The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-07-05

bureau today issued the final bulletin
OF the negro population of the United
States. The number of negroes in the
United States, including the entire
area covered by the twelfth census
continental United States, Alaska and
HawaiD and Porto Rico is 9,204,531,
perhaps a larger numbe than is found
in n other country outside of Africa.
The report indicates that between
IL and 16 per cent. of the negro pop
ulation have or are believed by the
enumeratOrs to have some degree of
white blood. The center of the negro
population is in DeKalb county, Ala
bama, about four miles from the west
ern boundary of Georgia, having NOV
ed thence from Dinwiddie county,, Vir-
ginia. 476 miles northeast, since 1870.
over n per cent. of the negroes live
in the country, against over So per
cent. of the whites. Almost 80 per
cent. of the negroes in continental
United States are in the southern
states, and three1tenths of them are
in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama.
Negroes constitute about one-fifteenth
of the city population and about one-
seventh of the country population of
continental United States There was
an increase among the negroes of l.
345,31S, or is per cent, in continental
United States, but the rate of increase
declined steadily through the nine
teenth century The negroes, unlike
the Indians and the native white, have
a slight excess of females. ITiteracy
among them is about seven times
greater han the whites. There are
3,992,337 negroe in the United States
engaged in gainful occupations. Their
death rate approximates thirty per
cent, while that OF the whites under
the same calculation is seventeen
per cent.
The proportion of mulattoes to all
negroes is usually higher in cities Of
the great cotton growing states than
il is in the districts outside of the
cities. The district in which the pro-
portion of negroes is greater lies in
the ississippi alluvial region, along
both banks of the lower Mississippi,
where five-eights OF the population is
negro, the maximum being in ISSa-
Quena county, Mississippi, with more
than Is negroes to each white person.
Negroes form one-third of the popu-
lation in the south, both in cities and
in country districts, while in the north
they are about one-fortieth of city and
one-ninetieth of country districts. In
the country districts of the south, ex-
GLIDING the population of the 242
cities, which had at least $500 in
habitants both in 1890 and in 1900, the
negroes increased, 1890 to 1900, over
16 per cent; in the 242 southern cities
as a whole, they increased II per cent.
Their increase in the country districts
was about two-thirdS as rapid as that
OF the whites in the same area. Their
increase in southern cities was nearly
~f1ve-siXths as asst as that of the whites
in the same cities.
In the five southern cities, having at
least 100. 900 inhabitants in 1900, the
negro population increased 25.S per
cent. 1890 to 1900; the white popula-
ton of the same cities increased only
eos per cent This is the only group
of southern cities in which the rate of
increase of negro population exceeded
that of the whites. In the 3S cities
of this class in continental United
States, the per cent. of increase was
IS for negroes and S2.7 for whites.
The largest numbers of negroes liv-
ing in compact masses are found in
certain urban counties, several Of
which lie outside the great cotton
growing states. The four each hav-
@TS WI "N- 0AS
of Columbia, c~oextensive with Wash
ington; Shelby county. Tennessee, con-
tanning Memphis; Baltimore city,
Maryland, n Orleans parish, Louisi-
ana, coeXtensive with New Orleans.
The general conclusion seems war
ranted that h proportion of mulat-
toes to total negroes was found by the
enumerators to be high or low, accord
ing as the proportion of whites or ne
groes Is high or low.
The total number of negroes report
ed by the twelfth census was S,S40, 7S9.
To this number may be added the
363.742 persons of pure or mixed ne
gro blood in Porto Rico, making a to-
tai OF 9,204,531 negroes under Amer
lean jurisdiction. This includes s.
$685. negroes of continental United
States, which excludes those OF Porto
Rico, and a few in Alaska, Hawaii and
the military and naval service.
Ta-n- f. Inril