Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-05
THE SOUTH CAROLINA EXODUS.

terrible scenes of the French Re
volution as Goods Gospel clothed
in hell fire" It was a strong re
mark, Characteristic of the man who
made it. He meant to speak in
strong terms of the open violation
of oil social laws, laws that can no
more be disregarded with impunity
than the fixed, Interchangeable laws
OF nature. There is q limit
beyond which neglect of these laws
cannot go without reaction, which
will prove detrimental and disastrous
to those who are guilty of such neg>
Iect or violation.
ADMINISTRATION of this truth is being
furnished by the exodus Of the
colored population which is going on
from certain portions of South Caro-
lima, and which has already brought
ruin and disaster to more
than one planter, who, q few
months ago looked upon his broad
acres, and fancied himself rich. A
staff correspondent of the Charles
ton News and Courier, has recently
visited the counties where this
alarming exodus originated, and
from where it is still going on. He
has been investigating its origin, its
extent, its causes and its results. and
the conclusions reached are Of a
gloomy character. He estimates
that five thousand colored persons
have already gone to Arkansas.
Already scores OF planta-
tons in Edg6eld County
are left without the labor
necessary to make a crop this year
1t began with the formation of EN-
igration societies, through whose eff
forts agents were sent to the State
OF Arkansas, and upon the reports Of
these agents the hegira began, anc
the correspondent says there has
been nothing like it since the days O.
Pharaoh. In accounting for this I'm
paralleled movement among the col.
ored people of that locality, the
correspondent of the News and
Courier says:
There has been but little differ
ence in the statements of the exodus
people rs to the causes which have
led to their departure. The invaria-
bic complaints have been that the
negroes enjoy no political rights ;
that they cannot vote at the elec-
tione, and if they dc vote that their
ballots are not counted; that they
have no representation in the gov
eminent, and that their-rights are in
the keeping OF a hostile political
party. Another complaint is that the
rent of land is high and the
prices Of provisions so exorbitant
they cannot make a living. For
ten years as they express it, "we
have tried to make money and we
have not been able to do SO. We
are poolernow than when we began,
we have less, in fact we have nothing.
We have not lived eAtrayagantly, We
oil
know how to use and VIC are going
further down hill every day. There
is no help for us here, there no use
ia trying TO get along under the Old
conditions any longer, and so We
have Just determined TO go some
where else and take a new start.
Again, in speaking of what is
known as the ''tenantry system and
its effect upon the coloredpopulation
the same correspondent says:
They rented land and worked it Oh
their own account, paying stipulated
amount of cotton for every acre Of
land under cultivation. The rents
have been very high. Through this
section the rule has been to rent s
certain amount of land for certain
quantity of ready ginned cotton, the
rent being one bale of $50 pounds foi
from six to ten acres of land, the
tenant being required to furnish his
own fertilizers, stock and farming
implements. The result of the sys
lem was that. after the guano and
supplies had been paid for, there~was
nothing left at the end of the year