Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-09-10

erroneous, that the long-eared fraterni
~ has been grossly misrepresented and
that they do not kick.
OF course the Negro mule drivers.
who have come IN contact with the
mule both before and behind were not
consulted and the mule itself no doubt
''smiled" grimly as it contemplated
the number of colored persons IL had
landed above the level Of It's back. But
the PosT gave a grunt of satisfaction rs
it argued the question aud from theo-
retlcal stand point proved its case, 20 Its
entire self satisfaction.
It's latest venture is refutation of
the working capacity of the Negro.
We showed IN a recent article that the
number of bales of cotton produced in
Al years was (23l $50, $50 two hundred
and thirty-one million, eight hundred
and eighty thousand, three hundred
and fifty. seven bales, which wou Id
make the average yearly production of
cotton valued At $1,000 per bale amount
TO one hundred million, four hundred
and forty mine thousand four hundred
dollars
The amount of cotton produced per
year has increased and the value of
the crop since 1865 on an average basis
amounts TO two hundred and twenty
six million, two hundred and twenty
four thousand, seven hundred and
twenty dollars. This was too much
for the PosT as the Negroes of the
South were known TO be the great cot
ton-producers of the Southland. Ii
then propounds the question, DO Ne
groes produce -cotton?" aud although
we, who are down here are looking at
the Negroes producing the cotton, the
gentleman in the PosT'S editorial sane
tum, with much gravity, argues that
the Negroes do not produce cotton.
1t says:
Here again is the long-ago exploded
fallacy that the cotton crop is produced
by Negro labor, and chat every reduct-
ion of the volume of that labor means a
corresponding curtallment of the crop.
Nothing could be more nonsensical. AS
far back as 1885 the Times Democrat, of
New Orleans, showed by unassailable
statistics that more than half of the cot
ton crop was produced by white labor,
and since then the proportion has stead
lily increased. To-day it may be assert
ed with entire safety that at least three
tifths of the crop is the result of the
white man s industry. The hot South
ern suns" are a mere figure of speech, a
superstition. Every intelligent person
III the cotton belt knows that this is true
And the fact is that if every Negro now
residing in the Southern States were to
move North to morrow, there would be
very little disturbance of the industry
even at first and non at all after year
or two. SoutherneTs like the Negro as
"A labc rer. They are conservative they are
used 20 him, and they have no taste for
radical experiments. But whose imag-
ines that the Souths welfare depends
upon the black man is utterly mistaken,
and ne who speCulates in cotton with
Negro labor as his basis Will 90 broke
as surely as the sun shines above this
free and happy land"
These statements are on a par with
the other questions asked. 1t shows to
I " hstt N-ANtit ANt-.lb-utAlSAS Will ~ III
order to minimize the true value of the
black man to the community and with
all OF its slate erasing, it leaves one
/ hundred million dollars worth of cotton
| to the producing power of the Negro
without counting the production of the
corn, oats, tobacco, sugar aud molasses
I If rabbit fights and mule doesn't
kick then the Neg roes of the Southland
do not produce cotton and that's al
there is about it.
Go on with your nursery hymes and
your ghost stories, Mr.. Posr, but be kind
enough 20 leave US out of the equation
there are enough Negro haters abusing
and slandering rs already, without
having you lending the influence 81
your powerful journal to those who Sc
wantonly assail US.