The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-07-11
THE NEGROS DESTINY.

Hasty congratulations concerning
the future numerical strength of the
negro in this country, based on his
proportionate high birth rate, and
the misleading reports of the census
of 1870, have done more than any
thing else to render the negro prob
lem question for political manipu-
lation. Only two years ago the pre-
siding officer OF political conven-
ton stated that at no distant future
the colored population would reach
fifty millions. Statements such as
this are regarded with different de-
grees of satisfaction, and if true the
negro would himself soon overrun
this continent.
The crudity of statements such as
this, which can be used so disas-
trously for political purposes, is
shown by General Francis A.
Walker in the July Forum, in an ar
ticle sketching the future of the ne
gro, based on the statistics of the
race back to 1903, when the slave
trade was abolished. At that time,
or from the census of 1910, the negro
numbered 100000, or 10 per cent. of
the entire population. In the recent
census he is but 1l.9 of the entire
population, or, while the white popu-
lation has increased sixteen fold, the
negro has increased but ten fold.
Taking the statistics by ten and
twenty year periods since 1910, Gen
eral Walker shows that the increase
by per cent. has declined steadily,
and asserts that in all probability
this steady reduction in the negroes
relative Importance in the population
will never be reversed.
In confirmation he examines in de-
tail the respective birth and death
rates in % southern counties of equal
population, black and white, based
on the tenth census, and finds that
per l 900 births of those born and
dying, the rate for whites was 1901
against l4O.8 blacks. The proper
ton of death rates between blacks
and whites in the large cities is
greater against the blacks. In New
Orleans the death rate for whites was
1851, blacks, SO. In St. Louis,
whites, 1919, blacks, 1915. These
results show that the negro race is
maintaining its slight rate of increase
only by means of very high birth
rate over a very high death rate.
Another fact worth noting is the
future geographical distribution of
the negro, now that he can move
freely from place to place. AS q
slave, the tropically bred negro was
forced to follow the interests of his
northern bred master, of teninto re-
gions where he lived only at sacri-
fee of vitality. Comparing between
$4,000 the rates of increase in Della
ware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky,
Missouri, Tennessee and North Caro-
lima, with the cotton growing states,
it is found to be 10 per cent. in the
latter against per cent. in the
former. The inference is that in
those parts of the country where the
negro is not an economic necessity,
the black population will become
more and more reduced by the en-
trance of vigorous white element.
Industrial considerations at the same
time will draw him to his more natu-
raj habit at the gulf states, where the
white man cannot take his place.
Whatever growth may be expected
from the colored race, will take place
there, and it is not probable that
race 80 limited in it's range will ever
reach to one. third even of fifty mil.
lions.
To recapitulate, the negro in 1900
was one-6fth the population in
1910, but one-sixth F.; in 1860, one
seventh; in 1890, less than one
eighth. Industrial reasons and natu-
raj tendencies are draining him off
toward the low lands of the Gulf of
Mexico, and there his greatest rate of