University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-03-29

/ [ tan. New Hampshire. NoItl I'N'''
Idaho. North Dakota or Nevada. Not
one of these states contains as much a.
one per cent "f the negro population OF
this country. This bein" the case. how
can Il matter aifcctin" in any wise the
the relations between the races i'll the
Sout hcrn states be expected to appeal
to the Senator from Wisconsin with
its 2.JI2 negroes. with the same sl"ni-
/ iirancc it appeals To Senator from
/ Mississippi with it- ?o. $3.50 negroes. Il
. number equal t" 81 per cent OF the en-
tire population "f his state. How can
the Senators from Rhode Island and
Georgia brin" Themselves in accord
upon such question. the first with
with In34SI3 in his states. Here Is
I he real foundation of their differences.
They are all white men with different
admiNturc~ "f different strains perhaps.
yet with the same traditions behind
them with the same hopes and aims
and aspiration for the future and sub
jet To the same impulses through life.
The section of the United States which
contains nearly ~ per cent of the ne
"rnc- "f this country has had no con
trcllin" Voice in any policy concerning
the future Of the negro. The race has
thus been Il haplc>- bone of contention
between the white people of the sect ion
which ha~ lc.i-latcd for him and about
him and those "f the section which
has absolutely dominated the local sit
uatinm I'll the ma>-,'- "f the races.
The second part of Mr. Stones book
deals with the economic aspect Of the
n-crc. Il subject with which he is r-pcci-
ally familiar. The lazno Mississippi
Delta. "f the state "f Mississippi. i Il
strip of land in the western part OF
the state running alnn" the river north
from \ick-hur" To Il point u>t south
", Memphis. The Delta i $50 miles
Ion" with Il varyin" width. the greatest
hcin" fifty miles. 1t i in this
section "f the United States. probably
the most fertile and surely the best
adapted f"r the rai-in" of cotton. that
I he nc"r" i G"in" he most for himself |
Nowhere else docs negro agricultural
Wa"': T"Wlrrc Il" better relations exist /
between employer and employee: no. /
W here are capital and labor on better .
terms. There mo- strikes. no lockout~. .
II" combinations. no operating" on half /
time. ne reduction ui force and the work .
never lets down.
IL j. in this section of the country.
he population of which i - per cent
nr@r",- thai the whites and blacks live
N better relation than any where else.
This j. probably due I" III" fact hat
most "f the aut utlI"riry i with the white
'r'plc and bccau~" al the fact that
here i absolutely II" equality between
h" two races.
The factor I'll white competition i the
most important question in the rnn-id-
ration al the nr"r"c~ economic cun>id-
hr greatest asset i'll p">-. ->i"n nf the
zero IN i>'iJ was III" great salient
act that in the section in which he liv-
Il. he wa- practically uithou, the com
'ctition al the white man. Today the
most p"rlrnt"u> figure that looms upon
i economic horizon i that of hi- whit,
omprtitor.
Al 4 convention of the National Negro ,
business league in New York John Wan
maker. the merchant prince rccallr, ,
h" fact tha; Philadelphia once had Il ,
Unhrr "f negro hu-iII->~ men. in whom
1t" local business world took pride. /,
'u'. he -aid. many "i them lost their :.
'-inr-~ h"f"Ir they passed away. They +,
~ their business hrclu~r the Swiss.
ne Germans. AMI others who were
mcrican white Men lid rh. same thing :,
.itrr than they 'IiL. Their color had
~ the least thn- ,n i" with it
The Italians. >i,ilian~ and Greeks for
"n t" Americans language and in-ti
'tI"n> occupy quit" every industry that :
a. c"nir>-rilv th, urcr"c> forty Wears
90. They hav.. The h,"tblack stand. n
ir r"w~ stands. barrier shops. rc>,au-
Ht>. janIt"r-hIl'-. caicrin" businesses. :,
evcdorln". Steamboat work and other :,
'uati"n> one" occupied hy neyrnr,:
'd inrth 'rn"rr tho-,' people nccrIpy the
me h"u>,.> that were nuc, tL, bou.~
negroes only he negro paid rent
llii' the Italian i now tn. owner =
~ ON" n""r" ha- lett child in an q
lar"ri business uf the. same lin, NTH u
"I ia" nc"I",.- the bu-iur-, die, with Id
e fathers II
An editorial in leading American
1T" 'W>iaprr once -aid that "A small -
allan colony IN New York under ,h,. "
'ltrr> observation had acquired more ''
Al estate and had Developed more bus.
- interests III four Wears than hay,
'im"> a- many Negroes in ,h,. sam.
AMY III the past forty Year. l.,