The sun., 1908-12-27

the country where they were taking the
negroes This is probably true. but no
particular attention would have been paid
10 this had not the labor movement grown
IN very short time into an exodus which
threatened to sweep the entire negro
WORKING population away. leaving only
the old-and feeble behind.
The movement did not arouse much
opposition at frat In Louisiana. A week
ago when one Mississippi planter. Mr..
Sturtevant OF Glendora, passed through
Alexandria with 200 Louisiana negroes
whom he had picked up IN the central
on M .ss a reaarssd ea 9s 70 sREs o Sc
time. but no opposition was made as MIR.
Sturtevant paid UP all the debts of these
negroes aud would take none against
whom there were any claims. .-.
Nor was any objection raised when
last week q single boat took 500 negroes
and all their household effeots from the
Black River section OF Louisiana to the
Yosoo delta.
30 far. although the boil weevil parishes
OF Louisiana have lost four or Ave times
as many negro laborers as the southern
counties Of Mississippi. there has been no
organized effort to break up the efniRra-
tion from this State. but when the exodus
otluNN ishlbSiHotbpi III
The centre OF the movement has been
Natchez. That district ii may be said
had been drained Of all its superfinous
negro labor by labor agents from Bir-
iningham. Ala. and other parts OF the
mineral belt, The situation reached a
crisis last week
The occasion OF the outburst was the
cruise Of the steamer America. She
reached Natchez laden to the guards with,
the negroes and their plunder, and another
big party of negroes were at the wharf
waiting to 60 aboard en- route to the delta.
while ut Sycamore Point and other places
along the river were enoaInpmentS OF
would-be negro emigrants.
They did not leave. The money inter
ests OF the town and county (Adams) got
together and organized the Bankers and
Merchants Labor Agency for the pur-
pose Of keeping the negroes at home and
encouraging immigration. The methods
adopted were here vigorous enough, for
the merch ants declared that the practice
OF enticing negro labor away would be
broken up -peaceably II we can, forcibIy
III we must
The labor agents in the town, fifteen in
number thirteen whites and two negroes.
were notified that sthey must git, and IL
they don't git the committee will resort TO
such measures as they see ut for the
enforcement Of its orders They got
away on the first train.
In the meanwhile a commits OF ten
white citizens visited the wharf where
the negroes were assembled waiting to
take the America for the delta. Their
methods were so emphatic that the
negroes concluded to abandon their idea
of leaving and to remain in Natchez and
the labor agent In charge Of them ad-
vised them to that effect and also prom
ised to leave town himself and -ceass his
emigration work.
Tho officers of the steamer agreed on
their part not to make any landings in
the country, and the boat went upstream
without halt, paying no attention to the
frantic wavings OF the negroes who
crowded the bank at many points wait
ing for the boat to the delta.
To make the work effective q committee
waited upon the negro editor Of the negro
paper OF the town. who was warned to
leave with the labor agents. but the order
was subsequently Withdrawn on his
agreement TO argue against the emil
grafton Of the negroes and urge them to
remain at home.
ures will check the exodus. As matter
OF fact great many negroes had got
away before these measures were adopted,
particularly from Catahoula. Concordia
and Tensas parishes, Louisiana. and from
Adams and Wilkinson counties. Missis-
Rippi. The labor SITUATION throughout
that region has become serious and in
some casos has reached ON acute stage.
Unless energetic measures had been
taken TO break up the exodus. it Is argued,
il would have caused great losses, COM
pIetely upsetting business and running
the negroes themselves. They all wnnt
to crowd into the Yazoo. where they are
already twelve or fifteen to one, while
another wear will see the weevil there.
and they will then have no other place
to move TO. The negro. 1t is asserted,
will have TO face the boil weevil as the
white farmer has done, and by better
and more informed methods OF cultiva-
tion triumph overit
Right here Is the question. Can the
negro do so? Will he ever become the care
full cultivator his white neighbor is and
be able to grow cotton in spite OF the raw
age Of the weevil?
Even with tie precautions taken IL Is
probable that q bood many negroes will
slip out Of the weevil ridden section
this year. Southern. Louisiana and Mis-
are now Overwhelmingly white,
and The white majority is getting larger
every year The boil weevil Is likely to
increase it more and lead to the further
of the blacks In the Yazoo
delta, the blaclrest section OF the coun-
try. or to sending them further north,
Iysyond Mason and Dixon$ line,