled
TO day and subjected to a rigorous cross eX-
animation by Senators window and Blair.
Witness acknowledged he had not heard any
member of the Washington Emigrant Aid So
ciety advise the diversion of the exodus from
Kansas to Indiana for political purposes, eX-
cept MendenhaU and could not name any
other Republicans in Washington. outside of
the Emigrant Aid Society, who had advised
or promoted the exodus for politi-
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
! igratian. Witness reasserted his belief that
the inteIlfsyent people of North Carolina.
black and white, Democrats and Republicans,
| were opposed to this exodus and understood
that the entire Democratic and cOiOred press
of North Carolina had been engaged in ex-
. | plOding the false statement spread broad
cast in that State Icy Perry, Williams and
Evans.
T. Newman, Sheriff of Putnam County,
Ind, a resident of Greencastle, was sworn
and produced q printed circular, which he
obtained from one OF the North Carolina
emigrants after he had reached Greencastie
This circular, it was afterwards proven by AN
other witness, had been printed in the office OF
the Greencastle Banner during the latter pari
of last July, and that the editor of that
, paper Mr.. J. H. Clay, colOred man, was
l the author of this circular Newman said nc
[ | was informed blythe cOlOrcd man who gave il
to him that it had been circulated quite eX-
tensiVety among cOIOred people in North Car
= oIfua it urges them to come to Indiana set
ting forth the attractions of that State, stating
its climate was healthful, that free schools fol
. both races were maintained, that there were
= numerous cOlOrcd churches, and that blacks
and whites stand equal before the law, anC
also stating that 900 good farm hands anC
| house servants could readily find employment
mt rernunerative wages and especially urging
- | those who contemplate coming to do so "dur
l | ing the present summer and tail of 1879, SO "a
c | to get located in time to make their contracts
4 with farmers next year"
= WAsHINGTON, Jan. 81.
r The examination of NJ. 7. Lewman, Shcrit
q | of Putnam County, Ind, continued
: | Witness gave an aScount Of an interview h
\ had with a man named Heath, who came in
4 | mail car from Washington to Greencastlt
e Heath was trying to md IA location Tor colore
: emigrants, and had letters to Judge Martin
e dale and Col. Holloway, prominent Indlatn Jt
4 Republicans. Witness represented llInset {
n Heath as a Republican and in that wa
I gained the latter's confidence witness ties
q titled that Heath told him, among other things
o. that one reason for the cOlOred people leay
= ing North Carolina was to better their cOndl
ton, and another reason was tnat their tI1end
l. in Washington desired as many OF them a
,r possible to get out of North Carolina and int
Il Indiana before the census was taken, abou
: May /, so as to decrease the representation {
! North Carolina and increase that OF lndl
Is ana Ten thousand intended to come
, | On cross examination by Window, the Wit
:, ness stated that his county Is well settled NJ
III | There is no demand for labor there. Muc
= dissatisfaction is felt on account of the eIni
~ grafton, not because of the eInigrants' colo
, ! but because they reach their destination in
II | destitute condition and have to be suppOrte
by the county, and because they Overstoclz th
/ | labor market. There Is III feeling among tn
Iaborers of both political parties. 1t sometime
III takes the shape OF threats. One man VIII
hired some of the negroes had his bar
l. burned few days later. This matter was be
IA | fore the Grand Jury. Witness preferred o
that account not to speak of il. There wei
,, | bad men of both parties there Perhaps Dem
y | ocrats had burned the barn. He cOlld not sa
= whether this conduct would have the effect
: deterring people from hiring enigrants an
:, SO cause it to appear that there was no de
IA | nand for labor.
at at Mr.. WINDOWS request Heath viii be sun