The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27
G LABoR'S OUTLOOK.
FIELDS THAT BAYE BEEN CLOSED TO
1T IN THE SOUTH.

Some Changes Already Erected by the lndus-
trial and Social Revolution Going On-Con-
dition or tho skilled Labor s1nrkrt-Hara
Lot or the small Farmer and Laborer.
TusKEoEE, Ala, Feb. 22.-There is a very gen.
oral desire on the part OF tho people of the North
to know the facts concerning tho condition of
the people Of the South, especially tho Afro
American people. In spite OF all that has been
said and written upon the subject from both
sympathetic and hostile points Of view. 1t is re-
markable how little 10 known. The subject is
30 broad and many-sided. comprehending so
many race OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. African. In.
dian, Gallo. and Castilian-and the racial. so
cial, Industrial, and civil phases of Southern life
were so demoralized by the war and tho results
Of It. and are 30 necessarily in process Of reinte.
grafton. 30 to speak, that 1t Is difficult to picture
the condition SO that 1t may be readily under
stood. The whole system OF society in the South
ern States is undergoing q steady but remorse-
less metamorphosis, a revolution in which tho
old conditions of whatever sort are being wiped
out. The princoly estates and the lavish hospi.
tally of other days are fast disappearing from
the scene. The young white man no longer
sticks to the farm as a religious duty, but goes
to the cities, and often. very often, out Of the
Southern States to seek his fortune. This has
been going on for two decades past. and is going
on now to q greater extent than ever. 1t has
had and is having a remarkable influence upon
tho character Of the rural population and upon
agricultural industry.
takon no n ronro.ontot,ro ~ tho Northern nonu.
,ation who h,vo N .vrn,,botic md stndent
interest In tho neon,o md THAR condition IN tho
south. In n Ie,ter IN no Dr FarIev savs.
at have Rad with much interest mn article
over your signature in THE Sun Of Feb. Is on
White Labor and Black Near the bottom of
tho Ara, column occ,r the vords .Tbe mammal
labor occunat,ons NJ tho soutbern states are 40
overerowdod that wages have reached n point
At which tho lahoror cannot supnort bim,elf de
Gently, Am I riebt In understanding that Inv
Tho yyord. .monroi Iohor oocnn,tions, von
mean such unstiIIed labor ma ia ncrformed IN
the ~cities, Won cannot moan manual labor in
cd now what will it profit the blacks to
overcrovd than atil further, On the other
hand, / can hardly think you mean the unskilled
manual labor required in agriculture. The ten.
dency has been for the blacks tn forsake the
uene. a oeen y II oia,. " no,' ,u. Nv II
towns. Is it true that in spite of this tendency
tne . III Il oi"IA population q 70
such that the manual labor OF agriculture Is
mattor = Iitt,o n,oro a,ahor,tad IN son,o f,tnro
nmh,,s,o, an.t,ia 49,, w. 49," ~
pI Rn .ma ur.,I'I ,a ,fo~ oOur pth, - WA, IN.
.onJ,d 70 snac,fv nn.r;,Iad acnnna,iors anI tho
epo.ns unsAii'eu ocoupa'.onS II Il
would have been obviated by using
the term "menial" instead of manual" as
intended 70 do put Tho confns,on in tho ,erro,.
nology employed affords an opportunity to cor
rect an error which has very general acceptance
In The Northern States. There is no scarcity in
the skilled labor supply of the South, for the
very simple reason that most of the skilled labor
IN Inc south Is imported oy contractors ana
others as 1t is needed. or is obtained on the spot
go -" ~ "n ,. 80 - .n'
oouth uurihg the past TWO decades, COM
ing from The Northern and Western States.
Contractors are responsible for most of
tbis Unmarried labor For instonce whom T,1r
Sun reporter was at Jacksonville last winter
there were many large works under construc.
tion. among them an armorv for the white mil.
tary company1 n large store and ofticc huiIdinu
on BAY street. and some sewer work under the
city Government. Ali these and other large
resi- ents of Florida. They brought their white
labor with them, and when the Works on which
ever w remained. eIdi mar do Hois so nerm M, nnentIT.
despite the fact that there e a I1eS more skjiird
black iaborers at Jacksonville than at any other
point in tho South of equal population that 1
know of. know nj least n dozen men thor.
ouGhly skilled i'm masonry and carpentrv work.
who used always 10 have, under Southern con.
plenty Of work Int who ali not have n dav's
work nj their trades nil ias, yinrer
It is a regretta6le fact that Northern con.
North and the south mr.. mnfamiIiar With blanS
labor and do NOT einniov If when they can avoid
it. AS by far the largest part Of The railroad
extension, hotel. once and manmfacturine
bniIdin1 in the South since ig76 mas heen done
nv Nnrfhern capitaiists ,rho have ;ntrusfnS
their OPERATIONS To- Northern contr,ctors' The
skilled Labor needed has been imnnrteG ,yt,en
there WAS not n sufHcient sunnIy Of While
labor at hand This prediiection 81 omnlovers
has not only done much nv Tho inn nnr,aiinn
of skilled white workmen 70 drive sEi}Icd biack
labor into the overrrovSded ranks of unskijieS
labor occupations. hui IT has also for the most
part driven Southern contractors IA such fo
Tho wall in most ~ tho lilies ~ tba Somth ="
don't think this s. stateme at Of the case can be
tractor has suffered quite as much y from the in.
vasion and discriminetion of Nortbern oa nit
ists as the hInck stiIIed iahorers oopi'"f'
u It a Would Il beam be- en s error 70 , snoposc that the skilled
white labor force ~ Tho Soptb 10 a native Snrce
Far from nv II Most ~ u IL a 4ou nrnr Is d nn nnti M = I . im
portation pure and simple. Much Of it h" has set.
lied pernnnentiv in thp Sonih since th meS var u
much OF it il sim migratory, WORKING = in thc,
South In Tho ,yinter ,nn5ths ~ ~ IN 10 W, IL
~ r"N W"