Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-11
Emigration Agents in South Car
DINA

Emigration Agents in South Car
DINA.
! It is a question whether the law passed
/ by the South Carolina Legislature few
days ago, which prohibits railroad agents
or other persons from soliciting the me-
groes to emigrate Is wise one, and for the
| best interests of the whole State. 1t is no
doubt true. that these railroad agents ale
not influenced by any desire to benefit
the negroes or the State. Their sole OBJ
iect is to secure business for the railroads
which they represent. 1t is also true,
that many of the negroes who are Undue
ed to leave their homes for new and
strange local. ties, undergo many hard
ships; but after all, is it not better for the
negroes, that some Of them should emf
CRATE. and, also, better for the States
which have overwhelming negro popula-
tions?
Tie planters who depend upon negro
labor may say that it isn't but what do
those say whose opinions are not infu-
enced by any selfish motive? 1t will be
generally admitted perhaps that the ne
groes are not improving morally. intel
lectually or in any other way very rapid
ly, and that the chances for any marked
improvement are not very good as long
as they comprise as large a part Of the
population as they now do in some Of the
States. 1t VIII also be admitted that
white immigrants will not seek homes in
States where about all the labor is per-
formed by negroes.
AS long, therefore, as the present state
of affairs exist there is not much reason
to expect that the condition of the negroes
will be much better than it is now, or that
immigration will seek the States which
have large negro populations.
There can be no doubt that 1t would be
much better for these States, from every
point of view, and for their negro popu-
ations if large portion of the negroes
would emigrate to the Western States and
Territories. Their places would be quick
ly taken by white people who would not
only do much more toward developing the
resources of the States than the negroes are
likely to do, but who would also improve
them the evidences OF what can be ac-
complished by economy, thrift, energy,
sobriety and education. The negroes who
emigrate would have the same sort of
evidences before them, and would be in
iuenced to make greater efforts to better
their condition.
the negroes now have very little in
centive to make themselves better labor
ers or better citizens. About all they
care tor is TO satisfy their immediate
wants, and as consequence they are
becoming more shiftless and unreli-
able. The jails and chain gangs are
full Of them. They spend their money as
fast as they get it, and many appear to be
wholly without ambition to accummu-
late property and to make for themselves
comfortable homes.
The planting interests OF all the States
IN the black belt have strenuously OPP
posed the emigration Of the negroes, and
there is no fault to be found with them
for doing so. They look only at the pres
ent. They cannot afford to have their
plantations to remain idle for one or two
years, or until the places of the negroes
who emigrate are filed with white
laborers. They are not certain that the
white la5orers would come at all, and if
they were certain that they would. they
could not afford to wait for them. They
are, therefore, opposed to losing the negro
laborers, and it was through their in
auence doubtless that the South Carolina
law against emigration agents was
passed. They would rather do the best
they can with the negroes than to run the
risk of having no laborers at all.
But, as already stated, it is a question
whether it is not better tor the negroes,
and for the white people taken as a
whole, for a portion OF the negroes of the
states having large negro populations to
emigrate. If it Is better, and the reasons
already stated indicate that it is, the
South Carolina law can hardly be called
a wise one.