The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-11
BLACK MANS FUTURE AS
GARRETT BROWN SEES III

.4
erner. A8resdence IN Cambridge, Mass.
for fifteen years and the opportunity Of
access to the best literature and thought
that the North can offer has given Mr..
iBrown extraordinary opportunities for
Informing himself as to the problems ct
tho races in the South from tho stand.
point of one who both understands ard
loves the South and at the same time Is
thoroughiy Informed as to the attitude
and thought Of tho North. Opportunities,
however, come to many and to few only.
Is 1t given to mako the most OF them.
Among the few Is Mr.. Brown whose writ
lngs are widely and Justly influential
on questions that concern the vital rtcr-
csts Of tho<soutl last winter Mr.. Brown
made an extensive tour, through the en-
tlro South, from Virginia to Texas, for
I the specific purpose OF studying tic ef-
feet Of the race question on the existing
industrial conditions Of tho South. Dur
ing this trip lie wrote letters to q leading
Northern newspaper and since that time
lie has summed Up his conclusions which
are that "a very important and a very
deep change, IA change In the basis of
tho entire Industrial system OF the soutl,
is Quietly in progress In presenting
this View. MI. Brown, snys he bases his
conclusions rather on his own concrete
observations than on the elaborate and
pninstaklng report on negroes, which has
recently been issued by the Bureau of
the Census ut Washington. The sum and
substance OF Mr. Browns observations
is that the, negro is being slowly, but
surely and irresistibly. crowded from the
,ict,4s -,
joycd by tho growing need OF tho white
races to find work for themselves This
thesis Is elaborated with cnre and per-
cepton that add great weight to tho
writer's conclusions.
First, It Is pointed out that there arc
two strong tendencies in the negro race,
an cxodus and an Immigration In dig.
cussing Virginia, Mr.. Brown noted these
characteristics, and was right In saying
that the country negroes tended to conc
to the city. ana the city negroes tended
to go North. To I'LL the place loft IN the
country by tho exodus OF its colorcd pop
ulation, the railroads arc making efforts
to divert u part OF the lido Of European
INN grafton to Virginia and in addition
to this tho farmers OF the Northwest, at
tracted by the manners and customs OF
our people, the cquablo climate which
Virginia enjoys. and the reasonable price
coming back to Virginia In increasing
numbers. In the cities Of Virginia, we
think Nfr. Brown Is correct In his con-
clusons. that the white people are moro
and more turning TO kinds OF work which
used to be, done by negroes only. This.
Is not true In domestic service. but 1t
Is true In the shops. mills and factories
of Virginia towns that the white men
are gaining In scope Of employment faster
!, fta ctrt II ~
tho closing OF fields to colored labor Is
found in the cotton spinning industry.
which,, with one possible. exception Is
operated entirely by white labor through
out the whole South. Commenting on
this state of affairs Mr.. Brown says that.
tho negro may have lost his place be-
cause he was first used under conditions
that were unfnvorable to tho develop
ment OF any satisfactory labor. whether
white or black. But no matter what the
explanation may be. no matter whether
the, battle ought to have been won. the
struggle for labor In the cotton mill at
Least has been lost The issue Is closed !:
the fact is accomplished. Even in the
black belt Of the lower South, Mr.. Brown
finds that the white people arc changing
their attitude toward tho manual occu-
pations. White hotel servants. BARRIERS.
hair drcssers, carpenters, joners, masons.
all to be found In New Orleans and the
Same is true In q lesser degree In other
cities IN that part OF tho South, which
Originality drew exclusively on the ne
gro for this class Of work. It Is said
on competent authority that bricklaynE
is the only trade In New Orleans which
the negroes still CONTROL 1870. for ex-s
ample, the city directory Of New Or
leans showed a total of 3,46o negroes
rfer
tcrs, clerks, shocmakers. coopers. tailors,
bakers. blacksmiths, foundry hands. There
are not to-day 10 per cent. OF that num-
Der of negroes employed In the same
trades entirely and In Houston. 1t Is
pletely lost to the whites. Yet the me-
gro population OF New Orleans has in
creased more than 80 per cent, in that
time. q creator gain than the whites
The mass of the negroes are now en-
rolled in the occupations which require
tho least Intelligence and sllll. The class
called merely '.laborers"' nbsorbs thon-
sands. In Texas the coming OF white
men into manual employment Is even.
more marked than in tho older Southern
States. AS q rule, they control the city
trades entirely, and in Houstln. It Is
said that tho unions did not stop at force
and violence II the negroes offered them
amy troublesome competition. But IS
a matter Of fact, the negroes have never
offered any serious opposition to tho white
unions and the situation in tho South
west may indicate that when the whites
have sufficient numbers to monopollze
the city trades they WILL combine to
exclude the negroes altogethor. ALI
these things might be true Of the towns
and the negro might still be reaso habIy
safe" says Mir. Brown, 'lf IN the coull-s
try his place were secure. Southern
civilization is still markedly rural, The
country still greatly outweighs the town
In wealth aud popula ton" As indicn-2
tons Of the probable outcome In this
field Of labor, Mr.. Brown cites the in-
stance Of Virginia and North Carollnp,
where large planters have made rule
not to employ or rent property to no.:
groes because OF the uncertainty Of this
class OF labor It seems to Mr.. Brown;
that when once the planters get free
of their dependence on African labor,