The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-03-18
BILL ARP ON THE NEGRO.
He Discusses the Pcculiarlties of the Race

BILL ARP ON THE NEGRO.
He Discusses the Pcculiarltes of the Race.
The negro problem seems to have
broken out afresh and the negro is getting
the worst of it now. The North Amcri-
can Review and Professor White and
Governor Smith, and other philosophers
have recently set the darkey down as a
fraud so far as labor is concerned. One
complains that he is lazy and won work,
another complains that he is sincapable of
improvement and cannot keep up with
progressive farming. Then again it is
said that he keeps intelligent white labor
from coming South, and so We have got
an elephant on our hands and can't get
rid of him. Northern republicans have
turned against him because they can't
vote him and SO the poor darkey is losing
ground and losing friends. The poorer
classes of the South-that is the common
laboring people-despise him and wish
him we'll out of the country. His pres.
ence among them as a competitor tor
hire or wages or as a renter is odious to
them. I know the sentiment of the
tenants in my section and it is very hos
tile to the negro. They want him to go.
1t is very natural that the poor white
man should be unfriendly to his presence.
1t is precisely the same sentiment that
caused the expulsion of the Chinese from
Wyoming. Indeed they set up objections
to the negro that cannot be urged against
the Chinaman, for they say that the negro
is thriftless and will steal and more than
all, the negro has a contempt for poor
folks and poor folks know it. The aver.
age negro had rather be the serf and
servant of rich man than to work on
an equality with poor man for better
wages. My rich neighbor Munford can
get plenty of labor at low prices and
orders his darkies around just about like
he used to before the war.
Well, now, we all look at this negro
question from our own standpoint.
Landlords like to employ them just
because they can order them about. The
love of dominion is strong in our race.
They like to employ them because the
darkey is easily settled with. He is
careless of his money, and most always
comes out little behind and that fastens
him over for another year. They will
put up with poorer shanties and fewer
privileges. They will pick up some
little things that don't belong to them,
but shifty manager makes it all back
one way or another and is his own judge
and jury over his hireling. Many far
mers mix their tenants from both races
and say this gets up an emulation that is
profitable all round, but my observation
is that neither race like it and it is better
to have all whites or all darkies. When
farmer has good, docile, industrious white
tenants he is apt to keep them, and so
with the negroes. Every employer judges
of the negro by his own interest and his
own experience. So far as I am concern.
ed l prefer the white man now, for 10
man has better tenants than have.
They are my friends and ana theirs;
but few years ago preferred the negro
as a laborer. Nevertheless, l like to
have some darkeys around, for they arc
always willing TO do things in emergen.
cies that white man does not like to do
and / do not like to ask him to do.
Every Southern white man, however
poor, will maintain the independence of
his family if he can. He will not do,
nor let his family do, anything that looks
like dependence or menial service. The
cooking and the washing is still done by
negroes, and they make the morning
fires and bring the water and milk the
COWS. White folks even in the country
have their social rank. The lines are
dim and crooked, but there are lines.
Whereas among the negroes there are
none. Neither religion, nor morals, nor
poverty have yet established any social
caste among them. Bob Smith has just
come from two years term in the chain
gang, and goes around in the settlement
like a hero returned from the war. The
negroes give him cordial welcome and
listen eagerly to his experience. Bob
declares that he had first rate time, and
he hated to come away wuss dan he
hated to go dar. But Bob was a "trusty"
and felt like he was a commissioned
officer in the army. Bob says that two
black rascals got away ard he sot de
track dogs after 'em and dey run and
de dogs run, and dey run and de dogs
run, and bimeby dey cline tree and de
old houn dog sot away off and look up in
de tree and he open his mouf wide and
say too.oo uvem, too.oo uvem, too.oo
uvem, and here cum de little flee dog
aud he look up and say, hits a fax, hits
fax, hits fax; and den de gyard he
cum a gallopin' up and pinte his gun up
in dc tree and say now tumble to de
racket or I'll drap you, and shore nuf
dem niggers jis cum down in a hurry l
tell you-dey did dat for true. Bob
seems to think il was very bad conduct
to run away from SO good a place as
Captain James big farm in Jefferson
County, where q darkcy had more good
vittles and more tobaskcr than lie could
eat up to save his life.
Now have known Bob for years and
he is better darky than the average,
and this reminds me of letter had
to-day from friend in North Carolina,
who says "Oyer here the negro is like
metaphysics-the more studied the more