Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-04-06
THE EXODUS FROM THE SOUTH.
A Colorsd Man Explains the 0ppres-
sive Laws of Alabama.

exodus committee to-day examined
James T. Rspier, colored, of Calhoun,
Ala. He said there were several rea-
sons for the exodus. Among others,
he mentioned the poverty of the soil,
want of school facilities, and local laws
prejudicial to black children. In re-
gard to school facilities, he said; I'VE
only have schools three months In the
year. and Ineed not say any more
on that head" He said the aver.
age yield of cotton in Alabama was
one bale to three acres. and that an
average production for one hand was
four bales year, of which the laud,
owner usually gets one-hslf, leaving
Two bales, worth $50, as the net earn
ings of one man. He produced and
read table Of prices charged by mer.
chants for necesssries of life, and
claimed that merchants make a profit
OF 100 per cent. 10 their dealings with
the negroes. He also read extracts
from Alabama statutes prohibiting any
person from carrying or selling any
farm produce after sunset or before
sunrise, and also prohibiting the sell.
ing of seed Gotten, either day or plight,
in certain sections of the State, claim
ing that, while the purpose of these
laws was to prevent stealing, the effect
was to place the crop entirely in the
hands OF the landowners. The grew
ance he complained of resulting from
| the sundown'sunrise laws was, that In
many instances they prevented the
| negro from enjoying the fruits
OF his labor. 1t was on the
court records of his State, he said,
that negro had been convicted OF
grand larceny for taking less than Il
| peek Of corn from a field which he
was cultivatiDg on shares. Referring
to the Alabama juror laws he said
they ought to be called laws ito keep
the negro off the jury" He men>
toned several suits between white men
and negroes before white iuries, in
which, be claimed, unjust verdiets
had been rendered against the negro.
and maintained that 1t was almost I'M.
possible for q negro to get justice in
these jury trials. As an Illustration
and in support of this assertion, be
mentioned a suit which occurred at
Talladega, Alabama. A negro had
been arrested for stealing hog The
jury, the witness said, brought in q
verdict OF guilty.. In the course of the
trial the negroes counsel, Mr.. McAffee
1 4
| proved conclusively by the testimony
fenGaBt was attending meets
ing, eight miles distant, at the
| time the larceny was committed. Mr..
| McAffee, in stunning up, began by
| stating he had no hopes OF winning
me case. He told the judge that he
dared not charge the jury properly
1 and ssid to the white juTymen "You
are afraid to bring In verdict OF limo
cent" andi further remarked that he
had observed all that was necessary Il
procure a verdict against q negro &C
cused OF hog-stealing was, frat, Il
prove that hog had been stolen, and
next, that negro was somewhere IL
the neighborhood.
Senator Vance asked IL il was not 9
fact that piiferiDg by the blacks haO
lbeen carried on to such an extent
! Throughout Alabama that the raising
of hogs ard poultry had been aban-
donedi and whether this was not the
| cause OF the enactment OF such stfin.
gent laws against petit larceny. The
l witness admitted that there was Q
great deal, Of ,piliering, but thought II
was not confined to the blacks. Pill.
feriDg, he said, was alleged as the
reason for passing those laws, but be
thought The real reason was to be
found in desire on the par. OF the
whites to Opposes the laborer. The
witness related his experience with the
KHkl8x in northern Alabama Ia 1868
| Armed men came after him several
times, aud bis life was ia danger, he
accounted for his ultimate escape by
stating that he had "fought some and
run a good deal.n The reason the me-
groes act In 30 eowardly a manner, he
said, Is because they fear the whole
moral force of the country. III they
were to stand up and assert their rights,
aud hight to preserve them, more men
from the north, both democrats and
republicans, would go south to sup
press them than went 10 the first Bull
Run battle. ND
Senator Vance intimated that If the
witness thought white republicans
would go south to suppress the efforts
Of the negro to preserve his rights, he
ought to quit voting with republicans
south, to which Rapier replied, "Oh'
no; they are the best Of a bad lot.'