The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-16

4 cd>1O03l nu0tlnG-E
| Much OF the success which attends.
the English invasion Of the Mississippi
| valley was due TO the peculiar cha-ac-
ter of the men and women who occu-
| pied this frontier. If they had been
! deliberately selected By some wise
statesman for their peculiar task the
choice could not have been better
fitted TO the end ia view. II the occu-
| patton of the country has been trusted
70 ordinary immigrants from Europe il
| Is very doubtful IL the Ohio settlements
| could have maintained themselves dur
1 ing their early trials. The mea who
/ made these western settlements had
for a century and half been in train
! ing for such arduous work. They ana
their ancestors had learned 10 fight ir
/ their struggles with the Indians. the
/ French and the British; they had, more
over, acquired the most precious eiuca-
1 ton Of political sort which enabled
them To act together in organizing and
{ defending their societies. They were
| not only war-proof, but trained in the
/ founding Of states and in the main
+ tenance OF civil order"
/ In several places Prof Shalcr refers
I 70 the questions of our negro popula-
/ ton. The most serious questions ne
I thinks, connected with the future ~
the lowlands which border the Gulf Of
Mexico arise from the large proportion
OF Africans in the population. and from
I the fact that the whole OF this great
area. as far west IS central Texas. ap-
pears 20 be peculiarly well ADAPTED 10
the descendants Of this tropical folk,
and less well suited % the laboriug
population Of our own race. IL is true
that the negro population in eastern
South Carolina is, relatively 70 the
whole number Of people in the district
as large as that which is found in anv
other portion Of the United States. but
In South Carolina there is a very cxten.
sive upland territory which. from the
conditions of its climate. is not likely
10 be extensively occupied by the ne
groes- On the other hand. the greater
portion OF Alabama. the whole OF Mis-.
siSsippi and Louisiana, and the eastern
part OF Texas, present conditions which
peculiarly favor the rapid increase OF
the black people.
In the lower lying and richer por~
tions % Kentucky and Tennessee there
Is a considerable element OF Africans.
but the proportion of this blood to that
OF the whites in the Southern section OF
the Ohio valley does not exceed about
one 20 ten. Several conditions have CO.
operated 20 bring the negroes Of this
Al - rta+ 70 IL
culture. In the first place, essentially
all the folk Of African blood in this
part Of the country came from In,
slaves which were brought in the
earlier part of the last century 10 the
Virginia group of colonies. Therefore
the ancestors of these people, having
been long upon the soil. the race has
had a greater opportunity Of securing
the training in the ways Of civilization
which contact with the whites has ~
singularly afforded 20 the African say
ages. As the negroes civilixe with a ra~
pidity Unknown in the ease of any other
savaCes with which our race has had 10
deal, the difference of one or two zen
eratious IN the length Of their sojo-lrn
on the continent makes a great change
in their social and moral state II IN
also noteworthy fact that she greater
portion Of the blacks who were held "a
slaves in the Ohio valley were retained
as household servants. or where nsed
as farm hands were kept about the
farTnstead III immediate contact with
the families Of the propyietcrs, and not
isolated from the improving influences
Of the home, as was tho case ON the
more southern plantations. In passing
southwark from the Ohio valley, where
the negroes have generally been in
close social relations with the whites,
% the plantation country Of Missis-
sippi and Alabama, where The relations
between the races were mach less init.
mate, the trained observer can at once
note the difference In the condition ot
the blacks, tina more southern negroes
not having attained az high station
Ia discussing what nature has done
for the west Prof SHAKER declares Of
the great lakes region that AL the
natural conditions II this district com.
hine 70 make the shores Of It's inland
seas the seat of Frsatcities. The waters
" these basins afford n natural path
way Tor large part of the interior
commerce 81 tho Onstnspt: the miner
a. resources favor the devsioprDent Of
varied manufacturing industries, ADD
the climate ~ one which anhns.es men
10 the utmost exercise of their vigor
Except about Lake Sspsrin1. which L.
rather too far north fo~ sucnessfai az
=.
md affords q wtbs rsr.7s OF the crops
; nj animal products which are zlited
b distant exports. All thess eoDdi-
IiOns combine 20 insure 70 tTis part %
the country sxoeedinziT varied indus-
tries and viii enable II 70 sapTsqt
lcuser pJDu att1n than any otber 49,
lion iu thc northern part II the cont
arrt Next sftsr tAe Ohio valley IL -
.le most richly provided ~ nA;ur.
With the material resources II cfvilszz-
..ou ~ any - the great dtvhsons ~ ths
,ont-neat u - even more fDrtnnsta
han This district On the so-1fh. sor ths
-ssson that 81 VII never have 20 deal
With the difficulties srt4nz troEn TIE
presence % large element % African
5lCed ia SIS population Perhaps "a
-reatest good fortune e11sss>s In the
act that II has relatively bttle sls@
han Eorth Eurgpesa blood EotwitA-
lsn6ing some elements offrsct.on VIII
.eweosnsr. from EuruPe. shsTs can Be
% doubt TIA; al ihs eiverKitiss a rae.
anyuage aDd national motive vii
hortv beeonls fused Into = people Of
-rest physical AID mental vigor-@
tr-rrr-H c,1rvr~.-