The record-union., 1895-09-06
THE NEGRO COLONY TO MEXICO.

The Georgia and Alabama negro colo
nists who went out to Mexico are drift
ing back sad and suffering lot. But
there is goodly number. they say, un-
able to return and. 1t is claimed. living
in almost hopeless misery. The colo
nists, they say. were deceived as to &C.
commodarions, roughly treated by the
contractors. i'll fed, given no medical as
sistance when sick, badly housed and ex-
pected to work harder than reason per-
mits and according to systems unknown
and unreasonable to them
This was the story sent out in behalf of
the oolonlsts. But there IS another side
toit, for the New York Post correspond
ent, c. P. Mackie, who went on to exam
inc into the matter, says the soil of the
locations is wonderfully fertile and easily
cultivated; the nights are cool, the eli
mate wholesome food abundant and
cheap. and sickne little known. Into
that section the oolonists went. 763 in all,
coming in two lots some weeks apart.
AT first all was content. They had never
seen such rich land and they were satis-
fed with the treatment accorded them
by those who engineered the colonization.
Presently some black sheep began to
show up. These promoted demand for
more bacon. 1t was useless to tell the
negroes that more bacon in that climate
meant disease. The next complaint,
says Mr.. Mackie, was that the grits were
too coarse. and when told that the idle
part of the colony could easily grind
them finer. there was expressed indig-
nation. Next the complaint was made
that the houses were prisons with thick
walls and broad courts. 1t was useless
to explain that all rural Mexican houses
are built that way, and that they are ad-
mirably adapted to the climate and the
general conditions. 1t was complained
next that the whites went armed. It was
replied that in that country all in au-
thority wear arms, and that where there
are thousands of peon servitors all mon
In authority must of necessity go armed;
that there was no guard over the ne
groes, but they were really protected
from the Jealousy Of the poems.
The next complaint was that it ruined
the crop to root up all but one stalk in a
hill. It was explained that in Mexico
cotton grows to the size of a small tree,
hence it must have ample room to spread;
but the negroes were unused to such
cultivation, and would not accept the
statements of those with experience in
turning Mexican soil.
Next, some hot heads brewed quarrels
among the oolonists aud some tights en-
sued The hot-hsaded contingent pro-
posed that the colony march out of the
country and make for the United States
But this would have meant death to hun
dreds on the desert, and so some of the
leading trouble-makers were cast into
prison to secure a period OF calm for re-
Election. AS the dry season continued the
negroes began to fear they would have a
drought and starve to death. Though the
irrigation system was explained to them
and the peculiar alienation OF wet and
dry seasons, they would not, or could
not. understand. Fields were shown
them that had been under cultivation for
years with wonderful success, and they
were assured that theirs would do just as
well: but they would not listen.
They had come in January and in
March; they had tried colonization until
late in June, and thai was enough. SO
the colony broke into two praying camps.
one beseeching rain then and plentifully.
and the other that rain would not fall un-
I'll the coming OF the season for it, So
finally the colonists began to drift back
to the United States in small groups.
The outcome of this effort affords the
Southern press opportunity to emphasize
its claim that the negro is not good
colonist and never win be. He has not
the qualities, il is claimed, that go to
make up success in laying the founda-
tions of society in strange land. In this
judgment the Philadelphia Telegraph and
other Eastern papers concur. 1t is PROB
able that there is much in the claim. 1t
in probable that Mr.. Mackie has closely