The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-24
SOUTH S VIEW
Of IMMIGRATION
CONTINUED from First Page.) }


.-----------.---------------
day, was delivered TO the delight of the
convention After taking good-natt-red
4 shot at Mayor Mccarthy, Mr. Watson.
Ii spoke In part as follows:
(, essential facts.
l could give you figures relating to our
one crop system of agriculture that would
Il SHOW YOU what we are throwing to the
winds. And 7 would like to point out to
while ] an. here merely to counsel
with YOU How to Locate Immigrants III
the South this very matter is SO inti-
inately related 10 our agricultural future
that | wish briefly to touch upon few
you the varied branches of the profta bic
Agricultural enaeavor we can easily de-
velop with the Industrious small farmer
!. Immigrant In my State we have begun
this work. looking to the commercial side
OF agriculture utilizing Immigration III
the conduct Of certain agricultural under
derthkngs upon which and for the de-
yelopinent of which we are building up
diversified industrial establishments. For
this class of work / would like TO plead
with YOU. I could demonstrate to YOU by
figures the enormous value of the isntni-
q grant to any section. and picture for you
\ In statistics that do not lie our millions
| OF acres of idle lands but take II that
! you are familiar with these conditions anu
| do not need any one to argyle with YOU
| the value of immigration.
We are simply face to face with con
| ditions, conditions the effect Of which
| even the smallest farmer is feeling. Not
] until he last few years have the masses
4 felt that the time was approaching rapid
! ly for a great economic change In the
I South. All know II now and that Is
/ why we are counseling together The
\ first step was when our people turned to
4 manufacturing. resulting as IN MassaChu-
/ setts In the drawing of thousands OF small
1 white farmers into the mills. AGricul-
4 Just after the Civil War. accepting the
! theory that the best way to fit the negro
1 Tor citizenship was to educate him. tho
1 work was begun. Unfortunately, we gave
j him only enough and he is willing to.
! tnke only enough, to unfit many of him
\ for farm labor. About the time the white
! small farmer went to the mills the negro
! began to crowd into the towns and cities,
going thence into railroad camps ana
! drifting gradually northward. Surely the
| influences have been at work, gradually
| shortening the labor supply of the South
yet aiding by slow process in a desirable
peaceful solution of the great negro prob
lem Immigration, the bringing in Of good
white people from elsewhere TO I'LL the
places vacated in the fields by both white
and black, but not to s,lpplant either, al
fords the only cure of a real trouble.
The bulk of the black popoulation is of
the rising generation. and, for the reasons
/ have Indicated, IS not staying on the
farms. The negroes death rate is now
double that of the whites in the South,
and the birth rate is the same, though
there is steady decrease OF the rate
for both races, each succeeding decade.
I Negroes OF Southern birth. living IN the
North have Increased twice as fast as
4the negro populsIion Of the country. In
consequence while about one-thirtieth OF
l the Southern negroes were living In the
3 North in 1880. in 1900 nearly one-twenty-
. fourth We're living in the North--an IN
II crease Of 1879 per cent. in 10 years (1S9O-
1900 against a G per cent increase OF
whites from the South residing IN the
North. One-fifth Of the natives OF the
Z South living in the North in 1890 were
negroes in 1900 they comprised more than
k-One-fourth orr &c per cent.
South's Real Condition.
Nov. for moment only, I wish to
direct your attention to the South's real
\ condition in the matter OF farm abor
In recently compiling the figures showing
the number OF negro farm laborers, both
Y that in my State we had only l16 OF a
negro to the farm And South Carolina
IS in better condition than any other
the South Atlantic States there is now
the South Central States each farm IS
Virginia you have only S7 of a negro. in
Georgia 81, in Tennessee "a, in Alabama
81. in Mississippi 30, in Louisiana LOS
in Texas .22s, in Arkansas ss and in Flori-
da 1.oa we are struggling to operate our
, farms without labor, and there Is no
wonder the demand for white labor Is
rising from every; fence corner.
m 4 4