The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1904-02-06
W WASHINGTON
THE CITY OF MAGNIFICENT DIS
t+5 s !, BIZ u TANcES. d.
a Collection ola Few Of the Events
Occurring Among the Afro-Ameri.
cans of the Capital Of This Great
and Glorious Nation for Our Many
Readers. 9s IL III Il *. Z { Vi
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1904.

nOdOCTos, ia.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1904. r
With the old and familiar cry of
Wolf! Wolf! or Negro domination y
the enemies of Senator Quay's state
hood bill, which provides for the adj
mission of Oklahoma and Indian ter
ritories as one state, hope to defeat
! it. With only $500 Afro-Americans
to every 100000 whites it is difficult
to see how there could be such thing
| as rs'Negro domination" in the new
state unless the white men of that
particular section of the country are
all dummies. But this cannot be true
| as the majority of white settlers are
Southern gentlemen" and who ever
saw or heard tell of an ignorant one
/ The last report of the Census Blu
farmers in the United States, who op-
crate 38,233,933 acres, valued at $780,
942,734, and the value of the products
raised for the year 1899 was nearly
three hundred million. dollars. Missis-
sippi leads in the total number of
farms, with Alabama, South Carolina
and Georgia following in the order
named. For value of farm property
Mississippi FORCES to the front, with
Texas second, Georgia third and Ala
.bana fourth. For value of products
raised Mississippi again occupies first
place, with more than twenty million
dollars. in excess of Georgia, which
comes second, while Alabama, South
Carolina and Texas follow as named.
In speaking of our farmers the cen
sus report says: "Of all farms op-
Grated by Afro-Americans, cotton, to-
bacco and rice farms constituted 7O.5;
2.6 and 0.3 per cent. respectively,
while the per cent. of such farms was
only 1877; 1.9, and Oh, respectively of
large portion of it's farmers devot-
ing their energies to the production
Of single staple as in the case of
the Afro-American with reference to
the cotton crop" Regarding the in
f1uence of environment on Afro-Amer
lean farmers the report says: "The
Afro-American farmer has a greater
incentive to become an owner in the
North, where he comes more in con-
tact with farmers by whose example
and experience he can profit in his
struggle for higher industrial posi-
tion."
The Afro-American population in
Illinois in 1900 was 85,078, which rep
resents an increase of 40 per cent in
ten years.
Of the 1,486 farms operated by our
people throughout the state, >543 or
36.5 per cent. are owned; 1873 are
partly owned; $50 are rented on
shares; 215 are rented for cash; IL
are owners and tenants and are
managed. These farms represent
S3,107 acres, valued at $3,326,319.
If the farms owned and partly owned
were placed side by side they would
make a tract of land one mile wide
by sixty-two miles long. These farms
have an average value of $2,238, and
the total value of. products raised for
the year 1899 was $315,590, or about
one-haf the value of products raised
by all the -Afro-American farmers of
the state combined.
While these figures appear insig-
nificant when compared with the num-
Der of farms owned and operated by
the white farmers of the state, yet
it is a fair showing for people who
less than half century ago were not
supposed, according to the "Black
Laws" to enter the state unless they
could furnish a bond of $4,000 to keep
the peace.
Taking up the question of the intlu-
ence of environment on Afro-Ameri-
can farmers we find some very inter-
esting statistics: In the old. states,
having one thousand or more Afro
American farmers, it appears that the
lowest percentage of owners are found
as follows: Georgia, with lis per
cent; Alabama, 11.8; Mississippi, 14.3;
Louisiana, 14.5; South Carolina, 1872;
Arkansas, PIP, and North Carolina,
24.1; while the states showing the
largest percentage of ownership are
Virginia, with 500 per cent; Ohio,
sos; Maryland, 1873; Florida, Alb;
Kansas. 1914; Missouri, 1874; Ken
lucky, 37.7; Indiana, 1856, and Illinois,
365 per cent.
If the Democratic legislature of Ma
ryland passes the "Jim Crow car bill
recently introduced, there will only be
three ways for the patriotic Afro
American citizens of this great and
glorious country to reach the nations
capital without being subjected to the
humiliation of being "Jim Crowed.'
Come in a Pullman sleeper or in
freight train or else when you reach
the Maryland or Virginia state line get
off the train and walk distance of
several hundred miles. AS matters
now stand you cannot even visit the
tomb of the immortal George Wash
ington, "The Father of our country"
unless you ride in a "Jim Crow car.
Verify this is great country-for the
white man. .'. e.
OF the 1920 homes: occupied by
Afro-Americans of Illinois, 4,479 or
% per cent. are owned. &c.,. =.
The Inaugural address of the new
President of Liberia, Africa, Mr. Ar
thur Barclay, who was inaugurated
January 18th, has brought forth consid-
cradle comment from those members
of our race who insist that Africa is
our home; and who dream by day and
by night of an African Empire to be
esta blished by American Negroes. .Ac-
cording to the press dispatches, Presi-
dent Barclay dwelt on the advantages
the: Liberians derived from Europeans
and WHITE Americans. bit no men