The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-17

from the Exeter hall, London, ally. organ
lied plan to reconstruct the south by
means of a universal slave insurrection
The plan failed because the native born
negroes had become too civilized to accept
1t 1t was repeated in 1859, and again
failed.
From that earlier time forward. an un-
broken series of energies have intermed-
died in the relation of the white and black
races in the south.
In all the course of the intermeddling
] from without, the southern negro has dis
appointed his viearious promoter.
| The southern states, supported by four
northern states, elected Tilden to the
presidency in 1876. Joseph R. Bradley, a
native of New York. caused the defeated
republican party candidate, Hayes, to be
installed in the office.
But the installation of Hayes failed to
reverse the southern state elections of
them. Foote dwelt eloquently upon the
| result, democratic state and county
government. Hayes was a failure.
Senator Conkling of New York and
other republican party leaders began to
prepare an open way for the return Of
General Grant to the presidency in 1880.
The Freedman's Relief association was
organized by members of the republican
party at Washington in 1879. 1t was one
lied by that party since 1882, or the ac-
tive elements of that party, with the same
end in view, a race disturbance in the
south.
Not only had the southern states gone
democratic in 1876. but they had gone the
same way again in 1878.
The census year. 1879 was at hand. Could
the occasion be used to reduce the demo-
cratic strength of the south in the federal
government? Could the population liable
to apportionment for representation in
Congress and in the electoral colleges in
the south be reduced?
To attempt a reduction of southern pop
ulation liable to federal apportionment the
Freedman's Relief association was organ
lied at Washington by republican party
leaders. The modus to be employed to
gain the end was a general exodus of the
freedmen from the cotton states.
Employment of the freedmen on the
plantation by monthly waves had never
been practicable because the government
at the outset of their emancipation had
robbed the land holding masters of their
cotton or winked at the robbery. 1t was
estimated that Wilson's raiders in Ala
bama in March and April, 1865, destroyed
300, 900 bales of cotton worth in Mobile then
$50, 100000. The white landlords were pow
erty stricken. Thus the freedmen be-
came Joint parties to the business of cot
tor planting. They We're we'll contented.
Agents were dispatched from headquar-
ters at washington to work up the pre-
liminary discomfort among the cotton field
negroes. Accordingly an imposing ma
tional convention of negroes met at Nash
vile early in May. Delegates from Ala
bama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana Illi-
nois, Ohio, oregon, South Carolina, Penn
sylvania and other states, north and
south, attended. Two days before the
Nashville colored convention convention
of whites, to which negroes were invited,
assembled at Vicksburg to consider the
exodus Governor Stone of Mississippi and
Chief Justice Simerale spoke adversely to
the movement. The notorious orator,
Henry S. Foote, who had once defeated
Jefferson Davis for governor, replied to
them. Foote dwelt eloquently upon the
wrongs of the negro in the south and fav-
ored the exodus. Everywhere the deluded
race was required to hear the orators pro-
claim that the return of the democrats to
power meant the restoration of the south
ern confederacy and the reinstatement of
his race. Jere Haralson, negro ex-con-
gressman from Dallas county, acting for
the headquarters at Washington, sent
west two committees of negroes, author
lied to prepare homes in the west for 100
to 200 families from the western counties
of the state. Jere's committees accom-
plished nothing.
Many negroes from Louisiana and Mis-
sissippi yielded to the allurements of the
orators. Seven thousand in need reached
Wyandotte, Kan, to be fed by charity
The mayor of ST. Louis issued an official
warning to emigrants of that class not to
come there. Many went to Indiana to find
inhospitable reception. Four negro emf
grants with white wives were- con-
signed to the common jail at Terre Haute.
ar,,a Of tfpr1
In each case the negro preacher who
had performed the marriage ceremony was
also lodged in jail.
The planters of Alabama took little in
terest in the exodus craze They bded
their time in peace. News of the unwel-
come demonstrations that met the emf
grants at stopping places away from home
soon put an end to this, the then latest
attempt to make the negro of the south
political issue.
JOHN WITHERsPooN DUBosE.