Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-26
THE RICHMOND DIsPATCH--FRIDAY. JULY &C. 1885,

the men OF Rnckbridge ana hOckinRnnn,
Allegheny, Floyd. and Scott will say as
they rush from their mountain homes TO
beat back the negroesfrom the seacoast and
the lowlands.
Educate them aud thoy will come. Let
every newspaper in the State and every
speaker on the stump give the startling
facts 10 the people. They have not been
known. ThcJ have not been considered.
II was not regarded as an important study.
II Is An important study. II Is study that
cannot be ignored. If you neglect It 1t
will not neglect itself. II Will at some
time. whether YOU wish il or not, force it.
self upon your attention. 1ou cannot pre-
vent the increase of the negro. I'm what
ratio he Is increasing win not beaccurately
known until after the next census. But
they are prolific Tho negro In Africa -
the negro ia Virginia. The negro in Viz
ginia il the negro in Havti, San Domingo
and the other West India islands. What Il
true Of them there is true Of them here.
So ignorance, stupidity, wilfui blindness
viii not arrest or extingulsh the negro
question. II is mp. You will have To- con
slider il. You will haY. 70 grapple with u
or else it will grapple with and throttle
u.s. Az we said IN the beginning
IL has received more attention IN the past
twelve than in the preceding twenty-three
years. II has been elabOraieiy discussed
by James Anthony Froude, Sir Spenser 81.
John, and Philip A. Bruce. and cOnspicu-
oU,ly by Governor Lee, Mr. Secretary
FlournOy, Mr.. Auditor Ruihn, by many
papers, notably and magnliicenuy 10y
the DiSDdiCh. But no one viii or
ought TO feel wounded If | direct
special attention 10 English ~ ne
Vest Indiesn by james ANTHONY froude:
Hayt: or, The Black Republic, by Sir
Spencer 81. John. aud the planta-
tion Negro rs Freedman, by p. A. Bruce.
Beyond all comparison the most excellent
of these books is The Plantation Negro as
"a Freedman, by Mr.. Bruce. Nowhere
else is there such an intimate know
ledge of the negro character SHOWN. NO
where elR Is he subject to such a
skilful analysis. Nowhere else are ms na-
tive inherent traits so splendidly portray
ed Nowhere else is there the skilled
touch and profound handling OF the mas
ter and Of the expert. Nowhere else is
there shown such breadth of phlOsDphl-
cal treatment. such discrimination IN the
delneatIOn Of characteristics and such
admirable development Of the hidden mo-
tivos Of his conduct and action. His book
ought 10 be in the hands OF every VIZ
ginian: and il viii 90 into the hands OF
those who have n desire 20 be tho
roughly posted on the negro question.
I shall assume that 10 VIII go and
be n textbook. Acting on that AS
sumption [ wish only 20 sustain IT and
him with quotations from Froude and Sir
Spcnscr st. John, whose books VIII not. IN
consequence OF their length and cost. he
read by the multitude. What Hayti IL Nlr-
ginia and her sister States may become.
What was Havtiy
In 1902 when the republic Of Hayti was
established il WAS for its extent probably
the richest in the world the finest colo
nv that any country ever possessed
"the queen Of the Antilles " IN all the
wide world there IS not country moro
shifted to agriculture than Havti-uOt one
where the returns for labor are more
magniicent-a rich, well-watered soil
with a sun which actually appears 10
draw vegetation towards itself with such
energetic force that the growth OF plants,
though not actually visible to the eye,
may be- almost daily measured. '-H1Wl; mr.,
The Bi1ct Republic, pages 81, 81, o.. eng JOY.
"Hayti has thus for nearly q century been
a black independent State. The negro
race have bad II 20 themselves. and have
not been intcrfercd with. They We're
equipped. when they started ON their CO.
reer Of freedom with the Catholic re-
ligion. civilized language, European laws
and manners, and the knowledge of va
rious arts and occupations which they had
learned while they were slaves. IhcY
speak French still; they are nomiually
Catholics still. and the tags and rags of
gold lace Of French civilization continue
10 cling about their institutlons.'
THE French kept II until the Revolu-
ton 17q5). They built towns; they laid
out farms and sugar-hclds: they planted
coffee all over the island where II now
crows wild Vast herds Of cattle roamed
over the mountains; splendid houses rose
over the rich savannah. Tho French
church put ont its strength; there were
churches and priests lir every parish; there
were were monasteries and nunneUes for
the RELIGIOUS orders. So firm was the hold
that they had gained that Hayti, ike Cuba.
seemed TO have been made part of the
Old World. and a. civilized rs France ITSELF
The EnqFsE IN tie BoA Hydies, ~ fro'de
pdqes lS3 and 3il.
What is Hayti now;
OF Port-au-Princo. the capital. Mr. st.
John saws Cpage A. it is situated at the bot
tom Of "a deep bay which runs so far INTO
the western course as almost TO DIVIDE
Havti in two. II contains about 10000 IN
habitants. and WAS carefully laid out by
the French. IL possesses every natural adj
vantage that q capital cOuldrcquire.
But the iutolerahle stupidity Of the
inhabitants has spoilt the plan; in many
streets the level of the yerandas of each
house is of q different height, and tre-
quently separated by marshy spot, the
receptacle Of every species of filth. so that
YOU must either walk IN the sun or per
form in the shade series OF gymuastc
exercises exceedingly inconycnient in
tropical climate Port-au-
Prince may bear away the palm Of being
the most fOul-smelling. dirty. and cOu-c-
quently fevcr-stricken city in the world
u had seen Jackmel. -" SAYS Mr.. Froudc
land. therefore, thought myself prepared
for the worst which could find. Jachucl
was the OUTLYING symptom POrt-au-Prnce
WAS the central ulcer. Long before We
came To shore there came of whi1s. not OF
drains as at Havana, but Of active DIRT fer
menting in the sunlight. Calling our
handkcrchiefs 10 our help, and looking 10
our feet carefully. we stepped up upon the
quay and walked forward as judiciOusly rs
We could. With the help Of stones we
crossed n shallow ditch, where rotten fish.
vegetables. and other articles were living
about promiscuously, and We came on
what din duty for grand parade. We
were in a Paris of the gutter with bOulc-
wards and places. tiacres and crimson para
soils. The bouleyards were Uttered with
the refuse of the houses and were as foul
a. uig-eties. and the ladies under the para
soils were picking their way along them an
Partisan boots and silk dresses. J saw
facre broken down in black pool. out Of
which blacker lady was scrambling. ~
Pdgcs $40 dHd 1853.
SO much for the capital; what about the
country?
This question will be answered to-mor-
row. IL. :. Thomas.
Too\on