National Republican., 1880-03-27
The Exodus Its causes aud krects.

$500 colorcl eniigrants from tho South In
locating in different sections of the State oi
Kansas. He gave a brief account OF an oxcur.
sion of about 600 whtc aud colorcd people
from Canton, Miss, TO Kansas City, Mo-, which
was gotten up for the purpose of investigating
the truo condition of colorcd people who had
gone to Kansas; il having beon reported that
they had emigratcd to miserable country,
and were not in n prosperous condition. the
witness said several hundred oxcur.
5oniss went to Topeka, Kan, aud re.
| turned thoroughly convicod that these reports
were untrue, aud that some Of them, after
their return home to Mississippi, had cmi.
grated to Kansas. The witness thought that
unless different treatment was accorded tho
coored people in the South they would con-
tnuc to leave. Whom asked what effect the
next Presidential election would have on the
exodus movement, he replied that 1t depend.
cd altogether upon chow the drip drops" or,
as he explained this expression, "who was
elected Pr sident in 1880. If Democrat ia
elected it will continue; If q Republican, such
a one as General Grant. who would protect
them In their political rights they may stay"
lIo admitted there had been more riots and
outragcs during General Grants administra-
tion than since, and explained this by assert
ing that since the advent Of the Hayes admin
istration the colorcd people havo accepted the
situation as hopeless offering little or no re-
sstance to oppression, and are now trying to
get away rs fast as possible. Tho white people
of the South, he said, were beginning to sec
that live negro is better than II dead one, MS
they need his labor. They see, also that kill
ing them friGhtcns the rest away; so they
have, in great measure, stopped killing
them but they accomplish what they
want to in the way of maintaining political
supremacy by cheating them at the polls.
The next witness examined was j. NJ.
Brown, n Colored man from Topeka, Kan, and
superintendent of the Kansas Relief Associa-
tion. Mr.. Brown stated that lie had lived in
Mississippi from 1871 until tho latter part of
1875, aud that from 1871 until 1873 he was en-.
gagged in. teaching school, In 1873 ho was
elected sheriff OF Coahoma county, Miss, and
in September, 1875, riot broke out in
that county at Friar's Point, where he resided,
| and whic! lasted for several days. He gave
| a detailed account of tho part lie took in the
riot, and in attempting to prevent it. lie said
it grew out of tho excitement attending the
autumn elections in 1875, and threw all the
blame for it upon white Democrats from Goa.
| homa and adjoining counties, who intorfcred
with and prevented the holding of Republican
| meetings. On the day that the rioting COM
menced he saw a number of armed white men
| ut Friars Point and heard that body of 200
or 300 negroes were coming toward the town.
lie went out and intercepted !hen, and por-
| shaded them to start back toward thoir homes
| w llC " lDNu Ib WAS lUlOlIlctl
that tho armed body of white men
were on their way to ovc-take tho negroes.
lie avoided them and escaped, and so was not
present in tho fight which shortly after en-
| sued. The negroes were soon dispersed, and
the white rioters raided that section of the
country for some days killing. altogether, at
different times, six negroes. He said that up
to the autumn of 1875 there had been no SC.
rious trouble In his county, and that If it had
not been for the influx of armed men from ad
joining counties and even from tho State OF
Arkansas, there would have been no trouble
Senator Vance read from the New York
| Tribune of October II, 1875, letter from ex,
Senator Alcon, of Mississippi, asserting that
Brown was the cause of the riot, aud accusing
him Of haranguing aud stirring up the ne.
grocs; with bringing large quantities of am
munition into the county; with plundering
tho taxpayers, and with bringing body oi
negroes from an adjoining county to begin o
| riot at Friar's Point. Tho witness denied tho
| truth of all of Alcorn's statements that re-
| foctcd upon him, and intimated that
Senator Alcorn5 misrepresentation of his
| course and conduct was owing to the fact that
he had opposed Alcorn politically. lie saw
indications of growing trouble in 1874, when
rs he said, the Democrats innugurated the
shotgun policy, which finally eliminated in
the October riots of 1875. and which resulted
in the Democrats carrying tho State In No.
vember. The witness stated that after the
riots he was compelled to leave the State, be.
lieving his life in danger if lie remained there
| lie went to Ohio for awhile, and afLcrward
| located ut Topeka, Kan.
| He then related tho operations of the Kan.
sas Aid Society. When the society was first
| formed It's efforts were directed TO the relief OF
suffering emigrants at Wyandotte, Kan, aud
aiterward IN aiding arriving emigrants to pro-
cure work throughout the State. The society
/ Iol 81 n,fn, ,,I al
colored people within the last twelve months
1t had scattered them among farmers, with
whom there il quite a demand for laborcrs.
| They are generally doing very well, willing
to work aud finding work to do. There is also
he said, demand springing up for colorcd
men to work in coal mines. lie said lie had
been advised that Coorod people arc coming
into Southern Kansas from Texas, and be.
| licvcd 1000 or 5000 had already arrived, and
that more wore likoly to come, ~ ho under
stood planters in that section Of tho State in.
! tcudGd 10 experiment in cotton culture, and
would need colorcd laborers,
| Regarding the causcs OF tho exodus, as
stated by many cmigrants that he had con.
vurGed with, aud as hu believed from his own
experience aud observation, IL was due to tho
entire absence Of security for life, liberty or
property OF colorcd people in the South. The
| lilo of the negro is at tho tender mercy of the
lowest white man in the nelghborhUol where
| he may reside.
As regards their political rights he said Il
Is impossible to get II fair vote. Thcy are al.
lowed to voto in some localities but cheated
in court. He corroborated the statements OF
| previous witnesses regarding tho efforts OF the
whites TO prevent the negroes from leaving,
and said their practice WAS to threaten the
| lives of influential Colored men so as to pro
vent them and intimidate others from going
! The condition Of affairs Is such, tho witness
said, that there is an entiro lack of confidence
| by the whites in tho blacks, and Uce cCrSd lie
| thought the exodus would continue aud in.
crease in the future unless the white people
South change their present attitude aud give
| 10 the negro tho same protection and GncOur.
agement that is afforded them in Kansas and
Northern States. Tho remedy, he said, liea
entirely in the hands of the whito Democracy.
| The fear bred from seeing SO many murders,
so much ill.trcatmout and no redress for 1t,
keeps up the desire to emigrnte. especially
since the colored people have lost confidence
in the Government under the present Admin.
| istrStion TO protect them.
The committee will meet again to-day.
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