Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-10-05
The Neqro in the North.

/ egro and his observations and con
illusions are embodied in magazine
article. In closing he says: Il do not
believe the masses Of color"d people
are Yet fitted TO survive and prosper III
the great northern cities to which so
many of them are crowding." In this
same magazine. Charities, numerous
ether writer's discuss the same topic.
end it is OF much interest to note that
most of them take q much more cheer
full view of what the northern negro is
doing.
This negro element is larger in our
northern cities than most of us realize.
In Chicago the negro population IS e
timated at $4,000; i'll Boston ana us
suburbs. $4,000: in Philadelphia, over
so 900: and in New York the total IS
now nearer 10000 than the oo'ooo
shown nv the census of 1900. Border
cities like St. Louis, Baltimore. ana
Washington Cwhere in 1900 the largest
single group SG.702, was found are
o,so vit3lv interested in the social and
;ndustri,l status of their negro citizens.
While The studies published by Chari-
,ies 10 not pretend TO be exhaustive,
,bov nevertheless indicate that th,.
citv negro is not the incubus that ia
ratics like the Rev. Thomas Dixon, il.
would have us believe he is. The sue
cess Of the race in making 4 place for
itself in the industrial life of Boston
and Chicago is beyond dispute.
Ii ,lo.s not. perhaps. necessarily sig
nifv 4 satisfactory economic state 70
show that IS pr cent. Of the negro
males over ton years Of age in the rlcF-
en- large 81 cities Of the North are on
gagged in :sainful occupations, in COM
parison with the SO per cent. of All
males of the same age. but it sullices
to dispose Of the charge that as a race
they are oilers. More hopeful is the
knowledge that they are entering lines
OF Wo-k from: which they nav" hcfcto-
fore been barred Thus III" fuil ing
trades strik, in Chicago IN 1900 opened
N to negroes Il grade OF employment
that had been regarded by the Labor
.,ninn in control as white mans work
exclusively. The stockyards strike in
1904 resulted in the permanent employ
ment of = conSide rable number of col
orcd workers whose efficiency has been
amply proved.
Mr.. r. L. Wright, Jr., Of the Univer-
sity OF Chicago, tells of typical case:
Several gears ago a negro 'boner
came from Kansas City, where he had
followed his trade as a union man. He
was not admitted to the union in Chi
Cago. where 'honing' was considered q
white mans Job and members of the
union, though outwarlly friendly to
the negro. privately advised one anoth-
ar to knock him If he aSpircd to any
thing except a 'reg1o's job But dur
ing tho strike negroes got the oppor-
tunit.- To develop proficiency as bon
ers. Now it is no longer considered q
white mans job and the negroes who
work at il are being urged 10 join the
union" In the teamsters' strike this
spring the negro breakers were
CONSPICUOUS for their courage, though
they were net 50 numerous as the
unions would have us believe. Ap-
proximately 500 of them were used,
while some 5.o0o whites We're engaged
for the same purpose by the Employers
Association. MIR Wright reports that
about eighty negroes now hold places
as drivers obtained during the strike
ana shat they are doing satisfa Glory
work.
John Daniels of Tho South End
House. Boston, says Of the industrial
condition Of negro men i'll that city:
There IS not m abnormal amount o:
prcm-ditated ana long-continued idle
ness among the Boston negroes. but
there is :: good deal of temporary lack
Of emnloyTcnt." This is explained ~
he fact that as yet many of the rae
must depend upon odd jobs" or work
| Of inferior grades. Nj. Daniels esti
mates that there are nearly 10000 col
nred wage-earncrs in Boston. OF
these, something like 5000 are ser
wants. walters. ianitors. labcrcrs, store
rortcrS. hoStlerS. messengers and stew
ards. In the next higher rank Of en-
ployment. which inclues BARRIERS. clerks
stcnOgraphcrs. tcamstcrs. and skilled
W orkmen, Mr. Daniels found S75 ne
groeS. or &c per cent, Of their working
men. In the group described as COM
EIerci@l and industrial prOprietCrs-
merchants. retail and wholesale
boarding and clearinghouse proprie-
tors, boot and shoe makers. undertake
ers. livery stable keepers and hucksters
there are listed 1874 negroes: and Isl
negroes in the professions, help to show