The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-18
A GROWING RACE.


regards per cent or ratiosfrom one decade
to the other, the fac. still remains that to.
day the black race numbers over six and a
half millions in the United States, aud that
in three OF the large and important South
ern States it outnumbers the whites, and in
four others nearly equals them. Here in
Mississippi there are B5O,29l blacks, as
against 479, 1903 whites. In South Carolina
the disparity is still greater, viz 604 ,S32 10
39l, los. The absolute increase OF the race
in the United States in so years has been
from 5,57S.756. or from 1,002,0S7, in 1900
TO $3.50, ,793 in 1880.
As question la the Rule OF Three those
OF your readers who are curious in the mat.
ter can cipher out, on the basis oil the
figures have given, the immensity OF the
race in the next hundred years.
But will the race be immensely increased
in the future? This Is the question and the
problem under consideration. have met
with no one who can give me even salts.
factory speculation upon the subject.
A large planter from Lowndes county,
was over here the other day-a man whose
family owned between 900 aud 700 slaves
before the war-a man OF education and
careful conversation-whog gave me some
startling mortuary statistics as to his own
observation touching the prevalence OF a
nameless infection among the colored
people-an infection which, be claims, was
the bane OF the Indians, and the real cause
OF their speedy extinction, and that as
surely as q similar effect follows similar
cause will ultimately extinguish the color
ed race in the South. He Is one Of those
who contests vigorously the reliability OF
the census Of 1880 in regard to the negro,
and says that It is 10 the face and eyes OF
all the facts, as every physician in Missis-
sippi and other Southern States can testify.
TIE ESRMY THAT WILL DESTROY THE NEGRO,
He claims that this nameless infection is
spreading among them like the insidious
poison-of the deadly upas, and is showing
itself in enfeebled constitutions and in the
increasing per cent Of infant mortality.
"once, said he, at was the interest Of the
owner class to look aiterthe colored people,
and, among other things, to watch every
appearance or trace Of this infection and
stamp It out speedily and effsctually, but
the situation 10 wholly altered now, and it
ia the interest OF nobody but the victims to
look after their health In this and other i'm.
portant particulars, and they are too igno.
rant To know what to do for themselves.
Depend on IT," said he. "thatthis infection
Ia spreading like the pestilence at MONDAY,
and together with dissipation and general
unsanitary habits. 10 making increasing
inroads on the negro race.
General Joe Davis, nephew OF the ex.
President, was over hero the other day,
and l had an interesting conversation with
him touching the future oil the negro. He,
too, takes 0 gloomy view OF their future.
He can see but three points Of solution to
the problem, Wig Uniacation, deportation
or segregated extinction. OF course uni.
hcation would be extinction through the
bleaching process, but that process, from
all accounts, Is not a. much In vogue as 1t
was before the war, although 1t Is still
abundantly prevalent. Deportation either
by ahipment to Africa, or the setting aside
oil any portion Of our territory, Is simply
chimarical. The negroes return from
Liberia about abfast as they ara sent out
there, and those who do not return die Of
10 a considerable extent The 10 no balm
Of GileSd in that plan. Therefore their
extinction, II 1t takes place, must occur
mainly through such agencies as were point.
ed out by the Lowndes planter. It
would bo q strange programme ot Provi'
dence after all the trouble and calamity
that has attended the planting Of the col.
ored man In this continent II the end was
only to be bis disappearance by infection
or through 4 hybrid amalgamation like
that OF the Indians and spaniards In
Mexico. Reverently speaking Il looks as
| Il Providence, after all that has happened,
ought 10 have something to happen more
conducive to his own glory and that Of all
the sons aud daughters Of men than such a
result as this. But 10 the poor Indian
Has not the lot betallen him, and what is a
y