National Republican., 1880-01-06
THE CoLoREn EXODUS.

1
a representative among the emigrants at
Greencastle, Ind, to ascertain the true in
wardness of the exodus. His convictions |
are presented in column and a.half, that
retails the results of personal observation
and interviews, which may be summed up
briefly as follows: lie has examined the
question pretty thoroughly, and is con-
vnced that much of the Democratic oppo-
sition to the negro exodus is the result of
| suspicion based upon ignorance As party
they do not understand it. Their news
! papers have exaggerated, their speakers
have made charges, and their Congressman
have given these misstatements official
recognition by ordering an investigation
Thus they have been taught to regard it as
grand scheme of colonization, gotten up
| by Republican politicians for no other pur-
pose than to fill the State with men who
shall vote the Republican ticket. Believing
this, as many honestly do, it is not strange
perhaps, that they should look upon the
movement suspiciously, and oppose it as
they would a piece of political trickery.
The correspondent advances the opinion
that in measure the Republican press is
responsible for much of this ignorance. 1t
has been in position to learn the origin
and philosophy of the movement. To it
the colored men have been ready to explain
their wishes and motives, and through its
columns their friends in the North have
been willing to narrate the whole truth.
But instead of treating the matter fully
and frankly as natural, spontaneous move
ment on the part of the blacks, there was
a disposition at the outset either to ignore
it as of little Importance or to treat it
as a matter not to be generally talked
about.
Meantime Democratic editors and speak
ers assailed it with great vehemence and
Democratic mobs threatened personal vio-
lence to the immigrant These were met
! with denials and cOunter-threats on the
part Of Republicans and in the contest the
origin and history of the movement have
been largely lost sight of. So true is this
that many Republicans are not entirely
clear as to its character
After due investigation the cOrrespon dent
of the Gazette comes to the deliberate con-
clusion that the exodus is the result of n
= natural movement, for so long as it was
directed into Kansas no one believed it the
work of politicians. Kansas was already
overwhelmingly Republican, and the idea
that negroes should be enticed there to in
crease the Republican vote was too ridicu-
lous to be entertained for q moment. But
when turned toward Indiana, where parties
are so evenly divided that 5000 votes on
either side are sufficient to change the re-
suit, it very naturally aroused such q
suspicion. But little reflection ought to
be sufficient to convince any fair-minded
man that the same reasons which drove
negroes from Mississippi into Kansas would
, operate to bring them from North Carolina
e into Ohio, Indiana, and other Western
States
The Gazette correspondent proceeds in
5 in this wise:
WHY THEY CAME To INDIANA.
, But what has induced the Carolina negroes
- to stop in Indana2 Have Hoosier emissaries
been in their midst? Rev. PERRY WILLIAMS,
G the pioneer immigrant, answers the question
? fully and without reservation, After labor.
ing and ecOnomzng for fourteen years he
says my people find themselves as poor and as
70 ignorant aud despised as they were at the
e close of the war-a condition differing from
absolute slavery only in this, that they are
now Mt liberty to emigrate without being
hunted down by boodhounds. The policy Of
e emgrating therefore, has long been the prin.
cipal topic of discussion at the hresido, in the
player-meeting and at public gatherings. As
I a result of it, small emigration societies have
= been organized in many of the counties, col
t,1~Y MIA of
the proper time an exodus might begin,
q During the past summer, aroused by the Mis-.
Y sis,ippi emigration, these arrangements were
n vigorously pushed, and by September sufficient
funds had been collected by the Lagrange So
cety TO deiray the expenses Of single dele
gate who should 90 as far West as Indiana or
u Illinois to find suitable places to locate until
n such time as they might be able TO go upon
- Government lands. Mr.. WILLIAMS was chosen
such representatiyc and being minister of
Z the African NJ. L. Chnrch, he stopped at
| points having similar churches, TO whose pas
Il tors he cOntided his mission. From these he
took letters Of Introduction TO Others further
y on. aud in this way he reached indianapolis
o There ho found large coored population,
d who entered readily into the plans Of theiI
. Southern brethren. They organized local
y relief committees, turned cOored churches
r into hotels aud canyassed the city for means
e TO feed and help all who should come. Thus
all might cOngregatc and thence be distributed
10 wherever laborers were needed.
n COLORED COLONIES IN THE STATE.
n This was the beginning of the North Caro-
d lima exodus, the first party arriving eigh
!, weeks ago. Since then other colonies hayt
- been coming until there are now IN tho STATE
y about 700 OF this number about l5O have been
Of sent to this (Putnam) county, between $50 inj
70 100 have gone to Montgomery, about 80 hav,
found homes in Hancock, 80 in Hamilton, 81
in Clay, 25 in Shelby, 40 in Hendricks, 2,
In Tippecanoe, 20 in Delaware 80 in Wayne
le % IN Randolph, 20 in Cass, 25 in Howard anC
IL about 90 still remain in Marion, in and abou
= indianapolis. These numbers, of course, ar,
" approximated, but they Indicate the couutie
IL aud about the dimensions of each colony,
b. THE MANNER or Distribution.
l. But how did they hud their way TO thes
"a eounties2 Largely through the medium 0
the coored churches Mr., WILLIAMS for il
a 4 IA. tN.r., a g..t.. .N...l a