Huntsville gazette., 1890-03-22
BISHOP LYMAN
Gives His Opinion In Reference
to the Negro Question.
He Says the South Must Settle
the Trouble,

And Declares the Recent Exc Ius of the
the Carolinas to Have Been the Result
of a Railroad Money-Making Scheme.
If Left Alon-, the south VIII Provide
for and Take Care OF TIL en-.
New YORK, March 21.-"The southern
people know how to handle the negroes;
they know just what they want and
need, and if we are left alone we will
provide for and take care of them to
their satisfaction and our credit"
These were the words of short, ro-
bust, healthy looking gentleman of
about 30, with white hair and beard and
face expressive of intellectually and
energy. 1t was Bishop Lyman. of North
Carolina, gentleman well known
throughout the country, of vast inf1u-
ence in his own state and an authority
on many of the southern issues of the
day, but particularly conversant with
the race question.
'We are glad to continue to feel that
our affairs attract the attention of the
north, and we believe that in our strug-
giles upward we have their sympathy,
even as we have received their assist
ance III re5ainiag our commercial pres
tige. But there is one question that |
do not think they fully understand, that
is the race question. | will not touch
the whole !road question, which is a
vast thing, but dwell for a moment on
the late negro exodus from my own
state, on what | know to be the prime
factor in that movement.
1T is not the hostility of the south
erners that has driven the negro away;
it is not that all crops have been lost for
the past three years; not political dis
franchisement, incompatibiltty. fear or
any of the other ridiculous causes at
tributed by the northern press. But it
is the action of the railroads and their
satellites. or scalpers. This traffic would
be small to a large northern railroad,
but that it has been profitable to the
lines of North Carolina and more
especially to the agents. let me cite as
an instance only only one case and
could give you many.
lone railroad agent has sent 10000
negroes out of tie state, and his com
mission was 81 head, a total of $50 900,
and very handsome fortune, think
In the city of Raleigh and the town of
Rocky Point the people rose up in
righteous anger and drove these immi-
grafton agents out of the state. And |
believe they were justified in doing 50,
for it was a mere matter of traffic with
those people and resulted in cruel hard
ship to the poor negroes.
''The glowing promises of equality
and profitable employment in Kansas
and other states held out to them by
these wretches would. Of course, never
be realized, and the penniless negro had
not the means to return to the country
which had at least given him shelter
and subsistence. And l am sorry to say
that in too many instances the exodus
has been assisted by the statements
made in northern papers which have
been not one whit less highly colored
than the agents arguments.
81 had in my own family an intelli-
gent colored boy to whom l paid $l2 a
month. The second year paid him S14
He received letter from an acquaint-
ance in the north stating that he could
earn S25 month as waiter. did not
press him to remain, believing that he
would return to me in a very short time,
and he went to New York, forthwith In
three months my servant returned
ragged, attenuated and heavy at heart.
And when / consented to receive
him again there was not happier boy
in the south. He had actually walked
all the way from Washington. He in
formed me that while his wages in New
York had been liberal, his expenses had
kept pace with them and that what with
a swallow-tail coat, other appropriate
clothing and the high life Of Thompson
street, he was soon in great distress"