The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-28
THE MISSISSIPPI NEGRO.

We know our readers are tired of
The Negro Problem at the SOUTH
SO are we; but here is an article we
wish them to read It will be news
to many of them. It shows what edu-
cational and Industrial progress the
the south in which they are generally
supposed to be most ignorant most
henighted-the black belt of the gulf
states. In passing we will state that
in 1900 Mr.. Humphreys district was
shown by the census report to have a
population of 232, 900. He was nominat-
ed by the primaries in 1902 and was
elected to congress without opposition.
From The Raleigh Post we take the
following review and summary of an
article written for The Saturday
Evening Post by Mr.. Humphreys:
In The Saturday Evening Post, Mr..
Benjamin G. Humphreys, who repre-
sents he Third Mississippi district in
congress, gives some plain facts about
the so-called negro problem in the
south. He lives in the BLACKLIST district
Of b black belt. We have been in
teresbed in a review of his article which
we find in The New York Evening Sum-.
That paper correctly states that the
first a NOrtherner will want to know
about the Delta is whether the negro
is allowed to vote at all. He is, and
he does, but he must be able to read
the constitution, or understand it when
read; he must a his taxes and he
must register four months before cleo
ton The next thing the Northerner
will to know is whether the Negro
has equal educational advantages with
the whites in the public schools. APP
parently he has. In Washington, one
Of the ,populous counties, there were
tWenty-nine white and eighty-seven
negro schools in 1903, all taught for a
term of eight months. In this county
there were 6,G93 male negroes of voting
age IN 1900 who could read and write.
but less than 1000 paid their taxes, and
only 1893 registered. At Mound Bayou,
in BOLIVAR county, last November
elghty-seven negro votes were cast for
Roosevelt and one white vote for
Parker A Mound Bayou the mayor,
marshal, aldermen, postmaster and
railroad age are negroes. The cleo
ton Jaw in Mississippi does not work
as n4uch in favor of the whites are
might be expected. It "disfranchises'
them 10y hundreds. The whites also dis
qualify themselves by failing to pay
their taxes and register, and a good
many Of them are also illiterate.
It will astonish some persons to learn
that whites and negroes in this black
district are neighborly, helpful and
peaceable, although there is no ap-
proach to social equality. LAS far as
my observation goes" say Represen-
tative Humphreys, "the negroes not
only do rot desire social equality, but
will not tolerate it. Whenever a white
man attempts to put himself on terms
Of social equality with them they i'm
mediately put themselves above him,
and thenceforth entertain for him a
most apparent and supreme contempt"
Industriously the negro fnds the door
of hope wider open on the Delta than
IN many other parts of the country.
No less than 1856 own their own farms.
In G%reenvil1e, the chief city, where
there are 5000 negroes, 100 of them own
the houses they live in. There are ne
gro bankers, lawyers, physicians. teach
ers, booksellers, brick masons, paper
hangers, cotton samplers and hacknen
in Greenville-in fact, every profession
and trade is we'll represented. In the
district there are three banks, every
dollar of whose stock is owned by ne
groes; and all the officers are negroes.
In January, 1903, says Mr.. Humph-
reys, zone Of the banks at Itabena, in
efior county, a small town Of abou
500 souls, had on deposit s125, 600 in
round numbers. OF this amount $50, 900
was deposited by negroes. and negro
farmers at that"
So General Miles is not to be locked