Evening star., 1920-03-21
FIFTY YEARS AGO IN
THE STAR.

Mention in the notes Just quoted OF
an agricultural society OF colored
| men formed in Missis
A Colored s.ppi bears upon the
M;or.t;or following printed in
MlsIatlon. The Star of March
1s. 1870. indicating the beginning OF
a southwark drift of labor migration:
! Our local columns today tell that
forty colored families left Washing
+, ton this morning for Mississippi
where they have been employed al
high wages on the cotton plantations
Within the last month other parties
of colored laboring men with their
families have gone from here in the
same direction. and the movement
seems to be part of pretty extensive
current OF emigration south.
| ''The returns of the cotton. sugar and
tobacco crops have put the south in funds
and the result is an activity in trade and
, enterprise attracting a large emigration
in that direction. Thousands of negroes
, are leaving Virginia and Tennessee to
find homes In the cotton and sugar
! states. While this active movement of
colored people toward the cotton belt is
| in progress. there is an equally marked
| white movement toward the new lands
OF Arkansas and Texas. In the first two
months of this year :. 600 laborers passed
over the Illinois Central railroad to the
gulf states. The cotton crop of 1869 was
large and valuable and that of 1870 will
be even more valuable. 1t will give the
/ south the means to command and to
control any market. In addition to these
staples. the south has diversified its
agriculture and is providing for more OF
its wants than it formerly did 1t, there
fr~l hoc 20. uranr Tt.,
new freedom of the blacks. too makes
thousands of new purchasers and in
creases the demand for the manufac-
tured goods which the north produces so
abundantly. Southwark the star OF en-
pire takes its way"
| Local Judgment was not unanimous on
the score of changes in the form OF the
| District government
Railroad Bonus and other matters
Opposed. The Star Of March
Is, 1870, is the following answer to a
comment by one of the local cotempora-
ries:
And now the Chronicle argues that
the people of the District are sacri-
Ificing material things for immateria1
things in seeking for an improved
form of government and intimates
that the material things are the
worlds fair project and a subscrip-
ton by the city of s500.o00 to the
Baltimore and Potomac railroad If
the Chronicle chooses to cite further
pursuit of that exceedingly evasive
light of the bog-the hope that Con-
gress will give any adequate indorse-
ment to the world fair protective
- ~ oh q
they chase all manner of success: but
in the name. of the 1ong-suffering and
much-swind9ed taxpayers OF WASH
ington we protest agaInst heeSing
them to the extent OF half million
dollars for this railroad job.
"The money might just as well be
sunk in the Potomac so far as W ash
ington is concerned. The road will
be built to Washington all the same.
whether the money is contributed or
not The great railroad interest con-
trolling this road does not need the
money. and the contribution. large
as 1t is for US. would give us not the
slightest voice in the management
of the road. In fact the money would
be yet more foolishly thrown away
than that squandered upon the Wash
lington and Alexandria road. where
1.-THE corporation confidingly supposed
lit was going to secure some great
advantage, but not only failed to get
the slightest security for it's invest
? L
in it's management to prevent II from
discriminating AGAINST Washington
in the matter of freight.
1.-The gentlemen who own the char
| ter of the Baltimore and Potomac
road made a very nice thing of ii by
e selling out to the present company TO
the tune Of s25 900 each. and we doubt
lnot the $500. 600 asked from the city
would divide around very handsome
= ly among a small party of oDera tors:
but when the corporation invests In
railroads again we trust IL will be
to build roads of its own or to aid
, struggling enterprises that may not
. otherwise succeed, and which will be
l glad to concede to 1t a controlling
: influence in their management in re-
turn for such aid"
''The city Of Washington Is becom-
. ing a metropolis worthy OF the ma
tion," says an article
Washington from Lippincott's Mag
| azine quoted in The
: Improved. Star Of March 10. 1870.
"The visitor who has not been there
since the war broke out will be stDuck
by the size and solidity Of the Tfeas-
, | ury building. by the magnifcence of
that finest structure Of modern times.
the now completed Capitol. with fits
. perfect dome and lovely marbles. and
hwv oF 1a -if