The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-03-13
BILL ARP.
atlanta Constitution.


asked him what I could do for him he
smiled and said he would like to have
something to eat. The request surprised
me, for he was not old and looked healthy
and strong. "Where do you live ?" said
I. "I have no home," said he, "but
hail from Michigan" "How did you
get here ?" said I. He pointed down te
bis old shoes and said: II walked
"Where are you going2" | asked. "Jus1
travelling around generally-nowhere il
particular" he said, and smiled again
an honest, pleasant sort of a smile. "Are
you tramp?" said I-s"That's about the
size of it,"he said, "though by trade
am a timer and can earn my dinner in
few minutes if you have any old tinware
you would like to have mended. "Where
are your TOOLS" said I. He threw back
his old coat and showed the ends of
soldering iron sticking out of his pocket
and pulled smaller lump ofsolder from
another pocket and smiled again. But
my wife was not at home and don't
generally interfere with her department
without orders, and 80 I walked with him
to the kitchen and asked Mrs. Sicily Minis
if she had any cold victuals for Tayfar-
ing man, though fool, and she looked at
him with undisguised disgust and said she
lowed maybe she could find something.
While he was feasting asked him why be
dident go down to Mr.. Gilbert's tinshop
and ask for work. He smiled again and
said he dident have time to stay long in
one place and he could do better by
mendiDg tin along the road. He thanked
me very politely for his victuals, and
made bow to Mrs. Minis and limped
away. Mrs. Minis remarked that sbe was
gwine to lock up the kitchen tonight,
that that man wasent after no good.
"He's yankee" " said ], "and foute for
you, Ireckon." "Better go back whar he
come FROM" said she. "Got enough poor
white trash of our own that won't work
for living"
He was the first travelling beggar I
have seen in years. What blessed
country we live in; country without
beggars. We can't even sustain poor
house in Barlow county, county con.
tanning twenty. five thousand people.
Can't get enough poor people to patronize
it to make it respectable Where can you
find region where providence has been
as generous to The laboring man; region
where the toilers and bread-winners can
get a dollar day and live we'll on a
fourth of it? Where is healthy labor 80
well rewarded? Joe Brown works 8
hundred or 80 at his mines--not in mines
away down in the ground-not in danger
Gus shafts, or fire damp, or. foul atmos~
phere, but in the hillsides with the heav.
ems in sight, and as most of them live in
our town and want to go to the night
meeting, and enjoy themselves, Old Joe
hauls them out in the morning and bauls
them back at night. Talk about the
poor, oppressed negro of the south I
asked New York man about the New
York negro and he said that their condi-
tion was very miserable compared with
the negro here. In Now York city they
are confined to three streets, Sullivan,
Bleeker and Thompson, and their families
never 60 out of that quarter and white
folks never 60 in it. They pass through
it, Of course, but they don't stop. The
negro men hire out by the day or the
week as porters or as walters in certain
hotels. Most every occupation is ahut
against them. They used to be BARRIERS,
but the Germans have run them out of
that business and now the Italiaps are
running the Germans out. The negro
used to drive the cabs. and buses, but
you never see one with the reins now un-
less it be on the private carriage of a
southern gentleman-an old slave owner
of course. You never see negro con.
dnctor of street car or on the elevated
railway. You never see one as guest
in the great hotels. They are avoided in
the city railroad cars. Passengers will
sit by dirty Italian rather than by a
clean, we'll dressed negro. Itaeems to be
q prejudice, against contact, and is uni.
versal. The broadest philanthropy will
not overcome it. When the Methodists
had their great conference two years ago
the white members we're provided for in
the best private houses in the city, but
the negro bishops were sent to the negro
hotsls. You never see negro sitting
with the whites at church or a theater
or restaurant. Their children do not
mix with white children at the schools.
They have their own churches and their
own schools. These negroes in New York
and their ancestors have been living there
for century, and have made no progress,
no advance in the arts or eciences, or in.
ventions, or in the higher professions or
occupations. They are good, law abiding
citizens and give no trouble-not as much
trouble as the Italians or the Irish. Some
call this prejudice, but it is not prejudice.
II is the law of natural repulsion and af.
fects all classes In Providence, r. l.,
there is large population of negroes-not
black negroes, nor aat-nosed. They seem
to have come from different tribe and
country. They are OF a copper color and
good, comely specimens of manhood and
womanhood, but they live to themselves,
and have their particular part of the city,
They do not mix. Public opinion is
against it. The doors of all avocatfons
and professions are by law open to them.
but in fact are closed against them. In