The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-20

| people laborlng Tor twenty years, and, |
granted that they began with no personal !
property, they have gathered wealth at
the annual rate of So. 80, or at the rate Of
S6.lS for the whites, and counting fam
lily OF five persons each family has accu.
mulated annually $3.50, or 5000 for
each white family. This is on the suppo-
sition that everybody began with nothing. |
As it is scarcely possible TO conceive of a |
white family without ut least SCI so OF !
household and kitchen furniture, or a |
plantation without SOS. % OF Implements
and tools or without Sl23 of live stock of /
all kinds, it is not unreasonable to affirm |
that the people OF Georgia did not add |
materially TO their wealth during the |
twenty years preceding 1856.
The negro began with no accumulated |
property. According to the report each |
| colored family possessed in 1856 an aver
age OF 1913 OF household and kitchen |
furniture, OF Sl.55 OF mechanical and |
| farming implements and OF Sl3 of live /
stock OF all kinds. "Truly," remarks Mr.. |
Bialr, prosperity ran riot with the col |
ored brother and, being so wealthy, it is |
not surprising that we have the very gen
eral complaint that the negro is lazy and !
won't work"
Next comes a comparison from the CEN
sus report of 1880 oil the manufactures Of |
the principal cities Of the country, includ- |
ing thirteen Of the principal cities of the |
South, which shows that New York manu- |
featured about twice as much as all of the |
thirteen Southern cities, and Pi,tsburg |
nearly rs much. The growth OF thirty |
Southern cities, including all of the larger |
ones, in population from 1870 10 1883, was |
l3O,O0O; while the growth OF four cities in |
the single State OF Ohio, namely, Cincin. |
natl, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo, for |
the same period was las, l22. and Of the |
four cities OF Camden, Jersey City, New |
ark and Paterson, in the State Of New Jer- |
sey, l3I, 4O3. In view of these figures will |
1t not seem amusing TO speak OF the growth |
and prosperity Of the South?
The causes of this lack OF prosperity and |
this positive poverty in the South are care.
fully and argumentativcly considered, and |
Mr. Blair continues 80 make the negro |
our assistant in the production OF wealth |
he must be made TO work or he must be
induced, by the hope OF enjoying in full
the fruits OF his labors, TO work steadily |
and intelligently. II We are not willing to
elevate him we should set TO work reso.
lutely and deliberately 10 nlnnacle both
so that n little child can control a thou.
sand. We will then ~ least &c; enough |
ont Of him 10 supply his physical wants
and 10 enable us to live in idlencss and /
comparative comfort, which is not now the
case.
WHAT MUST M DoNE.
eli there is no hope Of being able TO do
this, what is the next best thing for us 10
do for our own good? Make a man II him.
This can only be done by means Of cducl-
ton and other fostering influences; by cul.
uvaiing his self respect; by inspiring his
hope; by letting him see that the land OF
his birth IS rs much his country ~ il X oi
the weallhicsi and haughiius. white.
Now lac IL not only an alien but an in
ierior-in reality scri-in the land OF his
nativity"
In discussing the elevation Of the labor.
ing population Mr.. Blair confines himself
TO the negro for, though the elevation OF
the illiierltc whites Is also essential Tor
prosperity, yet, as matter Of course, il |
prcccdcs that Of the blacks. lie considers
u highly favorable augury IT bright
future that, owing 20 libcmlZcJ scnti-
ment, the negro has-in some parts Of the
South, aud notably in Nirginia-becn
greatly improved. A vast interval sep.
am,cs the negro Of today from the negro
Of twenty years ago, aud ~ the State has
suffered no detrimcnt from his elevation
80 Ear Il should be- an encouragement 10
bridge over the still vast interval between
what lac is now and what he must bc be-.
fore he can become an enlightened and
fully developed ctizcn-thnt efficient pro.
duccr OF wealth absolutely essential to
prosperity.
SrGEors rs oTIiER COUNTRIES.
After travcrsing this subject thoroughly
Mr.. Blair remarks although nowhere
In the United States. either North or South,
does the negro enjoy all the rights Of the
whites yet when We cast our ewes beyond
the limits Of our own country. tie sup.
posed home Of the free. We lind the negro
occupying the status Of full equality. In
England and France, countries which have
led Ia the van Of nlightcnmcnt. the negro
rests under no political or social ban.
but Is received everywhere according 10
bis merits aud credentials. II the Negro
has good letters Of introduction he Is To-
cciycd everywhere, while the white man.
u not ~ provided, will be totally Ignored.
In the Empire OF Brazil the negro IN nc.
corded iul. social and political equality. A
Nirginian. who was ior eight ypars from
1858 United States Consul at Rio, tells me
that when he was there one Of the Fun
pcror's Ministers aud oncol the court ply
sicians were black negroes, that lac had
danced With negroes at parties and official
receptions, and that many Of them. edu.
Gated Ia Europe aud favored with wealth,
were much moro elegant anl cultured than
hc was himself II there Is any
truth In experience, then experience
teaches that tie ncgro-dcgralcl rs We
think him, and degraded Us hc really is
can be elevated When exposed to the same
fostering influences that have surrounded
u.s. b."
Measures for the elevation Of the negro
cannot be- carried out summarily or by !
simple act Of legislation. They require
time, care, wisdom and patience, and will /
be impossible without the acquicsccncc
aud corporation Of the whites Great rs
b. the power Of the National Government,
II cannot elevate tho ncuo itself, nor can /
IL force the whites 10 do so. The question .
is absolutely within their control They /
can keep tih negro IN his present dc. /
graded condition, but not without laying |
the axe at the root Of their own welfare. |
Tho whites can't see this now, for they are /
dominated by fear that the elevation Of |
the negro means the degradation Of the |
whites, aud until this apprehension is /
allaycd u will be like appealing 10 tho |
winds 70 urge thom 20 take steps leading /
10 the complete education aud cniranchisc. |
mcnt Of iho negro.