The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13
Migration of Nesro Race
Study of Proben - onizaonsory Told by the Tt
 est Census Figures

the Northern border received from the upper Southern 273.050 and gave to the latter but 16.995 negroes; from the far South 44,S70, and returned to that section 5.SS5.
 The cities of the border group are mag nets for the negro. On the farms he finds plenty to eat, but scarcely any ready money, while the hope of easy jobs with well defined duties and regular pay lure him cityward. The farther to the North the greater the concentration of negroes in cities. Tn the far North they are seldom seen anywhere else. New York has a population of 92,232 and 60G5G of these dwell in the city of the same name. Illinois has S5,o7s and Chicago SO.15e. Indiana 57.5o5 and Indianapolis 15,931. The negro population of the Dis trict of Columbia-s6, ,7O2-is 13 per cent of that of the whole State of Virginia, and Is larger than that of the State of Illi- nois.
 The statistics of these cities and States relate to all persons of negro descent.
 When Governor Shepherd began exe- cutting plans for the improvement of Washingtons streets, he drew largely from Virginia's and Maryland's quota of negroes. Few of them returned home af- ter the completion of the work, and their increase has been rapid, both by birth
  ed 14.7 per cent.
 Their educational advantages may be great and the opportunity for some to obtain lucrative employment compara- lively good. yet their concentration in cities cannot be regarded as a hopeful sign. The farms are crying out for la- bor, while the cities have a surplus.
 The Southern Groups.
 ,f1 Ina ward may eventually transform the face of things, the South must wrestle alone with the practical features of the prob lem for many a census to come. Here were born 93 per cent of the negroes in the country, and here remain over 7.500.- 900 of them. They are getting away from old haunts entirely, but the migratory movement, both internal (among States of the same group and external (from States of one group to States of anoth- er) Is decidedly more active than in former years The upper Southern group comprising Maryland, Virginia, Ken lucky. etc, show the greatest loss, 624. 215. against a gain of 90044. All of these States. West Virginia and Missouri (and the latter is in the line of Southwestern migration) were the only ones whose gain exceeded loss. Upper Southern ne- groes go chiefly to the border States and to the Southwest
 The greatest excess of loss over gain for a single State during the last decade was recorded for Virginia. She lost 252,- 560 and received only S4.1SO. Virginia and Kentucky send more negroes North than South. Between 1890 and 1900 Virginia contributed about three-fifths of the na- tive negroes who went to the northeast ern group of States.
 Conditions in the South and Eouth-
 west.
 The upper Southern loss is largely the lower Southern gain. This group sent away 12S0O7 negroes, according to the re- turns of 1900, and received 276. SIP. Of these, 26S. 162 came from upper Southern States.
 Texas and Arkansas furnish striking examples of the fact that the migratory tendency is toward the Southwest. Here are to be found areas of uncuItlvated land, and the white migration of the past twenty years has created a great demand for negro labor. Some years past man called Peg Leg Williams oi Memphis evolved scheme for the devel- opment of these States. In fervid ora tory he presented their advantages. Po- tatoes were to grow on top of the ground and cotton could be depended on to pick itself. To complete the list of attrac-