Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-08
WEDNESDAY. ...AUGUST g, 1888
The Facts as to tho NEGROES


The New York TcQagc'isf recently
sen. man 10 the South TO inquire into
aud report the condition of the negroes
in this section. In his concluding letter
is the following sentence:
"Here is race numbering now more
than seven millions and increasing four
fold faster than the whites with whom
they live and whose fortunes for wed or
for voc arc inseparably hound together
with theirs-0n ignorant and degraded
race. ameuabio to rule. loving tho land
of their birth, easily capable OF beng
ednoatod and elevated g. II high state Of
civilization, and Yet lett by millions 70
neglect and 81 al manner OF degrading
solf-induleence, while only few tens Of
thousands are gstbcreliuto good schools
and into churches whore they receive
bcne III, md not, as III muitudes OF
cases. positive harm.
Increasing four-fold faster than the
whites What nonsense sch q state
ment Is. And ii it were true, it would
have no mgnifcaucc. We need not say
why. But il is not true. On the con-
trsry. il IS au inexcusable falsehood.
The number Of negroes in this country,
free and slave. in 1890 was 7J7,20S. The
numbcr in 1880 (all free them WIS
G.5S1,793, or less than nino times as
many as in l7Ho. The number OF whites
in 1870 was 3,172,00J. In 1880 tine
number was 43,4o1.97o, or more than
thirteen tilacs as many.
Tut it may To objected that these
figures cover the period when the ne
grocs weTo f'nves, and when a large
number Of whito immigrants came to
this country from abroad, much larger
in proportion TO the native population
than the number of such Immigrants
viii be hereafter. Very we'll These
considerations only corroborate what We
have already SAID. They prove beyond
% doubt that Che census Of 1870 was to-
tally unreliable SO far ns the southern
States and their population wcro con
ccrncd. Surely There cannot be- any Sta
tistician 40 I'll informed as to suppose
that The negroes increased less rapidly
when they had in abundance houses,
food, doctors, fuel, and everything they
needed, than they DO now, when noneo Of
these uecessarics Of lie are furnished 20
them by the whites except IN payment
for work. Look at the hundreds OF lille
ones here in Mchmond.
But take the figures Of 1870 and 1850.
In 1870 the number Of negroes in the
United States was $4,000. IN 1850 it
was $50, 1913. The increase WAS 1,1o0,-
CSl, or a little over 35 per cent In 1870
the number OF whites WAS 33,3s9,377,
and in 1850 it was 43, l02,970 The In
crease here was about 30pcr cent. butthe
fact is. as We have said, that IN 1870 the
census was taken in the southern states
by ignorant negroes and other persons
totally incompeientto perform the duties
of any Office, aud reckless rs TO whether
their returns were correct or not. How
ever. accepting those figures as the best
available, there Is an immoasurable dis
lance between the facts and the state
ment that the blacks increase four times
as inst az the whites.
The southern whites will have no trou-
bic with the negroes if the northern poo
pie will let both whites and negroes
alone. As yet there is no telling what is
10 be the ncero's fate. Let US not make
haste unwisely. At the proper time the
whites, who viii always he the dominant
class, viii see what duty requires OF them
ia this behalf. At present We cannot
even see cas- through a glass darby"