Daily globe., 1880-04-05
LEvEE AND RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.

has been sentenced thirty days in JAIL and
pay fine of $1,000.
LEvEE AND RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.
The House committee on levees and the i'm
provement of the Mississippi river had meet
ing, this morning, to take into consideration
the report of the Mississippi river commission
and the bill founded upon it, introduced the
29th ult. by Representative Robertson. On
motion of MI. Gibson it was resolved that a
subcommittee be appointed by the chairman
to take into consideration both the ma jority
and minority reports of the commission and
submit to the full committee their report
thereon, with such recommendations as they
may deem proper.
1t was further resolved that the sub-commit-
tee, together with any other members of the
committee whe may feel disposed to do so,
should be empowered to visit personally, if
deemed necessary, the Mississippi river, under
authority conferred by the House in December
last, to investigate the actual condition of the
river and to take the testimony of steamboat
captains, pilots aud others acquainted with
that stream.
The chairman was also empowered to invite
engineers and members of the commission, as
well as other persons acquainted with the sub
| iect, to come before the committee for the
purpose of explaining the report and giving
| their views upon the general subject
1t was also resolved to ask the House to
cause 10000 copies OF the report of the COM
| mittee to be printed for general distribu-
| tion.
THE C0LoRED EXoDUSTERS.
| Before the exodus committee the examina-
tion of VIM. Merrill, colored, of Madison par
ish, La, was continued by Mr.. Window. He
said the Mississippi valley convention repre-
| sents the wealth and intelligence of that
region, adopted and then guaranteed good
treatment to the negroes. Yet in less than
three months the terrible outrages in Tensas
parish by armed troops led by by Hon. j. Floyd
King were perpetuated. The negroes of Louis
lana think they cannot trust white
| mems promises, and no promises will stop
the exodus. He assertes that there
are now more and better military organizations
| in Louisiana than ever before, even during the
war. He knows no reason for their existence,
except the need of carrying the Republican
parishes for Democrats. From 1868 to 1875,
2, ,14l black men were killed and 2, 1l3 wounded
in Louisiana for political reasons. The genuine
feeling among the whites was that negroes had
no right to vote. They regarded themselves
as having been cheated of the ownership OF the
negroes, and for that reason thought cheating
the negroes venial. Being cross-examined by
Senator Voorhees,, the witness said he had been
told by Ross Short, of Tennessee, that j, Floyd
King rode into the parish and led the bulldoz-
ers as acting general in command of the mill.
tary of the Fifth district. The witness had
been three times elected to the legislature with
out molestation, but was bulldozed out of his
election last fall.
Col. James NJ. Foster, who, with his brother
owns plantation near Shreveport, covering
200 acres, and employs between 5000 and f..
500 hands, testified to MIR. Voorhees,. Labor is
in demand in that vicinity. Negroes have nc
trouble injecting work and can save money il
they are reasonably provident. About thirty
families left him and went to Kansas. FOul
have returned aud asked him to pay their ex
penses back. Kansas is not q suitable country
for the negro. They can not make good liV-
ing there. Those who remain in Kansas are
generally we'll off and able to buy land. These
families took with them to Kansas about 81,
coo in cash and about $3, 600 worth of persona
property, which they had accumulated by thei
labor on the plantation. In Louisiana TIT
witness supposed half a dozen negroes and NJ
whites were killed. He understood it wa
caused by certain negroes resisting arrest whe1
such affairs got into the hands of men not hav
ing the interest of the State at heart th
better classes could not control them. Thi
explained such riots.
a. S. Alexander, one of the colored men re-
ferred to by the last witness as having gone t,
Kansas and returned to Louisiana, testified t.
Mr.. Voorhees, that he had mules, wagons, cattl
and $3.50 when he went to Kansas. He wen
because be had heard so much about Kansa
being fine country. 1t did not suit him a
Z al. He was one of party of, little and big
eighty head who went to Montgomery county
i The negroes on the plantation had sent dele
e gate and supported him and forwarded none
q to buy land but when they reaches
there the agent could not Civ