The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-12-20
was around 5000.

The movement seems to be to Chi
cago, Philadelphia, Washington, De-
trcit and scattering few to Cleveland,
New York and other points. The ma
iority buying tickets have enough cash
to pay railroad fare with two or three
dollars over to make the trip on. Of
ten a man will send his family first
and hold on here until the family is
established in the new home, and again
the head of the household will go first
and make enough money to send back
for his people.
Those leaving belong to the laboring
or farming class, who have not made
a crop in two years and are without
food or credit A visit to the oneroom
homes in the country discloses the
fact that the majority is living on
baked sweet potatoes cooked in hot
ashes in the fire place. A small heap
of chaTed potatoes piled on the hearth
furnishes the family dinner. There
was nothing else. The potatoes were
burnt looking but sweet and good to
IhS luotC. CSSdSlOidllS tHlo =" to
varied with pot of boiled peas. These
are dished out in tin pint cups and
eaten with spoon. Riding through
the country it is a common sight to
a cabin door eating their dinner of a
cup Of peas. These families do not
seem to De suffering from the expert
ence though and when hog killing"
time comes along will probably fill
up on fresh meat and be none the
worse off.
These people arc what is known as
share troopers" A landlord owns
the land and furnishes stock feed, fer
tilizer and rations for the negro and
family who in turn work and make a
crop, and when the crop is made the
owner and cropper each take share,
the division usually being share and
share alike. This year the landown-
ers are pressed to the wall and are
unable to furnish either fertilizer or
rationS or credit at the local store,
and the negro has no choice but to
move on.
Bread is at the bottom OF the move
mcnt. There are many side issues of
course that have a decided bearing on
the case as the fear Of tho ku l[luX
klan and the superstition about the
boil weevil The negroes believe the
boil weevil is curse sent upon the
uaople and they refuse to burn them
or in any way "hindcr the Lord in
His work" And the burning OF the
weevi is very necessary in the control
of the pest.
A representative Of the Department
OF Agriculture undertook to combat
this superstition among the negroes at
a church meeting he was invited to ad-
dress by the cOlorcd Bishop The de-
partment man made good talk and
said, THE Lord had nothing to do with
sending the boil weevil here to destroy
your living, THE Devil did that, and
you've got to fight the devil with fire"
The congregation replied with hearty
response of Amen" and "Yes Lord"
but one familiar with the traits of the
negro will know they were only being
polite to a guest, and that they will
never burn the weevil as long as they
live and consider it bad luck"
But if there was plenty of fat-back
and black moasses in the land, these
other troubles would fade as the shad-
ows Of night.
The shadows, however. are real, and
outgoing trains from Atlanta to the
west and north average from one to
two coaches daily, filled with negroes
leaving homes and friends to live
among strangers.