Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1895-03-15

Il
been devastated by the ravages of war.
They were made citizens without being
given a dollar or an acre of ground.
Here they were not put on an equality
with the white brethren, yet the writer
seems surprised that slavery did
not make of the Negroes sculptors,
painters, poets, authors and prominent
men in all walks of life to enter upon
their new duties as citizens.
According to law the common schools
of the country are open to the Negroes
of the United States, but not in fact.
| In the North the schools are good and
| the Negroes in this section refute the
charges made by Mason in the most
pronounced manner In the South
there is every obstruction placed in the
way Of Negroes gaining knowledge and
he legislatures in several southern
states are now doing what they can
to make Negro education almost inn
possible. There is not school facilities
for Negro children who want to and
are anxious to attend school. Even in
cities like Savannah and Atlanta,
Georgia, they are crying for larger
school accommodations.
AS to their industry we publish an
extract from dispatch to the Chicago
Inter-Ocean:
A ~ 4
5,5OS farms and homes owned by Ne
groes free from mortgage, and 1921
that are mortgaged; in the South At
lantic states that are 107. .0S4 homes and
farms owned by Negroes free from in
cum brance and 7,60s that are mort
gagged; in the North Central states there
are 90, ,O60 homes and farms free from
incum brance and 1851 that are mort
gagged; in the South Central states there
are 100 5s1 homes and farms owned by
Negroes free from incunbrance and T.
GOT that are mortgaged; in the West
ern states there are 1904 homes and
farms owned free by Negroes and 2s9
that are mortgaged. In the whole
country there are 234,74 homes and
farms owned by Negroes free from all in
cumbrance and 29,54l that are mort
gagged. In the South the percentage of
home owners is larger than that Of
those who have homes in cities and
villages. With the white race the con-
dition is just the opposite, the larger
percentage of owners having homes in
cities and villages rather than farms.
These figures are very encouraging to
the Negroes who are working at these
Tuskegee conferences to teach their
people how to keep out of debt and buy
farms to till for themselves. If the
same growth that has been made in
the last ten years continues foranother
decade the Negroes will be the'most in
dependent farmers N the country.
The above facts and figures represent
the work Of the Negroes of the United
States after thirtytwo years of partial
freedom. Can Mr.. Mason snow any
other race of people who have made the
same progress from the same starting
point? The white man started with at
least the first round in the latter of
p1 ogress-his freedom. The black man
started in slavery with all the degrad-
ing and damnable influences that a
Christian nation and Christian church
could surround him.
Following is dispatch and the COM
ments are from the Journal of the
Lodges, New Orleans, La.
.sLAKE PROVIDENCE. La. Feb. g.
The Farmers Association met to-day.
Col. Van Fossen in the chair. Among
resolutions offered was one to reduce
labor wages from GO to SO cents for
mer. from 40 to 80 cents for women. ;"
Think of it, Men who were formerly
paid GO cents per day and had to board
themselves and families are now to get
so cents: women who were getting only
40 cents are now to be paid 80 cents.
Let us ask in all candor, is there not
reason why the prisons are so full of
Negro criminals? Such wages are worse
than abject slavery Why during the
days of slavery the same hand received
his board, clothing, medicine, and doc
tor and had the protection of his master,
but now he don't get enough to proper
ly feed himself, and out of this he must
provide for his family and educate his
children, clothe them as well as him
self-au out of this pitiable so cents a
day. Besides he is made to pay at
least SO per cent more for provisions at
the plantation store. which practically
make the men work for 25 cents and
women for Is cents.
The above organization is greater
tyrant than any labor organization ex-
tant.
The recent occurrences in New Or
leans are fresh in the minds of every
reader These men We're earning an
honest dollar when the mob attacked
and shot many of them. 1t presents d
strange contrast to the time when the
Negro soldiers appeared in New Or
leans under Gen. jackson and fought
for the preservation of the city and the
victory of the country. Southern white
soldiers fled in dismay and left the
brave Negroes in the field of battle.
Gen. jackson paid one of the highest
compliments to the Negro soldiery that
they have received from the
revolutionary war to the late civil war.
What the Negro needs to-day is
JUSTICE. If he is guilty of crime,
after due process of law, punish him as
others are punished. If he is a good
and law abiding citizen protect him the
same as all others There is no law in
the world that will make the Negro