The San Francisco call., 1904-07-10
THE NEGROES DECREASE.

IT. HE negro problem in this country has been many
sided and each side has reflected alarm the
whites of the South. The extraordinary fecundity
OF the seemed indicate its final complete pos
session of several Southern States The prospect of the
whites being overpowered by sheer numbers was not
pleasant In Mississippi. Alabama and South Carolina
seemed that the increase of the blacks would
few decades leave the whites choice but to
and leave the land to the descendants of their slaves
careful sitting of the facts of the of 1900
materially soothes the alarm 1t proved that only
the birth rate decreasing but the death in
creases. The white population of the South shows
acy the opposite increase of birth and decrease
of death rate and the process aided by increasing
white immigration and increasing black migration The
negroes show increasing tendency to move into the
Northern States, where they distributed in smaller
numbers, not crowded and thrown back on them
selves much, and result improved in every
way except the birth rate which far lower among the
Northern than the Southern blacks 1t would appear
that nature is at work the problem by securing bal
ance and that the grim forebodings that the South will
become another Hayti San Domingo not justified
But there before the South change of feature that
promises to be of the greatest interest the whole
country. Slavery kept domestic and foreign mmgra-
ton out of the South There were only two classes
there slave labor and its white AS all countries
founded their labor system the South did rest
on free labor, and as where they their
labor freely almost South and the great tide
OF foreign immigration upon the North
This had some good effects and bad 1t brought
to virile strains of blood from Europe but
materially lowered crowded the original Ameri
type in New England and the West The Northern
States suffered much they gained by it in the
classifying of their people by nationality and occupation
and the planting here of the racial feuds and preudices
imported from Europe Saddest of was the impor-
tation of European ideas about distinct aborng class
always set apart and exclusive which threatens to do
finally much harm chatel slavery did and to
require the same surgery of eradicate it.
The South not getting foreign immigration, has until
remained the most distinctly American part of the
country 1t had less adixture and whatever the occa
sonal faults of its people they have kept closely to
American traditions Now it is probable that all this
will be changed. Unless our immigration laws are
amended and the river of foreign immigration turned
it will nundate the South and the negro retires
will take his place. and very ntermarriage will give
the South the poyglot population that many impor-
tant respects will be less desirable than the excellent
character type which it displaces.
Our foreign immigration instead of being digested
and assinilaed by IS digestng and assimilang us
and the South will from the negro question to
consider that be of far Importance to her
We have the negro with He is workman and he
is soldier He has absorbed American traits and feels
that this is his country 1t may later appear that he
preferable economic and national factor to much Of
the foreign immigration that other countries are send
ing to us for their good and injury.