The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-23
THE NEGRO QUESTION.


Norman Walkers views on the ques-
ton of negro labor, published in this
paper yesterday. are entitled to careful
consideration, but we cannot accept
them as correct until they have been
passed upon by a master mind like that
Of Booker t. Washington. who clearly
understands both sides of the question.
1t is probably true that Mr. Walker.
IS correct in many of his statements,
but he has by no means covered the
ground. Re does not comment upon
an important fact. which appears in
the census of 1900, that 1853 negroes
own farms in the northern states of
the value of $50, 434 .679; that 5S7 negroes
own farms in the State of Pennsylva-
MA, the value of which is $1,000 each.
The census returns also show that Of
farms in the south deriving an income
from cotton, 40 per cent are cultivated
by blacks 81 per cent of the labor on
the rice plantations is negro, and IA
per. cent of the labor on the sugar plan
tations is also black labor; that there
are now 10000 negro owners of farms
in the south, and there are 100000 ne
gro tenants. The deduction from these
figures is that nearly one half of the
cotton crop is produced by this labor,
and if it were suddenly withdrawn, the
cotton crop would decrease by nearly
100000 of bales.
The Louisiana Planter" several
years ago, gave some account of the
blacks who were raising sugar cane in
Texas. There numbered several hun
dred, who raised their own crops, with
profit, and sold them to the cane mills.
The negro may not be a desirable la
borer in these Islands, but that he is
great and staying force in the south |
ern states cannot be denied. The sta
tistics regarding the wages of white
and black men in the south by no
means sustain Mr.. Walkers state |
ments. In many parts of the south
tAiS OlcCh ISCS1NSS WdSCo citul " tAieoC |
paid to the white men, but, on the av-
erage he does not. The earnings of
the 5000 blacks in the great shipyards |
il Newport News are fully equal to the |
wages of the southern white mechan- |
les. What has been done in Newport |
News can be done in any part of the
e ie
skilful management which prevails in
the shipyard.
The negro is in a transition period. |
The worst that is said of him by those
who believe that he has no future, .
is true, and the best that is said of
him by those who believe in his ele-
walton is also true. 1t is difficult. at
present, to strike trustworthy bal
ance.
But the negro is gradually finding his
place in the social economy. His lack
Of sand and organizing power puts
him behind the white men. but how far,
only several generations of experiments
will show.
There are thousands of able, shrewd,
money-making employers of labor in
the south who are more than content
with black labor There are thou
sands of employers of labor who
are not satisfied with it, just as in
these Islands, you will hear a planter
say, Il do not like japanese labor, 1
Prefer Chinese" and beside will stand
another planter who will say emphat-
ically, II prefer Japanese labor, and I
want no other The personal factor
governs the Judgment.
The trouble with the negro in the
south is, that the white man has not
yet learned how to do skilful work, and
until he does, the negro will founder in
the dark. Some OF the actual work
done by the manually trained blacks |
of 1uskegee would be creditable to the
best white labor *