The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-02-20
The COlOred Exodus.

WASHINGTON, req. Z.
James Buchanan of indianapolis, a promi-
nent Greenbacker and member of the Ma.
t1onal party OF Indiana, was examined. He
said the demand for labor in the State of In
since 1873 had winter passed that the Su-
pervisOrs of the Poor in the vicinity of In
dianapOliS were not called on to supply
be glad to earn living if they could
only get work. He was opposed to the ex-
odus because he believed the negroes were
not improving their condition by coming to a
State already over supplied with labor. He
was not moved to hold this view because of
any prejudice against the black race, as he
had been an AbOlitionist until slavery was
abolished, and Republican until 1872. In
conclusion, he blamed the Republican leaders
of the State for encouraging the movement.
Milton NJ. Holland, member of the WASH
ington Emigrant Aid Society, testified: Its
object was solely charitable, not to promote
immigration, but to aid immigrants; no po-
litlcal purpose was connected with 1t; on
their own request about 60 immigrants were
sent to Ohio, instead of to Kansas the society
has no agents whatever.
Samuel A. Perry, a dark mulatto, testified:
He is a resident of North Carolina. The ne.
groes do not feel that they are well treated in
that State, and the exodus movement was in
augurated to better their condition. A colony
was formed, and Perry and Williams were
sent out West as agents to look for Il location,
their expenses being paid by the colony.
They stopped at Greencastle, Ind, and were
there told by colored men they could do
rs well as IuTuner west. lneN accordingly
got out a lot of circulars favorinS emigration
to Indiana, and went back to North Carolina.
At camp meeting they distributed these cir
culars In reply to question by Mr.. VoOr-
hees, witness said he chad never advised any
one to go to Indiana; he wrote home from In
diana to his friends that if he owned a lot in
Indiana and one in hell, he should sell the
Indiana lot and reside in hell" In reply to
a question by Mr.. Window, witness said that
"the colored people consider themselves I'M
fairly deprived of representation since the
Democrats got control of Southern affairs.
They are DISTINGUISHED, to all intents and pur-
poses, as completely as if the Fifteenth
Amendment had been repealed. 1t is in their
relations as citizens they complain of injus-
tice."
WASHINGTON, Feb. II.
oils, testified that up to January %, or within
a period of two months, there had been buried
at the expense of the county in which the city
of Indianapolis is located from % to 80 men,
women and children, from among
colored emigrants who had arrived at In
dianapolis from North Carolina. They were
all buried as paupers, at an average expense
to the county of S5.l5 each. From reports
brought to him by men in his employ and
from his own observations, he would say there
was great destitution among immigrants in
indianapolis.
James Z. Baker OF Indianapolis Democrat,
and Clerk in the State Auditors office, and
Scott Ray, editor of the Shelbyville Und.i
Democrat both testified regarding admissions
made by cOlored emigrants and by Republi-
cans of Indiana that the exodus was worked
up for political effect.