New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-04
POVERTY OF GEORGIA NEGROES.
REASON ENOUGH FOR AN EXODUS.

Georgia is probable. Six months ago the movement
was talked Of but not until now have public meet
inQs of negroes looking to its contamination beer
held. To the unproGressve aud politically ntOlcran
white people OF this State. millions OF dollars de
pend upon the retention here OF the cheap negf,
labor that can be compelled to accept provision;
and cast-ofi clothing for wages, and that is polit
cally enslaved The apparent mminence OF an
exodus, therefore, has filled the Georgia press with
polite discussions setting forth in deceptive
language the prosperity Of The negroes of the State
Evon statistics from the Controller-Generafs re-
port have been published by the Georgia press and
copied widely throughout the North rs a proof. The
statistics and accompanying iBterences were rs fol-
lows:
The necross Of this state instead of seeing hcir prep
ery decrease have snuglv aided To H. and heir toal
goes ny this year 10 SJlS2.39s AGAINST rl2l 80 aNi
Teqr giving a net increase OF S57593 THIS does nOi
represent the actual increase OF ncer" property, nus
much less than that The bulk of negro property his
decreased IN value al least 10 per cent so ha merely 10
mold fhrir own they would have 80 add 100000 IN
me One item o. land alone the negroes nave AIDED
33309 acres TO ther possessions during me past Year
making total OF 3il.I9J acres owned by the negroes
vol afTr may he saId elsewhere we have The best OF
proof NJ home that tine negroes are prrspeiinc.
With one exception the above statements are
true; the 81 100 acres should read oil 100 acres.
The differences are not true In Gcduchug from
those statistics the causes OF the approaching cxo-
dus. aud true idea OF the negroes condition, II
will be my purpose to prove the following facts ;
FjSf-This years acquisition of only 39.3O9 acres OF
land by the negroes Of Georgia is proof that their
prosperity is on Che decline. Secoad-Fiity seven
thousand five hundred and twenty-thIce dollars
represents ALL ii not more than all. OF the actual
increase of negro property in Georgia last year.
Third-The possession Of $5,12IS7j worth OF
property IN SIS indicates condition of the most
abect poverty In other words, the statistics gwen
TO prove the prosperity and wealth Of the negroes Of
this State are when explained, conclusive proof ~
the exact opposite.
Natural causes have oil been favorable to n large
increase this year a preceding years inthe pros
pcrty Of the Georgia negroes. For TWO years there
have been no epdcmics in the State to unsetle any
Of the industries which furnish the negroes with Ia
Dor For two years the cotton crop of Georgia, pro
duced by negro labor. has each year exceeded that
of any former post-savcry year. The steady in
crease Of the negro population and their advance
mcnt in civilization alone, all other circumstances
being favorable should be attended bv an increase
in the amount OF their yearly acquisition OF land.
These forces have been wholly without effect and.
in spite Of the opposing prciudices of the whites,
the negroes Of Georgia have increased their land
during the past year by $1,000 acres but. have
sad above, in the very amount Of tins increase -
an indication OF decline iu their prosperity. The
following facts viii explain. In Che year 1874 the
negroes Of this State owned 33s 100 acres Of laud
in 1873 their tax returns showed them 10 De the
po,sessors Of SOL 500 acres an average yearly in
creise for the four years Of 10 $50 acres. Bat dur
ing the present year. they have increased the
amount Of their lands ly only $4,000 acres
more than thousand acres less than the
average yearly increase for the four preceding
wears Taking into consideration thetavorah.c con-
dItions f. not This au enormous decline in pros
pclity? The negroes have now waited long for
from political slavery For % long
time they have bowed beneath am agricultural la-
Dor system I'm which almost the only wages pro
visions and cast-oH clothing estimated mt war
prices. They have grown dishcartcpcd their yearly
ACQUISITIONS Of property diminish large numbers Of
the oppressed are talking of seeking relief ~ ieht
A few years ago law was passed u Georgia cX-
empting from tax al cotton factorios hcncsfoith
erected IN the State for period OF ten yeas. Tins
law placed tho old and new cotton factories upon
different footings; and the result has quite La'ur-
aly been decrease IN value as returned for taxes,
of the non-exonptcd factories that amounts 10 over
a million dollars. This is an important factor in
the discussion OF the question of negro property. 1t
il true that there has been decrease in
the returned value of property in Georgia this
year; but tina, decrease on the whole Is
less than the decrease that the tax returns
show in the value OF cotton factories alone.
Outside OF tho cotton factories, Therefore.
in general there has been an increase in the value
of all other property. Now no negro III Georgia
owns stock in cotton factory IN many of the
classes of property that are owned by Them such ~
plantation tools. etc, there has really been slight
increase in value And $57 1913. therefore includes
70 in
more than the negroes have added to their posses
sons during the past.year There 100000
groes in Georgia the increase Of their property Of
all descriptions last year was an average of less
than 10 cents 10 the individual. At this rate pros
perity for the Georgia negroes is in very remote
future.
At the close of the war the negroes were not all
utterly destitute A few who had been freed by
their masters even in comfortable ciIcumstan
ces. "Cbarlie" Craft. of Macon. to whom
$40 900 worth of property gives tho title of the
negro in Georgia. owned almost all his
nj the close Of the war In fact, the gift
of freedom was III slave times custOmarly attended
with u gift OF property. Not little should these
facts detract from the impressions OF thrift created
in the mind by the statements that last year the ne
groes of Georgia owned So, 1874 ,s75 worth of prop
erty and that they the possessors of sol $40
acres of land. But, even without detractiOn these
figures only indicate the most abiect poverty
OF the $5.124.S75 in property owned by the
Georgia negroes only 81 .294.3S3 in worth is land
a fact not noted by the Georgia press These sta
tissues prove furthermore, what is plainly manifest
TO the eye of every who travels in Georgia. that
the land of the negroes small in amount as it il, is
Of the poorest and most unimproved sort; for the
sol 800 acres said TO be worth average price
of only So SO Der acre. Is ID not conclusive proof
Of the most abject poverty--the fact that if>the
almost worthless lands of the Georgia negroes were
equally distributed among them there would not be
IN acre to the Individually The whites Of Georgia.
rs class. have been poor and not prosperous since
the war, but the improved lands which they own IN
the State will average about thirty acres to the per-
.nn IL The whites be Door then praY what can this