The Portland daily press., 1880-05-10
THE SOUTHERN EXODUS.
Mr.. H. F. Ruby at Newbury Street
Church.

Last evening Mr.. H. F. Ruby laid before the
Portland public at Newbury street church the
reasons for the exodus of colored people from
the southern states. Mr.. Ruby was appointed
by the colored people of the Fifth District of
Texas to attend to the matter. He is also
agent OF "The Exodus" a weekly published
at Washington in aid of this movement
Mr.. Ruby stated that at a convention held at
Nashville, May 9th, 1879, society was organ
lied by the Colored Mems National Conference
having for its object the prevention of cruelty
to the colored men of the south. The vice.
president. Richard Allen, of Houston, Harris
county, Texas, with several of the prominent
colored men of that State, got together and
agreed to call State conference on the LIST of
July OF that year, setting forth in circular,
That they would meet to take into considera-
tion the colored peoples religious, educational,
political and material interest throughout the
southern country At that conference, an adj
dress was delivered, and published, and sent
throughout the state setting forth the griey-
ances OF the colored people, such as the danger
to life and limb, the obnoxious statutes of
Iexas in reference to the jury system, and
those in regard to the schools.
1t appears that in 1869 the poyernment and
constitution OF Texas were Republican, but in
1914 the Democrats succeeded in carrying the
election. In order to do so they had to infu-
ence the German votes and those colored vot-
ers, who were Democrats, to vote with them.
This they succeeded in doing by promising a
great reduction of taxation. They claimed
the Republicans had 1900 office-holders, many
OF whom were unnecessary that State gov
eminent OF four years duration caused too
many corruptions to creep in and that BIZ
ennlai election was far preferable. The Ger
mans swallowed the bait Notwithstanding the
Democrats increased the number of Offices
from 1900 to nearly 1000 which, of course.
caused necessity for larger appropriations
with greater taxation. The Democrats were
successi4l. They also changed the constitu-
ton OF the state which says that one quarter
OF the al ratorem, and occupation tax, shall
go towards the support of public free schools
throughout the State. In 1878 the Democratic
governor, Roberts, cut down the appropria
ton, voted by the Legislature in conformity
with the constitution to one-sixth. and then
IN June 1873, called an extra session of the
Legislature and thus imposed an extra burd on
OF taxes, because each additional session of
course adds to the load of taxation. The gov
ernor's friends sustained him in his veto of the
constitutional appropriations for schools, and
In his cut down of the same.
Inc laws OF Texas say that before a man
can boa juror he must be a householder, free
hoider, qualified voter, and able to read and
write. Under the Republican constitution of
1868 child could go to school from the age ;of
SIX to eighteen years. Under the Democratic
change only from eight to fourteen years of
age. Under the Republican constitution the
coiored children got little over five months
schoollng IN the year, and the white children
TOUR. The difference in time was because the
colored children had colored teachers who
were less expensive thai white teachers. I'm
der the Democratic constitution both white
and colored children receive only three
months. A school month is twenty days A
child between ten and fourteen years would
thus receive fifteen months schooling, or 800
days. How well he would learn to read and
write in that time can be imagined. This is one
OF the causes for the exodus.
Another grievance of the colored people ia
the fact that mans wife or sister, or daugh-
ter, is subject to the grossest insults without
redress. Ii he chooses to make it a personal
matter he is visited at night and subjected to
the worst OF treatment. The speaker then
dwelt upon the White League of Louisiana,
which was thoroughly investigated by the
Congressional committee on the exodus and
found to be an assured fact. He read passages,
noticeably from the Franklin Enterprise of
augusta 3, 1876, and the Shreveport Comet of
1914, IN which these papers declare the soil
was theirs, desce nded from their ancestry and
that never would they submit to negro rule.
mat the negroes must be exterminated if they
dared to NEEDLE with white mans govern
ment In fact the general run of the articles
has become very familiar to northern ears
The gist of the whole matter of grievance
that led to the exodus is fairly set forth in a
memorial that was sent from Shreveport, Cad
90 Parish, Sept Is, 1877, to President Hayes
and the members of Congress Strange to
say while the President received his COPY.
none OF the Congressman received theirs. The
memorial set forth what the colored man has
done for the country, the sugar and cotton he
has raised that has increased the property of
the South, the courage and patience with
which he helped to fight the nations battle, 1
and enumerated the many wrongs that have
been put upon him. In language that burns
1T urges the government to set aside for the
race some place to which they can emigrate
and live in harmony and peace, and urges
Congress to appropriate to them the MONEY
lost IN the Freedmen's Bureau which plunged
SO many from af1uence to beggary. If govern
ment will not do that let it make an appro-
priation that will take them to Liberia among
their own people.
In letter from the president of large
colored society at the South to convention
held in Mobile, the redress for their sufferings
is fully set forth. 1t is evident that the ex-
odus is political move but it is not Republi-
can scare. Democratic, as we'll as Republi- |
can, negroes are interested Already 1000
voters have emigrated, mostly to Kansas and
100000 more are about to leave. When the
southern whites, who do not like to work, find
that the bulk of their voting population has
left them and that the Southern representation
in Congress has dwindled to ghost of what
it once was; when their industries are waning
and Cotton and sugar are among the produc-
tlonS OF the past then the Southerner, with
awakened vision, will realize what mistake
he has made, will edeavor to recall the dis
pissed negro who, if he returns, will go back
with enlightened powers and fully able to
guard. his political rights, for the generous
school laws of the north will have cultivated
his mind and made him the peer of any race
of any color.
Mr.. Ruby will visit Bangor and other cities
in Maine to secure funds to assist in the ex-
odus of the Southern people. A contribution
was taken up last night.