The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-06-24
ALMOST STARVING.
SEA ISLAND NEGROES ON THE CARO-
LIMA COAST Il BAD FIX.
Only Berries and Fish for Food-They re
Reported To Be I'm a Deplorable State.
Great Suffering Evidently Felt.

| afforded temporary relief a succession or
/ bad crops and the low price of cotton have
! prevented the people from recovering from
| the restitution then caused and their con-
| dition is said to be now as bad as IL
ever has been. Some of the stories that
| come from that section are .pitiable he
! ports vary. Some are that the negroes there
| ere no worse off than the negroes in other
| parts of the state, and others are to the et-
/ feet that unless immediate help is given
| that the people will starve.
| Below are given extracts from letters re-
| ceived In this city from Editor >. H.
| Rogers, of The Palmetto Post, published at
| Port Royal, ana from ex-Congressman
| Robert Smalls, of Beaufort.
| Beth writers agree that there IS very
| great suffering and their accounts vary
very little
Editor Rogers writes:
| LAS is well known, with few exceptions
| the negro is an improvident race. me
| waters Astounding in fish. oysters and CLANS
and the land continuously producing many
| articles that may be used as food will serve
| to cause Incidence to creep into any race,
let alone the blacks. They under the best
of circumstances, seldom make more than
VIII do them from one season to the other
and have depended for ready money by
working off and on at the phosphate mines
in this neighborhood The storm of August
q, 1923, not only deprived them OF their
growing crops, perhaps IN most cases al
ready heavily mortgaged but destroyed the
miserable shanteS they called houses ana
took off their boats. The want among them
was appalling. 1t might, if sarcasm be ad-
Missile be said that the fortunate ones
were drowned, inasmuch they were free
Of suffering.
1.-THE bountiful charity lavished among
these people was distributed injudiciously,
to use a mild term. Had the distribution OF
charity been by those who know best the
character of the negro or even II such had
be q consulted, much good could have been
accomplished. As IL was the unworthy Of
ten were more benfted than the worthy,
ana heritage Of beSgary was eStabhSht3i
which l fear it will take generation TO
obhterate. During ana Just after the Wdi
the government issued rauons TO the ne
gro and for long time those who least
needed were be1efciaries, and still expect
help from the nation, whose wards they
consider themselves.
IN addition to the suffering following in
the train of the storm of 1893, bad crops
heye been produced. The phosphate works,
an unfailing revenue for laborefs, smut
down for a year in order to repair dam
ages. All in all. not only did the negroes SUI
fer from the storm, but many OF the
whites whose business was ruined ana
whose lands had been equally spoiled By
the angry waves. The negroes were helped
bountfully The whites in most instances
had to weather through the best they
could. The business of the section received
a blow from which II has not recovered.
"As you know, the times are hard an
over the country, and the best of people
are suffering from some cause the WISE
acres are trying TO discover and correct
We are all doctors, and the noStrums OF
fefed TO cure the body polite may at last
make a corpse of the poor OLD thing. Inc
negro not having recovered sufficiently to
breast the oppression, although or class
thar can live if necessary on very little, IS
stiN Il sufferer. There IS no doubt N my
mine that there is still great suffering
aucr, them. IL must be SO. IT is natural,
PHI ci, cumStanCeS considered have seen
NOSE negro OeEGarS IN the past tlGNAtth
MONTHS than in the previous eighteen years.
There is no doubt the Immediate future Is
makes one hesitate in making advances
on the present crop, and 1 fear there %lt
be much misery among the improVident
and careessly good natured race. The ne
groes Of these sea islands are far diff
ferent race from the negroes of other parts
of the south They We're reared i'm differ
ent manner by indulgent masters, and
the ola slaves that are left are most or
derby and well behaved. The young genera
ton are less worthy Of praise than their
4 understand that on St. Helena island,
picture of wealth and luxury in ante
bellum days, the lands Of which were con-
hscated and sold out TO the negroes in small
tracts by the United States, the negroes
are already this year feeling the Cravings
of hunger and are soliciting the merchants
of Beaufort to come to their aid
Elk Congressman Smals said:
Il am free to say that the needs and suf-
ferings of our people are as bad as they
ever We're / may say worse. Immediately
dIlef lllC E}tlOAC the Country AbOh tttf tiiN
appeal and seat abundantly to the sufferers
and for time their wants We're partially
supplied. Clothes were given them and
enough food given TO keep them from starry
ing. After this help was withdrawn they
were thrown on their own resources. You
well known that all the seeds for the com
ing years crop We're destroyed i'm the
storm Seeds were furnished them by the
Red Cross Association. but in most cases
the seeds We're not adapted to their soil.
This is especially true OF the corn. ms
coupled with an extreme cold and stormy
season, caused them 70 fail in what they
did plant
''The second season from the cyclone
brought another failure, intense cold and
heavy frosts destroying the crops at an
unexpected season Of the year So YOU can
clearly see that disaster following so close
~ each other would leave the people in
a fearful condition. Most of them lost their
beasts Of burden i'm the cyclone. also their
planting implements, so that, even II they
had the seed, they were poorly prepared
TO till the soil. And naturally as crops ran
ed all credit with the merchants failed
That leaves them without any settled de-
know starvation must follow.
Another drawback to men who are will
ing to toll for their daily bread is the
cutting down of wages among the phos-
phate hands, and hundreds of them have
been discharged. and that class of men
are now numbered with the starving plant
erS. As an eXampleNl VIII mention one case
that fen under my notice. one day last
I week a boat load Of people came to the
mainland All of them said that they did
they did not see how they could return home
without something to eat. as they had star
walton staring them in the face As this is
true for this number, it is the daily oc-
curence from individuals. | am positive that
the reports of the starving condition Of the
people Of the sea islands are not over
drawn.
another thing I can positively state,
that they make every effort in their power
to earn few pennies. They bring TO town
whatever they can find to sell, such as
blackbCrries plums or whatever garden
produce they can find, but that is very
little.
Some of the houses were rebuilt by the
Red Cross Association. As far as / can
hear Of and what / have seen, the churches
are insufficient for the people to worship
IN. 1t is serious question with me what
Will be the consequence if these poor peo-
pie do not get immediate temporary help,
urtl they gather the next crop"
WONEN'S WORLD CONVENTION.
Miss Frances willard Makes an Adj
dress-TLndy Somerset Presiding.
London. June 16-Devotiona1 services in