The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-25


norted after January /. 1907. o assuage
the grief of the sugar planters, and real
" to protect them from ruin, tarlll OF
&c a ton is put on foreign grown susaf.
Furthermore the excise duty on sugar
grown in Australia is only e3 ana, OF TINS
e. is handed back to planters VINO shaii
use only white labor. Commenting upon
this policv a recent contributor to the an
nails of the American Academy OF Folltl-
cal and Social Science, says;
This vigorous legislation for the pre-
servation of civilization was not secured
without opposition. Some capitalists ae-
sire cheap labor regardless OF social anu
political effects. Some economists also
focus their gaze in cheap production anu
a low wage rate, oblivious of the fact that
manhood in the long run is the most po-
tent factor in wealth production, as wen
as being itself the highest wealth, ale
most important product of an industrlai
system DULY 1904, number PIP. 2l'-ziS.9
Can't Be Dispanted.
.'Alas, the negro is too deeply imbed-
ded in our system to be d.spiauted by
legislation. As citizen he cannot be
deported against his will, ard there are
still white men who, for the very rea-
sons urged by the sugar planter o.
Queensland do not wish The present
status changed. But another reason CIV
en- here is that our climate and soil IN
certain sections are such as u render
LIKING theie BY white mel. imposslole. !.
for one, and l believe the majority OF
the white people of Allah t'.sa DO rCt en-
tel tau any of these reasons.
LET me quote also On this sut@ect
from a recent address of The Australian
"A emier.
A white Australia does not by any
means mean only the preservation OF the
- n
try 1t means the multiplying of their
homes, so that we may be able to oecu-
by, use and defend every part of our
continent; 1t means the maintenance OF
conditions of life fit for white men ana
white women: it means equal laws and
opportunities for all; 1t means protection
against the underpaid labor of other
lands; it means social Justice so far as
we can establish it, including Just trad
ing and the payment of fair wages. a
white Australia means a civilization
whose foundations are built upon healthy
lives lived in honest toll under circum-
stances which imply no degradation
A white Australia is not a mere senti-
ment; 1t is a reasoned policy which goes
down to the roots of national life, and
by which the whole of our social, in
dustrial and political organization is gov
erned.
could the argument for homogeneity
be more strongly stated than that? The
reasoning applicable to Australia is APP
plicabe to Alabama; but the remedy must
be vastly different, Australia deports its
blacks, whereas we must perforce,
draw the color line socially and ex-
clude the majority of the blacks
from political life. Now let us see
how we here have demonstrated by ex-
perience the truth and force of these OBJ
servations of the Australian premier.
Passing by as exceptional that distress
full period of our history between 1868
and 1874 when the negroes and their
white allies were in charge of our state
government. we continue to have a state
of things quite anomalous and embarrass-
ing The white people have long since
resumed control of the government, and
IT must be said that IT is a control which
they propose forever to maintain, at what
ever cost.
Negroes Industrial Position.
"The Industrial position of the negro
has been adjusted to a modus vivendi
by the law of gravitation, so 70 speak,
whereby the great bulk of the race Is
devoted to mental labor, and especially
to farm labor and the once great farms
have been sub-divided Into many small
ones to suit the character and aptitude
of the negro. The lands of the black belt
owned by whites. who do not often re-
side upon them. are thue tenanted by
negroes under the supervision and ex
ploitation of the VIII es. This is true of
other sections not properly within the
black belt as in some areas of the Ten
nessee valley. OF the 22S thousand and
fraction farms into which the lands are
divided. as reported by the twelfth census
"a. 600 and fraction are operated by negro
farmers of which number only II per
cent are operated by negro owners.
Whereas, Of the $4,000 farms operated by
white farmers, 81 Der cent are operated
by their white owners. / think it would
| be safe to say that not more than per
| cent of the total number of farms In
Alabama are owned by negroes and that
the acreage OF these T. relatively smaller
than the acreage of the farms operated
| by the whites These negro farm colonies