National Republican., 1880-04-02
CUMULATIVE EVIDENCE.
More of the Wrongs Upon COIOret
Men in the South.
A Plain, UnvnrDishcd story--Thc Causes that
Lead to tho Exodus-school Facilities
Practically Dcnied-Extortlonate
Prices for Eccessarics-Ala-
buma Night and Jury
Laws, Etc, Etc.
Further Light in MIR. voorhees, Pathway.


The Senate exodus committee yesterday
concluded the examination Of j. q. Lewis
His testimony ut this session was principally
in regard to school facilities for oolorud
children in Nachitoches parish La, but moth.
ing of importance bearing OH the causes of the
| exodus was elected.
The next witness called was James T.
| Rapicr, colorcd, from Calhoun, Ala. On the
general question Of tho causes of the exodus
he said there were several reasons for it.
| Among other reasons which contributed to Il
| in Alabama he mentioned tho poverty OF the
soil, want of school facilities, and local laws
| prcjudical to the interests Of black children
In regard to school facilities he said owe
| only have schools there three months in the
| year, ard suppose | need not say any more
| on that head than that"
Regarding the poverty of the soil, he said
| the avrago yield Of cotton in tho State was
one bale to three acres of land, and that au
average production for one hand was four
bales per year, of which the land owner
usually gets one-half, leaving two bales, worth
| 500, as net yearly earnings of one hand
Ho produced and read q table of prices
charged by merchants for nccessaries Of life.
iu which he mentioned bacon that cost 81
cents per pound selling for 12l cents; corn
that cost 40 cents selling for 81 per bushel
and so OH through list comprising number
Of articles, claiming that merchants make Il
| profit of 100 per cent. in their dealings with
the negroes. The witness read extracts from
the Alabama statutes prohibiting any person
| from carrying or selling any farm produce
after sunset or before sunrise aud also pro.
| hibiting the selling of seed cotton either day
| or night IN certain sections of tho State,
claiming that while tho purpose of these laws
was to prevent stealing the effect was to
| place tie crop entirely into the hands of the
land owners. The grievance he complained
l !.... L.,
was that III many instances they prevented
the negro from enjoying the fruits of hi
labor. Ii was on the court records of hi
State, he said, that negro had been convicted
of grand larceny for taking less than u pcct
of corn from field which no was cultivatiml
| on shares.
Referring TO the Alabama juror laws, h
said they ought to be called laws "to keep tht
negro of the jury" He mentioned severa
suits between white men and negroe
before white jurics, in which he claimed
| unjust verdicts had been rendered
against the negro, and maintained tina
it WAS almost impossible for negro b.
get justice in these jury trials. As an illus
tr,tion and in support Of this assertion, IN
instanced a suit which occurred at Talledega
Ala. negro had been arrested for stealing
hog. In tho course Of the trial the negros
counsel, Mr.. McAtlee, eX-United States Dis
trict Attorney, proved conclusivcly by th
testimony of the owner of the hog that til
defendant was attending u meeting eight mile
distant ut the time the larceny was committed
Mr.. MCAfee, in summing up commenced b.
stating that no had no hopes of winning tn
case Ho told tho Judge that he dare no
charge tho jury properly, and said to the whit
jurymen, you are afraid to bring in q verdc
of innocent" and further remarked that h
had observed all that was necessary to prOcur
Il verdict against a negro accused of hog steal
ing was, first, to provo that hog had bccl
stolen, aud, next, that negro was sOmewher
in the ncighborhood. The jury in this cas-
the witness said brought in verdict of guilty
Senator Yunce asked the witness ii it wa
not fact that pilGeringby the blacks had bee
carried on to such an extent throughout Ala
bama that the raising of hogs and poultry ha
been abandoned. and whether this was not tn
cause Of the enactment of such stringent law
against petit larceny The witness, in reply
admitted that there was great deal of piliel
ing, but thought it was not confined to tn
blacks exclusively. Piliering, no said, was n
legged as the reason for passing these laws, bu
he thought the real reason was to be found In
desire on the part Of the whites to opprcss th
laborer.
Tho witness related his experience with til
Ku.Klux in Northern Alabama in 1856;
Armed men came after him several times un
| his life was in danger. lie accounted for h
ultimate safety, however, by saying that h
had fought some aud run a good deal" Th
reason the negroes act so cowardly, ho said,
because they fear the whole moral force of tn
country. II they were to stand up and asser
their rights and commence to fight to proserv
them, moro men from the North, both Demo
Gratis and Republicans would 90 South to SUI
press them than went to the first Bull.Rul
battle.
Senator Vance intimated that if tho witnos
thought white Republicans would go South t
suppress the efforts of the negro to preserv
his rights he ought to quit voting with tn
Republicans South, to which Rapior replied
"Oh, no; they are the best Of bad lot'
The examination of the witness will be con
tinucd to-day,