Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-11-23

/ test Tor his race would be whether
I II should remain or not remain
\ the labOring element of the
/ South. I say that that test has
7 already been applied i'm the minds
or all intelligent men, that the darky
as laborer on farm and I'm factory
has been weighed in the balance and
/ found wanting. He feels il himself
/ and is seeking the cities. In the ci-
/ ties he does not reproduce his mum
4 Ders from one generation 20 another.
The net birth-rate OF the race there
is not equal TO it's death-rate. God S
law of evolution, the survival Of the
7 httesJ and the extinction Of the un-
~. is operating The birth-rate of
/ the Negro everywhere is decreasing
. very materially. as every observant
7 Southerncr viii tell YOU.
If then. the Negro is dying out 10y
/ the evolution of Gods law why
/ should Mr. Williams and his follow
/ ers worry about Transporting
/ them either TO Africa or to any
other portion of the United States? ?
F Mr. Williams says thar the action of
the darby in leaving the farm and
seeking the cities is caused by the
fact that he has been weighed i'm the
+ balance and found wanting. What
then is the cause of white men doiug
the same thing?
/ Does he not know that throuehout
the Southland for miles. one can see
/ deserted mansions and abandoned
+ plantations? Many of these are in
the hands of the Negroes who for
merly served their masters there in
the capacity of slaves.
Mr.. Williams seems worried about
the birth-rate. We are of the opin-
ion that it's decrease IS not due TO
amy lack of activity on the part of
the white men who have been stu-
diously endeayoring to "raise up mu-
latto children unto Abraham. " IN it is
caused by their abandonment Of the
old field of immortality. it VIII be a
cause for rejoicing rather than the
reason for wailinr. weeping and
the gnashing of teeth. Our Saviour
eXhorted as Go rejoice at the out
going and sorrow at the incoming
Mr. Williams should not forget too
that such high authority as Presi-
dent Roosevelt charged the people iu
this country with race suicide and
/. has taken steps TO encourage women
20 become mothers realizing that both
races were learning white folks
sense iu this particular and that dras-
tic measures must Dee taken to pre-
vent the extinction of the race SO
TO speak. The Negroes are leaving
the farms because they receive better
pay In the cities ana on the rail-
roads. Mr.. Williams pursues the
discussion further. He says:
] was told not long ago by a large
planter in Sunhower County. Missis-
sippi, that upon plantations where
from q certain number of women
there used TO be nineteen or twenty
little pickaniunios running around.
there are now only eight or nine or
ten. This has come about largely
from the fact that the Negro women
are very poor mothers careless and
uninteligent Under the regime Of
slavery they had TO be good mothers
were, I'm the interest OF their mas
tiers. forced 20 be-and those who
acquired their habits then continued
20 De reasonably good mothers after
emancipation Nearly all Of the old
slavery mothers have died however.
and the new ones have been left to
their natural Instincts. without any
control by the white race.
And yet, Mr.. Williams. what we
have lost ia ignorance we have gain
ed i'm Intelligence. We have suf-
fered I'm quantity. but we are joyous
in quality. We have accumulated
wealth which Mr.. Roosevelt estimates
to be CS35O 100000 three hundred
and fifty million dollars and which
We estimate TO be ($70O,OOO,OO0)
seven hundred million dollars. but
Mt. Roosevelt is President and his
figures viii be accepted as officially
correct We had the pickaninnIes
before the war. but they meant mon.
ey 10 the white folks and trouble to-
the Negroes. Now, we have picka-I
ninnies. but not so many of them.
and they mean trouble 10 the white
folks and happiness to the Negroes.
Do you think. Mr.. Williams that
your logic would cause us to wish
for the old times? Not much.
We are more valuable 20 the coun-I
try as a freeman than we were to-
the nation as a slave. Statistics
show that the Negroes in this coun-
try are adding six hundred million
dollars 20 the wealth of the country
by their producing power alone.
A vast proportion Of the souls born
into the world die before they are
five years of age. Among the Ne
groes the death-rate Of children un-
der five has increased fearfully IN
contrast with what IL was in slavery
times. The general death-rate a
mOng them in the cities is about
double that of the white race. This
is true not only in the cities, but in
the country as well. Whiskey. CO.
"a inc and xrararaa1 Efcaaco orc E~fn,