New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-11
4 BILL TO EXPEL But NOT TO BANISH


In Yesterdays issue Of THE TRIBUNE We
printed letter from the Hon. VI. {. Butler,
South Cardinals able and eloquent Senator
Directing to our description Of his scheme to
spend 50, 600, 900 Of public money in aiding
the emigration Of colored people from the South
as a - deportation bill" He says it is no such
thing; that no such word as " deportation or
"Africa" occurs in it anywhere, and that he
has never proposed or advised such proceed
ing as "the deportation Of the ncgrO to Africa
or anywhere else"
This statement Of what he and his bill do
not mean has come none too soon. Nor can 1t
90 too far. The Senator should not content
himself with having explained it to us. He
should rise in his place in the Senate and pro-
coed carefully TO unmake the speech he made
there on January I. The impression we de-
rived from that speech is not singular; the
country shares it. The Senate has been talk
ing about it ever since, not man there sup
posing that he was doing violence to Senator
Buffers real plan. When Mr.. Butler sat down
after having talked for two hours about the
charms of life on the banks Of the Congo, SEN
ator lloar arose and expressed his amazcmcnt
at the proposition "to dcport millions of our
labOrefs to what the honorable Senator has
| Justly styled 'the dark region of the Dark
Continent.i" Senator Blair devoted himself
to the practical question where the ships were
to come from by which to get them over, and
since then Mr.. ingalls,, Mr.. Vance Mr. SpOoncr
and NJ. Buffers own colleague, Senator lamp
ton, have delivered diScOurscS, all upon the
suppOsition that they were talking about "A
scheme to Danish the negroes to Africa. We
fear Mr.. Butler will have some difficulty in
convincing them that their labor and eloquenco
were thrown away
But whatever be the size Of his task he should
| resOlutely set about It's performance. As bear
| ing on his statement to us that " the idea Of
| $500, 600 negroes moving out in "A body or in
very large numbers is so prcpOstcrOuS and abb
surd that no man in his senses would entertain
it," he should refer to the prophecy he so APP
proyingly cited on January Z, that "withn
half a century a genuine, ful-blooded negro
will not be found in the present limits Of the
United States" and should explain how it is
that none will be found unless all are to 90.
| If, after disposng Of that point, he finds him
| self still ain his Senses" he should show that
when he spoke of his bill as contemplating tho
movement Of the cOlOrcd people out of the
| Southern States" and Immediately thereafter
declared that if the Government will do its
duty by the negro he will presently" illuminate
the Dark Continent of his fathers with the
| light Of Christianity and law"-thc Senator
should show that in these expressions he meant
to suggest merely that Minnesota and Montana
would be good States for a coorcd population +;
that by the movement of the colored people"
he meant the movement Of only few OF them,
and by the Dark Continent he referred 10
! Ohio, Michigan and the Northwest.
1t is important that Senator Buffers revision
OF the Southern scheme be clearly under
stood, so that there shall be no further doubt
or question about it. The South doesn't haggle
about Africa nor does it want to ship off any
negro who would prefer to remain there and
| take his chances against shOtguns and hemp.
! 1t is desired, however to give him an oppor-
thunity to escape with his life, and to do that
the South is willing to spend 5000, 0OO
mostly other peoples money, in paying for his
J transportation wherever he likes TO 20. Africa
is thought well of, being agrccably remote and
| in need of elimination" If the South can