Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1927-06-04
W. WHITE MAKES
REPORT ON
FLOOD zone
REPORTS NEGROES HELD IN
PEONAGE IN MISSISSIPPI
FLOOD AREA
Tenants Escape From Refugee
Camps Barred by Soldiers


Camps Barred by Soldiers
New York, May 27.-Negroes held
in peonage in the Mississippi flood
area, and prevented from leaving con-
centration camps without the consent
of their landlords, also attempts to
charge Negro tenants with the flood
relief administered to them, are re-
ported by Walter White, assistant
secretary of the National Association
for the advancement of Colored Peo-
pie, SO Fifth Avenue, who has re-
turned from a tour, including Mem
phis, Jackson, Vicksburg, New Or
leans, and other points in the flood
area.
Mr.. White reports instances of Ne
groes escaping refugee camps and
preferring to go without food, shelter
and clothing, rather than be returned
to the plantations from which the
flood had driven them. Mr.. White re-
leased the following statement today
at the offices of the National Asso-
citation for the Advancement of Col
ored People:
SIN response to complaints of peon-
age in the Mississippi flood area, I
went to that territory and in my tour
visited Memphis, Vicksburg, Jackson,
New Orleans, and other places in the
flooded region. At Memphis, l talked
with DR.. William R. Redden, Chief
Medical Officer for the Red Cross in
the Flood Area. DR.. Redden author
lied me to quote him as follows:
"The Red Cross emphatically disap-
proves of any attempts to use this
disaster by landlords further to en-
slave Negro tenant farmers and share
\ troopers. Aid is given directly to the
Individual sufferer. 1t would be an
interesting problem to see that at
tempts by landlords and others to
charge relief against tenants are
checked when such relief is given to
refugees after they have returned to
their homes.
"In many refugee camps, however,
Negroes are released only to their
landlords and are sent back to the
plantation from which they came.
This fact was confirmed to me by Cen
eral Curtis T. Green, Commanding
Officer at Vicksburg of the Mississippi
pi National Guard troops who are
keeping order in the area covering
registration from parts of Sunfower,
Bolivar, Yazoo, Warren and Holmes
Counties and all of Issaquena, Shar-
key, Washington and Humphreys
Counties. General Green told me that
plantation owners come to the camps
to pick out their Negroes and that
labor agents are kept from the camps
no man being permitted to talk to
any other but his own Negroes
"The extent of virtual imprison-
ment of Negro flood sufferers to pre-
vent escape from the plantation areas
is attested in despatch from Cleve-
land, Mississippi, published in the
Vicksburg Evening Post of May 5,
in which it is stated:
A meeting of the executive COM
mittee of the Citizens Relief Com
Matte was held jointly with j. C. Nc
Mullen, Director-in Charge of Red
| Cross relief work here. The matter
of parties, covering a wide range of
the delta section not overfowed, COM
ing to Cleveland with the view and
purpose of being permitted to remove
families from the camp and place
them on their own plantations, was
thoroughly discussed and considered,
with the result that the matter of re-
leasing families or individuals to
parties other than to the one with
whom they have previously con-
tracted for the year, was placed in
the hands of V. w. Thomas. Mr..
Thomas was instructed by the Com
mittee not to release any family or
persons from the camp except on
written consent of the landlord from
whose plantation the laborers came,
or on the personal request or authori-
cation of the landlords.
"At number of camps I was told
of Negroes eluding guards and escap-
ing, preferring to forego food, shelter,
clothing and medical attention rather
than go back to the plantation from
which the food waters had driven
them. At some of the camps Negroes
were being taken out by industrial
firms, being checked out of the camps
and checked in again when their
labors were finished. Most Of these
men had no objection to working,
even though not paid, but they OBJ
jected to the beating. cursing and
kicking they had to endure. There
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