The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-02-08
RAMBLING THROUGHDIxY

lion was ended and the negroes of th
south all declared by the government
free, and when the great Amnest.
bill passed and became law, we sup
posed the negro question in the Unitet
States was forever settled, and 30 /
was as far as American slavery wa
concerned. But let me say to you
readers, that the negro problem is ye
the greatest question before the Amer
lean people to-day. Their condition il
worse than when they were in bondage
by their southern masters with the ONT
and only exception that that dark fea.
ture of trafficking and trading in them
as once was done is stopped. But
they are owned and controlled now
just as effectively as then, and in fact
their labor costs the planters less than
when he owned them, for then he had
them to clothe and feed, their doctors
bill to pay and also small tax on each
one.
Now the darkey's bread and clothes
and doctors bills are counted out Of
his wages, and be he renter or laborer
the landlord at the end of the year in
variably brings him in debt, gets all
the crops, and poor Sambo has to en-.
gage or sell himself another year, or
leave and hunt a new landlord, and
this he cannot do, as he must carry q
good recommendation from his former
employer which he cannot procure
while in debt. So you can see the sit
uation.
And the darkies are becoming very
tired of this situation and do not hesi-
tate to say that they are getting tired
of doing all the work and seeing the
white folks get all the money. And if
old John Brown of Harpers Ferry fame
or any other Brown that they could
put confidence i'm az friend to them
was to appear in Mississippi now he
could in two days. time have follow
ing of 10000 negroes.
But ] would hate to be the John
Brown that tried this experiment for
he would undoubtedly be the first to
pull hemp.
What great pity that Abraham
Lincoln and his cabinet did not see
the future troubles that would natural.
ly arise between the races, when he
and his party emancipated the black
race of the United States. While
the government was all torn up. and
the constitution was being revised to
suit the time and occasion how much
easier would 1t haye been to haye dis
posed of this negro question then, than
now.
Something must be dore now.
In the first place it is plain to see
that the darkies down here cannot be
the rulers. They are ignorant and I'M
fit to run anything but cotton patch,
aud cannot control the local govern.
ment of the states and counties in
which they reside and hold a majority
of the votes. The only thing for the
whites to do is to count the white can
didate in and the black candidate out.
which they invariably do.
The darkIes know this and take
very little interest in politics. The
writer was in Greenville On the day of
the election and there were fewer ne.
groes in that city that day by far than
saw in town on either of the other
days that 1 was there. They do not
and cannot read, they take no paper,
the whites do not talk politics with
them, and they know nothing about
who is elected to rule over them.
But 1 find they entertain a great
hatred toward the white people of that
country and they raise their little
children to hate and despise the white
man.
But for their being such traitors to
each other, and their jealousy towards
each other they could and would do a
great deal more in the way of rebellion
than they ever have done. But you
can never can get one darkey to ac-
knowledge that another niger is
smarter than himself. And as soon as
a darkey learns to read he knows
enough, quits school and either goes
into politics or preaching, and it is as
natural for the race to steal as it is for
him to breathe. He is also natural
gambler and will play his clothes off
his back and boot off his feet at any
game he may chance to learn.
saw some old white headed darkies
here that felt sorry for, and I asked
them the following questions and re-
ceived their answers:
"Uncle, how old are your"
Don't know, sab, 'srect Use bout
200 years old, sah."
''How old Is your wife,"
'"Spect she am 200 years old, too,
sah.n
sis that the best suit you have?"
"Yes sab, dis is all"
"You certainly don't work, or else
you weuld have better.n
"Yes, sab, me an de ole 'ooman is
worked hard all our life, and made
a heap OBJ coffin but we gifts muffin
'cept what we eats an wears"
The darkies here in Mississippi do
work hard. They get out very early
i'm the morning, even before daylight,