The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-02-14

j.
like q mildewupon the whole State and
Dy little. but once In, We know from
the history OF such legislation, to wha.
extent low morale would fall like
mlluew upon the whole State and
upon our people in particular.
Ihe False Charge Against the Negro
AS q race We are charged with re-,
trogradlns In morals, being obnoxiou,
In manners and unreliable In service
which coupled with our numerical in
crease justifies segregation for the com
tort tot the dominant race. nonoret
sirs, wal you consider the followin,
statistics. taken from the Unite State
CENSUS Bulletin No. 8, giving figure
$50 recent as 1900. We shall attemp
to &sho%Sxyou that the substantial pro
q eaS or our people in Missouri Ii
general has been most remarkable ant
FSammendable Notwithstanding ther,
may be many particular case:
AMONG us OF vice and shiftless
ness. But Is this not true of al
braces? We can be no execution
We simply ask for fair play, that tn,
Whole may not be judged by the part
Can the "Jim Crow" or vicious ele
.ments of any. race be eliminated b,
fvtctimizing the whole race?
remarkable FigureS-NegrO Popula.
e.. ton.
The total population in Missouri ir
1900 was 3,106;A65. That of tn
whites was 2,944843, while that of thu
Negroes was only 161,234. To eacl
100000 whites, there are only 5000
Negroes. From 1890 to 1904 period
OF ten years there was an increase II
white population Of 416,385, their rat,
or increase for the decade being LOT
per cent. During that same decade the
Negro population increased only 81,
060, thir rate of Increase being bN.
IA per cent. The Negroes represen
Dut 6.2 per cent Of MissouTi's entire
population. The usual argument
therefore, made by those who favor
Jim Crow legislation, that of con.
gested Negro population cannot be pro
duced here in the State of Missouri
Surely the legislature of great State
would not permit hatred for any ele-
ment of the population, pure and sim
pie, to be controlling factor in it,
enaetments. - -
The Negroes--ReaI tNIissourans. .'
Further, gentlemen, the Negroe'
OF the State are Mlssourians, we live
upon the soil which has been hallowed
Ey the sweat and tears of our fathers
Shall the strangers who are but of yes.
terday, be taught to despise us in oui
own home? Whatever their autece
dents and value to the State compared
with us they are strangers. or 1872
234 Negroes In this State 161 ,081 are
native born; and the parents of 160,-
425 of these were also born in this
State. Hundreds Of thousands of
whites are in Missouri today by i'm
migration from other States; but the
Negroes were born here as were their
parents. 1t Is true we held the posi-
ton In time past Of slave to the
White man. This relationship which
Eeither race should be proud of today;
but nevertheless in the house Of bon
dage We had our joys and sorrows to-.
gether;> and together we titled the
fields and felled the forests Of this
wilderness laying the foundation Of
the great wealth which gives to Mis-
souri, an enviable place among the
States In the furnace of fires of our
freeing, We were both alike emancipa-
ted; we are kin by tie Of sentiment.
We know each other better today than
ever. Providence has Joined the races
together, let us be friendly and mu-
tual helpers. .r>--~-.>I
Missouri Negroes Second to No Other
Negroes.
The Negroes of Missouri, be it said
to the credit of che State, are among
the most substantially progressive and
intelligent in the country, and as we
will attempt to show you, sirs, among
the most progressive elements, all
things considered, of Missouri popu-
lstion today. In 1900 there were a.
100 Negro children in school in this
Slate, 1907 Of these were girls. At
that time, 1900, 281 Of the Negro
population of the State was iIliterate;
but ten years previous 1890, ALT per
cent of the Negroes Of the State was
illiterate. Thus 1t appears that our
il]iteracy was reduced In the decade
from 1890 to 1900, 1876 per cent. This
| Is a proof Of Missouri's generous and
/ impartial spirit and wise provision for
the States highest we'll being. Shall
the legislature of this State permit a
passing spaSm Of adverse sentiment
toward the Negro In the country to
throw the race and the State backward
where 1t was forty years ago?
! ~. A Gratifying Comparison.
f., Now If we compare Missouris de-
crease Of Negro illiteracy with that Of
the various States Of the South where
separate laws have obtained for some
time and where the relation Of the
races Is more tense than here, we find
that Missouri takes the lead with but
few exceptions. The progress which
the Negroes have made here has been
the result of philanthropic, educa-
tional and christian forces almost
wholly from within. Missourians,
white and black, hav e worked to-
gether serving and helping each other
in the vitalizing air of freedom. The
kIndliest fellowship has characteri-
zed the two races for the most part in
this State; the whites with chivalrous
helpful sympathy toward the blacks,
ard the blacks with eager assmulat-
ing and appleciative reciptency to-
ward the whites. The governments of
the State and municipalities have been
most generous in providing education
al opportunities and Industrial open
ings for the Negro and for all.
None of. the great denom1national