Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/92

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78 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

exodus, and in September, 1883, issued an address to the blacks of the South declaring that since they had refused to come to Kansas in sufficient numbers to accomplish good results, the best that they could now do was to go to Canada under the pro- tection of the British government or go to Liberia where they could have a government of their own. He advised them to leave the South at once, and said that in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia 27,000 blacks had enrolled and were ready to go. There was no hope he thought, for political and economic independence in the South, and conditions were but little better in the North. *2

Some person who objected to Canada and also to Liberia pro- posed Cyprus as a substitute and wrote a long description of it for a St. Louis newspaper. He stated that England no doubt would willingly grant the negroes permission to settle there. Singleton had not the slightest idea as to where and what Cyprus was but eagerly accepted the suggestion and for about two years tried to work up a migration to that place. He was, in his dis- appointed old age, more credulous and visionary. Finally he started to Cyprus to investigate and went as far as St. Louis where he stopped, probably because of lack of funds.

Pap was now about seventy-five years old and somewhat feeble, but he kept up his "mission." He could with difficulty speak above a hoarse whisper and was accompanied by a smooth- tongued preacher, who did most of the talking and drew his income from the results of Singleton's popularity. Singleton declared that the blacks were unable to compete with the whites, and must make "a fresh start where the color line is not too rigid ;" ** there was no hope for final success in America, for here "there can't be no transmogrification of the races ;" foreign- ers had many advantages over negroes and were welcomed; but not even by his friends was the negro wanted, and foreign immi- gration "would shortly prove the uprooting of our race." ^*

    • Topefca Times, September 28, 1883 ; Scrapbook, pp. 48, 55.
    • Scraphook, pp. 36, 55.

"St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1885; Scrapbook, pp. z^> 55. ^' passim.