Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-09
SENATORS SPEAK OUT
THEY FREE THEIR MINDS ABOUT The
UBIQUITOUS cOLORED BROTHER
Senator Buffers Bill--Heiping the Nesros'
to Fiy-scnator Jones's Narrstive-ans
"Cungence "-Doctor Nfggers
Correspondence Of the Richmond Dispssch.l

Inc WORK hHu thik OF the new eVAes.--
last week indicated that one of the DUES
tions TO be vigorously discussed this session
is the relation of the white and coiofeu
races in the South.
Bills have already been introduced mo
both houses touching the subject. Senator
Gibson, OF Louisiana, has presented Joint
resolution looking TO tho setting apart OF
territory of the United States for the eA-
elusive use of negroes, and encouragins
and assisting their settlement therein
Senator Morgan seeks TO reopen inter-
course with the Free State Of Congo. IN
Africa. preparatory to amicable deport%
ton Of blacks.
oNEyfrIIIOy NEGROES.
Senator Butler has come to the front Win
the most far-reaching of these Measures
bill providing that the United States Coy
eminent shall transport all colored people
from any of the southern States" TO any
other place whittier they may desire TO go
at its own expense, and appropriating Nso
million dollars to enable quartermasters 10
furnish such means of travel. This curious
hill viii come up for an early bearing. III
passed it will provide for an extensive eA-
pertinent. for, on such terms as the Coy
eminent would be likely to get, five MIL
lion dollars would move a million negroes
five hundred miles.
called on Senator Butler YESTERDAY,
and he talked freely about the measure
and the reason for it.
There are more negroes in South Caro-
lima and several other States than are re-
| CURED" he said. land their pres,
ence and conduct serve TO irritate ana
excite TO violence the worst classes OF
whites. It is fruitess to speculate on
where TO lay the blame. No reputaole
white man approves or excuses the recent
terrible massacre Of blacks by whites IN
| nv own State: but il may truthfuily DO
| pleaded that the blacks were the first aS-
| gressors and that the affair was sporadlc-
| lust such an isolated crime as might occur
in any community under like conditions.
1t is every way TO DO condemned ana de-
plored.
AsAFETY-vALyE.
"Mv bill Is intended rs safety-valye.
| If the negroes feel and know that way IL
opened by winch they can escape II they
want TO, the reputable and peaceful ones
will not want TO. Some others will. and
such can be spared. Ii is said that there
are $50 900 more blacks than whites in my
State. If this is an accurate statement
| think that 100000 could be spared az
well as not. Although a majority. they
have not possession Of the government,
an apparent sOlecism in politics when
tho people of the North find much DIM
| Guilty in understanding the reason OF, un1
| less they come and live among us. let L
do not find the people OF New YORK Sta.e
electing their colOred fellow-citizens TO
Office. The fact is, that where two ride u
horse one must ride behind, and when
| white man and black man encounters
each other the black man must get out Oh
the way.n
PLATT SPEAKS HIS LITTLE MIND.
I called on Senator Plat, of Connecti-
cut. and asked what ne thought about 1t.
1.-THE negroes are here" he said, and
| have no doubt they are here to stay. Their
expatriation is out Of the question, and
tier wholesale transportation for long q, IS
tances il equally ont of the question. Inc
policy Of giving them the right 70 vote IS
not now of profitable discussion. Ihey
| constitutional law. The best way to settle
the so-called race troubles OF the
South is do exact Justice to all; to. en-
force the law: TO cease prosecuting white
Republicans and Staying black ones. and TO
| let passengers sit in first-class cars who
| buy and pay for frst-closs tickets; No
other way occurs to me that Is worthy OF
civilized people.
yONRs's BRIGHT IDEA
7 found writing in his committee-room
! Senator Jones, of Arkansas, always good
man TO interview. not given TO conversa-
| tiOnal oratory. but witty story-teiler, and
ALWAYS sufficiently urbane and responsive.
"One remedy" he said. would be to
distribute the darlkios throughout all the
States pro rata. This would turn about
| 1875. 900 loose into Massachusetts. and half
n million into New York as an addition to
the regular population. This would ena-
| bic the folks Of the Puritan and the Dutch
| Commonwealth to get some gllmpses Oh
the situation in the South. But such a
remedy might be considered too cruel.
"a tremendous responsibility lies on the
soul of the Christian Church. IL has sup
| ported thousands of missionaries IN China,
| Japan. and the Pacific islands to convert
| the heather. but it has left the colored
| heather untaught. About the only preach
| inc the darkiee Of the South ever hear IS
| that Of other darkies rs ignorant and SUI
perstitious as themselves. The negroes OF
my district listen to the weekly sermons of
| four hundred black preachers and to not
one white preacher, as far as 1 know.
| These black ministers are grossly ignorant
and many Of them arc criminals. And
| they hold and inculcate the widest super
sfitions. unheard of Mt the North-a sort OF
revision to the traits and barbarian fears
OF their African ancestors. j tell you the
thing the Church both North and South
\ ought 70 do is to send missionaries to civil
LIE these people"
WHITE MISSIONARIES.
"Would white missionaries sent from
| the North DO treated well by your folks,
| Senator?"
Certainly they would unless they fra,
| ternized with the darkies and infamed
| their discomfort. To associate with our
whites they would have to hold them
selves above the darkies. II they. went
and lived with the darkies, and ate and
slept with them and treated them as
equals, they would be ostracised by the
whites that is. they would be left wholly
| TO therohoice. 4"
What are the superstitions you allude
| to, Senator? ?"
"Well, our negroes have very gross
and degraded religion. They all believe
| in the hoodoo. They call it being trick
ed For instance, | have with me n
colored man named King Johnson, far SUI
perior TO a majority of his people in natu-
raj ability. lie was quite frank, honora-
| bic, aud manly fellow. ! have frequently
| left him with considerable responsibilities.
When | returned from Washington one
year asked the first hand | met what the
news was.
"'Oh. nothing he said, nothing par
ticular. 'cept King Johnson hes killed Cole
man. This Coleman was well-known
darkv on an adjoining plantation.
Nonsense 1 answered, 1t can't be
possible
YES, deed. 1t is true he insisted.
| $50 ] waited. and that afternoon met
King. / looked him in the eye and said
They say, King, that you've killed Cole
man. How is it =
| HE WAS "cUSJERED."
"Well, / tell you, Mr.. Jones, how
twas. he began. This is how It
'curred: was took sick one day, an
got very sick, and l didn't know but
would die. l was laying asleep on the
little bench. you know, in front Of my
cabin, and God come and STAN right by
me, and says he: King, doan' we know
who's hurted you? It's Coleman hees
hurried Won. He's tricked you. The
thing he done it with ne took an went
an buried down de road" An then he
walked down an showed me where
Coleman had buried his trick. and no told
me ef would go and dig it up aud turn II
end for end Coleman would walk over II
an die. So cravled of'n the bainch an
went down the road to where God pinted
with his finger. an digged in that spot
and found the thing that Coleman he'd
tricked me with. And 1 turned it over
enderways. That was Sunday night. And
Coleman come along there an he walked