Year: 1879

Negro Emigra tion from the south.
One Of the most noteworthy events OF


the last week or two is the surprising exo-


dus of blacks from the States of Louisiana


and Mississippi with view to settle in


Kansas. This unexpected movement seems


to be rs impulsive and unrefecting as that


which attracted so much attention year or


two since, when the negro heart was fred


with a romantic project of going back to


Africa and repossessing the ancient seat Of


the race. There has indeed been great
deal less OF preliminary flourish and parade
| in the hegira toward Kansas, and its failure,
| if it fails. will not be attended with such
disastrous consequences 1t was indeed


most deplorable condition in which the


overcrowded shipload Of NEGRO emigrants


who sailed from Charleston found them


selves after their arrival in Liberia Pow


erty, want of employment and the diseases


incident to a new climate, speedily damped
their enthusiasm and convinced them of
the improvidence and folly of this impul-
sive venture. But the horde of negroes who
are precipitating themselves upon q rich ag-
ricultural State of the West does not run the



hazard Of such extreme suffering. They


arrive in tho spring of the year. and at
some wages even if small, they can find
employment and are in no danger Of star
walton. If they have sufficient copstancy


of purpose to remain in Kansas q couple of


years they will get rooted in the soil and
will no doubt better their condition.


Their plan of erhigrating in large bodies is


foolish, because they will overstock the


labor market at the place of destination.


If they had had good advisers individual


families or small associations Of families,
with means Of subsistence for o few
months, would emigrate to different points
in the West and offer themselves as agricul-
tural laborers. There is hardly townshipin in
the Western States where dozen or two of
industrious negroes might not find imme-
diate employment as farm hands and in
the course OF o few years earn mo ley


enough to buy small pieces of land; but'by
going in large bodies to the same place
they will choke up the channels Of employ
ment.


The Western papers describe this move
ment as very considerable. cit is esti-
mated that between two and three thousand


have already come up the Mississippi by


steamer to st. Louis, and the strange ex-
odus continues without diminution. 'They


are deaf to oil we'll meant advice to return
South, and evidently believe that any white


man giving such advice is their enemy"


''The migration of the blacks having


begun it is not easy to see where it will
end. Something like panic seems to have
set in" Although the general destination is
Kansas several hundreds remain in st.
Louis and have become objects of charity.
''The colored population Of ST. Louis
Immediately took up their case, quar-
| tered them in two churches and
Union Hall, and set about raising money
for them. committee of fifteen was


chosen by the St. Louis negroes to attend


to their wants" This recital attests the


want of prudence md foresight which mark


the movement. All of them, especially
among the later arrivals, are not equally


destitute. "Many of them have brought


money and household goods with them,
and homemade wagons and scrubby little
| mules with rope harness" Such of them


as have q little property can easily dis
| tribute themselves among agricultural


counties, and may soon find remunerative


employment


This strange hegira should teach lesson


to the South. In the days Of slavery if


negroes attempted to escape they were
either hunted down by bloodhounds in


their own States or pursued and returned


under the Fugitive Slave law if they sue
ceeded in crossing the border. At present


they are free to seek other homes, and have


only to earn money enough to pay their
passage to 60 where their rights will be re-


spected. The South needs their labor and
cannot afford to lose them. 1t would need


but moderate transfer Of negro voters 70
turn the scale in every doubtful Northern
State md confront the solid South with
sofid North.





T>~r.olSv xc Chaudr~u