The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-09-13
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Arp on the Proposition to Deport the
N Negroes.
Atlantic Constitution.
NOnce more into the breach, good
N egroes.

The negro question is now upper
most in the minds Of all the people Of
the south and I write once more upon
that subject to modestly but conf
dently indorse the utterances of the
Constitution in Wednesdays paper.
Their deportation is a dream, an ut
terly impracticable solution of the
race problem. Sixty years ago it was
great undertaking to remove $4,000
indians from north Georgia to the
Indian Territory with their reluctant
consent. Evsn thec 1000 Of them
died on the way. The Washington
Post says there are not enough tran
sports in the world that could be had
or hired to move them all in twenty
years, and it would cost not less than
$10o 4. head, which would make a
thousand million dollars. The federal
government would not vote dollar to
begin the experiment. S1ore than all
this, the negro Will not 60. He will
not even go north to live with ais
friends, his deliverers. A few hun
dred went to Kansas some years ago,
but they got. homesick and came back.
I compared with Cobe about eiand he
said: 'sWell, major, to my opinion we
won't git rid Of some Of 'em. We
mout git up an excushun train with-a
few carloads Of watermiiiiens in front
and toll 'em along as fur as Ohio and
drap EN-, but I'm jubrs about gittin'
'em to Africy. =
There used to be colonization So
ciety that owned agood ship named
Elizabeth, aud they carried all the
manumitted slaves to Liberia free Of
charge. Old Major Waters, a wealthy
gentleman Of Gwinnett county, gave
thirty-seven Of his slaves their free
dom, and BY his viii made my father
his executor and directed him to pro-
vide good clothing for them and to
take them to Savannah and see them
pnt on board the Elizabeth and to pay
over to William, his faithful body SER
vant, 500 in gold for each Of the
thirty-seyen slaves. This money was
to set them up in Africa. So my
father corresponded with the society,
and The good ship was sent to Savan-
nah on time and the negroes we're put
on board. They wept and, walled
when they told father goodbye, for
they all k;.~S that he was their cid
masters friend.
About Two years after that there
was = knock at fathers door one win
ter right. When it was opened there
stood William and six others OF. the
negroes sent away. He reported all
the others dead aud that he and these
six had secreted themselves in the
hold Of. the vessel by night and kept
hidden until they had been two days
at sea, for it was against the rules OF
the society to allow any freed man to
return. They we're brought to Phila-
delphia, and there got word to Howell
Cobb and Alex. Stephens, in Wash
ington. Those men knew William
and his master and sent him enough
money to pay their way home. They
xent into service Of their young mas
ter. Tom Waters-not as slaves but as
free men, and were happy at escaping
from Liberia. Hereis Uncle Sam, who
works in my garden aud chops my
wood and goes after ice on Sunday.
He has four grown up children who
are sorter married and they have lot
Of children. The old man owns the
humble home and IS not going to At
RIGA or anywhere else, and the children
will not leave him. There would be
weeping and wailing worse than q
funeral. But suppose they all went.
Who is going to pay them for their
property? The negroes pay taxes now
on three hundred millions Of property,
which is chiefly real estate. They
own probably geo homes in and around
Gainesville, and there would be no
buyers. II they we're all deported,
Who would take their places? Who
would do our cooking and washing?
Who would nurse our babies? Who
would make our fires when the cold
winter mornings Gomez Who would
pick our cotton? Bus the fact re-
mains that there are toe many OF
them, and they multiply TOO fast, and
this generation are indolens and need
regulating by vigorous laws. There
is baseball game going on right now
while I write, and at least 200 vaga-
bond negroes have passed my house
going to it. The negro women are
supporting them in idleness. John