Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-01-27
The Exodus Investigation.

The exodus investigation was continued to-
day. Warren C. Fearing, colored employe OF
one of the executive departments, testified that
he has during the past few weeks received let
terS from his kinSfolkS in North Carolina re-
porting that the colored people of that state re-
ceive very low wages, and are dissatisfied with
their treatment and want to emgrate; that he
has read letters published In the Greencastle
expressing themselves delighted with their new
homes, and that one OF these men Is reported
to have said that he would not go back TO North
Carolina for $780, and that Indiana is Just the
place for colOred people to come to. The wit
ness believed that the refugees had been well
received in Indiana. Senator voorhees, an an
thor of the most emphatic OF these letters, would
be subpGnaed to TESTIFY whether or not he actu-
ally wrote 1t.
irgton Argus and principal of the Howard Uni
veTsity, testified that he is native OF North
Carolina and graduate of Oberlfn College and
of Howard University; that he has visited his
native state every year since he left it, and has
made a careful study of her people. He was one
of the founders Of the National Emigrant Aid
Society, and drew up its constitution. AT one OF
its first meetings a MI Mendenhall made
speech suggesting that it would be advisable to
divert the emigrants from their objective point
(KansaS) and ''send about 5000 into Indiana, as
that was a doubtful state in the coming cleo
ton" No one objected to this suggestion at the
time except the witness. He testified:-.'1 felt
that we had been used long enough as Tools l
ed to our advantage. In the south as one man we
had voted the republican ticket, and our reward
was buckshot from the kukluX and no protection
from the national government. We had placed
Mr.. Hayes in the White House. and as soon as
he took his seat he withdrew from us all the
protection we ever had. Hence. was opposed
to the longer use Of my people by any political
party, and as soon as / saw that the exodus was
10 be used politically withdrew from the So
ciety." There were others in the society who
afterwards expressed the same sentiments, but
tlllT-r nifnn1 in
ness argued with his friends that in Kansas the
colored emigrants might acquire homesteads,
in Indiana and Ohio they could not: to the one
they had received an invitation, but to the
others they had not. When the exodus from
North Carolina began he wrote to the most
prominent cOlored men In the state asking what
caused this sudden uprising. All answers
were that there was no cause for it; that
the more ignorant were deluded by three men
named Perry, Williams and Taylor. who he'd
been north and returned with s,.cn glowing
Mr.. Otuy described conversations held by him
recently in North Carolina with James FL. Har
riS, Osborne Hunter, jr.. NJ V. Turner, and other
very prominent cOlOred men. and with Governor
Holden, Richard Badger and Col. Ike Young,
prominent radical republicans all fully in accord
with the foregoing They all likewise agreed
that the condition OF the colored people Of
North Carolina, although susceptible ofimprove-
ment by contemplated amendments to some OF
the laws, and especially by restoration OF their
whole highly favorable, and that there is no ad-
equate incentive whatever for colored people to
leave the state. 'In fact" said the wlsneSS
'every intelligent colOred man In the state is
opposed to it, and the six colored newspapers of
North Carolina are all fightingit; and say that
although an exodus from the southern states
may be blessing, the exodus from North Car
Olind is a fraud and curse"