The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12
THE G IN THE TEyDEKLoIv
Better or as . Farmer.

To THE EDITOR OF The UN-Sir The remedy
for tho unfavorable conditions in which tho
colored people OF the Tenderloin district live, so
graphically pictured by Paul Lawrence Dun
bar. Is. as he truly says, TO stop the fiocking Of
ignorant and incapable negroes to tho city. But
how this can be done he does not know. Permit
me to suggest one way In which this desertion Of
the country for the city can be lcsscned II not
altogether prevented.
Three years ago / spent four months travel
ling through the South. visiting. among other
places. 4 number Of small towns In the country
districts where there Is q large negro popula-
ton. Last year I spent a month in Kentucky,
stopping for u day OF so In about twenty coun-
try towns. I have also recently visited some Of
the smaller towns In Delaware. where there nro
many negroes. In the course OF my travels /
made inq uiries as to the condition Of the negroes.
interviewing for that purpose clergymen. store
keepers. country editors, and others. The replies
to my questions showed conclusiyely one thing:
that where 1t was possible for the negro to
get possession OF II piece Of land to cultivate he
was as u rulc Industrious. self-respccting. honest,
and DESTROYS OF advancing beyond the status OF
q nero drudge. As a colorcd clergyman In .
Kentucky town put it: :" As long rs my people
little farm they do well. But when they 20 OF
to work In the towns and cities they gel bad
habits. take TO drinking, fighting; and Nil sorts
" WIZ eHa hAN NsA' hASJ . - - bitNAJ
bad lot"
The advantages to the negro OF life as a Guilt
yator OF tho soil NJ compared with that OF a city
lahorer or servant are 50 maI,ifest that there AT
once arises the question: Why do not more Of
these men stay on farms instead OF crowdins
To answer this question fully would involve
ship which are not likely to he solved for years
to come. But IL Ii evident to any one who has
travelled In the farming districts OF the South
that there are serious obstacles IN the way OF
the negro who wants to work on the land. In
many sections. such. RS In the best farming
region Of Kentucky. landowners positively no.
fuse TO sell land 10 n negro at any price. In
Florida ! was told by II leading Populist that
W don want too many niRgors farinin', for
II them fellows got land OF their own We would
have 20 pas. mare for labor" In the South,
where there is btill All immense arca. OF unused
walton, Mt least by negroes with little or no
g pital for tools. machinery. fertilizers, &c, Is
held out of use at prices that are practically
prOhibitlyr.
Nobody but a fool. and a very stupid fool at
that, win pretend that we have reached a tnality
In our present. system Of land ownership
and taxation. Human institutions must change
with tho progress Of idcHs. or in olo Hence to tho
pressure of new forces evolved out Of The old
conditions. And before tn" problem OF tho
miserics and vices OF The TcnderlOin negroes
can he satisfactorily solved IL will he necessary
that some mc,hOl shall hc devised by which tho
willing hands Of tho idle negroes OF the south
can get an opportunity TO cultivate The millions
of acres OF Idle fertile land. The negro who
helps bring abont such nm opening Of onportuni.
ties will do farInore for his race than all the poets,
preachers. teachers. and politicians who talk OF
eievating the negroes while doing nothing to
make II possible for them TO elevate themselves.
thoroughly. l am sure that he will DO convinced
that the ono thing needful for his people Is free
aCcess 70 the soil. w. G.
] Z Yoltk. Sept