The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1909-08-28
THE NEGRO AND HIS
FUTURE IN AMERICA
CONTINUED From Second Page

white race. And even where such
separate communities have not dew
eloped, there are certain fairly de
finite areas which are more favor
able to the negro than certain others,
and he IS gradually shifting from the
hostile to the hospitable areas
There are some communities, even
some counties. in which the pre-
sence OF the negro is not tolerated.
There are others in which he lives
on sufferance only. From the latter
he is occasionally driven, as a result
OF such clashes as were above alluded
to. thus increasing the negro popula-
ton OF the more inviting areas. As
Complementary to this segregating
process, it should also be noted that
the white population is also leaving
certain areas in which the negroes
are building up agricultural COM
munities-disposing Of their land
holdings to the incoming negroes.
1t IS only a question of time when
the south will be the objective point
of a steady movement OF white i'm
migration, which will add another
| factor to this segregating process.
1t is almost invariably true that as I
southern rural community increases
its white population, whether from
! foreign OF northern immigration. its
negro population grows smaller. 1t
( is probable that when an influx of
white population occurs, the segre
eating movement of southern ne
groes will be tolerated.
Another movement of the negro
population to be considered is that
away from the southern states.
/ Nearly nine hundred thousand ne
groes. about ten per cent OF the total,
were found to be living outside the
/ south by the census of 1900 There
! is reason TO believe that this percent
! age will show an increase in 1910.
/ Southern social regulations, such as
/ separate schools and cars. and the
reduction of the negro to the pOliti
cal cipher combine to make many
/ of the more aspiring members of the
race dissatisfied with the southern
states. These so north, and while
/ some find economic discrimination
too severe, and return to the south,
most of them remain and find place
| for themselves There is also 4
gradual movement of negro labor
ers. the lower classes through the
southern border states into Indiana.
/ Ohio. Illinois. Pennsylvania and New
York. These make their way TO the
cities. and create new problems for
themselves and those about thenI.
The number thus removing to the
north will have more far reaching
effect than merely TO increase the
negro population of that section by
few thousand. They have. indeed,
| begun to influence public sentiment
! in those communities to which they
| have gone, in the direction of
/ greater tolerance of the general
southern racial attitude. | may re
/ peat that wherever the white Anglo
| Saxon and the negro come i'll con
tact in sufficient numbers the atti
tude OF the white man is practically
! the same. the world over. 1t is with
! in the field OF legitimate speculation
that through the movement of a large
number of white people from the
north to the south. and the reverse
movement Of a number of whites
and negroes, while public opinion
may become sufficiently uniform
throughout the country to make pos,
| sible the modification OF certain OF
| the amendments o the federal cOnsti-
tuition, so as to give the individual
states greater power over their re-
| spective populations. If this should
eventuate it would simplify the ra
/ cial problems of some of the states.
along lines the details OF which we
/ have not space to discuss.
! There is one other possibility
! that through the influence of stead
lily increasing preponderance OF
white population, the latter may
gradually grant to the negro in prac-
tice the general rights and privileges
which are his at present only IN
theory. This may or may not. fol-
low the relatively decreasing nu
! merical strength of the negro. The
white man deals with other races as
conditions demand or Justify. whe