Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-12-19
Are they Destined to Extinction /.
New YORK w Ord.

New York World
Now that the negro question is no
longer IN issue i'll politics, there Is some
likelihood that the characteristics, cap
abilities and prospects of the colored
race will receive calm and impartial
consideration. Setting aside political
antagonism, the impulse of the whites
seems to be towards helping the colored
people through the evils which beset
them on account Of their ignorance,
poverty and peculiar propensities. No
better proof of the existence Of this
friendly feeling could be asked than the
disfavor shown to the scheme for col
onlzing the South Carolina negroes in
Africa. The suggestion Of the expa-
triation of the race was rejected in all
quarters in the most emphatic terms,
and the opinion was maintained with
few dissenting voices that the colored
people now in this country would be
happier here than elsewhere, and could
find here better and moro honorable
work to accomplish than in the Old
World. 1t appeared to be the DISPOSE
ton Of the public to consider the des-
tiny Of the freedmen bound up with
the land in which they live, and this
implies the predisposition of the public
mind in favor OF the advancement Of
the negroes in wealth, intelligence and
morality. Accepting rs fact the con
clusion that the best chance for the
colored people is i'll working out then
salvation here, it becomes important to
learn whether they are advancing or
retrograding in number-whether null
! tlplicahon or extinction awaits them.
As mere matter Of theory one would
be inclined to argue for the rapid in
crease of the negro race. The negro
has always thrived in the shadow Of
the whites. He lives to initiate them,
strives for their approval, is proud of
their companionship. AS II slave he
has even exhibited great capacity for
increase and multiplication Enamel
pated from serfdom and protected by
the laws of the white race, and sur
rounded by the comforts and opportu-
mites of civilization, why should the
negro decay In country where the
! struggle for existence was Il fierce one
he might go down in the conflict with
superior race, but here, where there is
no such contest, and there is room
and occupation for all, his extinction at
the hands of u rival is a thing not to be
anticipated, if be plays the part of
man. To offset this deductive reason
ing, certain facts are brought forward
to show that the negro race is actually
dying out whether such a result is
natural or not. Observers in the South
say that there prevails among the ne
groes such poverty, shiftlessnesS and i'm
morality that the death-rate is swelled
to proportions fatal to the continuance
of the race. A correspondent of the
Cincinnati Gazette, in Jackson, Miss, has
taken the pains to collate the deaths of
the white and colored people in the
various southern cities, and the result
is ominous for the latter. In Washing
ton, during the year 1870, 1922 died
out of every thousand whites and a 60
out of every thousand blacks. In the
succeeding year the proportion was
&c. SO whites and % % blacks. In Balti-
more the rate for 1915 was 1880 whites
To 81 II blacks, In Knoxville during
1876 thc mortality per thousand whites
vas IA, per thousand blacks 3l.2. In
/ Ricnmold for the same year the rate
was l7.&j whites and 2S13 blacks. In
Iohlc during the previous year the
proportion was l2.1 to PSI. In New
Orleans the rate for the same year
was 25.45 whites to 1863 blacks. In
/ Charleston during the ten months Of
the present year IA out of every
/ thousand whites have died and 3S7
out of every thousand blacks. This
discrepancy is st rtling, and there can
be but one Interpretation to such st%
! tiStics.