The Washington bee., 1910-05-21
Booker 7, Washington
SOUTH TIRED OF RACE
HATERS

Feeling Exists.
Negro Has Better Opportunities and
Better Friendship Among the
Whites in the South Than in the
North. He Says-Things You Sell
dom Heard About.
(From the n. Y. SUM
"The South is getting tired of the
political demagogue who gets office
and keeps it by stirring up racial
trouble, said DR.. Booker T. Washing
ton yesterday. This was shown By
the way in which Gov. Vardaman
was turned down in the recent con
test in Mississippi for a seat in the
United States Senate.
The people down there are
wearied over having racial strife
aroused and you do not hear SO much
of the race question in the political
campaigns as in former years. l
think there is a tendency among the
thinking white people OF the South to
come to the conclusion that the two
races have got to live there tOgeth-
er and that it is the sensible thing 20
live in peace, SO that each race can
help the other"
DR.. Washington is here for a short
visit, He says that so great is the
demand for admission to the Iuske-
gee Institute that last fall as many
applicants had to be turned away as
were admitted.
There was never a time in the
South when both the colored people
and the Southern whites were 50
much interested in industrial eduCa-
ton as now,' said DR.. Washington
'It IS a fact that our graduates are
in demand, and those who have had
the opportunity have made good
There is an increased demand for
such to take charge of cotton, stock
and dairy farms. We have a stand
ing order from one firm in Birming-
ham who will employ any man from
our foundry department that we rec
ommend.
Down South the Negro is not de-
barred from places requiring skilled
labor. He doesn't get into such Jobs
up here by hook or crook as a rule
l cannot give the reason, but it is Z
fact. In the South he gets a chance
20 work. The colored man gets 4
better chance in the South and he is
far better off there as a rule than in
the North.
Among our students there is a
growing tendency in the direction OF
agricultural pursuits, but the ma
jority are not so inclined as yet. The
Negro is like anybody else in that he
is likely to yield to that which gives
most immediate results. In trades
such as bricklaying and carpenterine
he is sure of making money right
away. so that these attract him nat.
urally. But the tendency toward the
farm is strong.
1--WE have now students from
thirty-six States and from twenty
two foreign countries. Nearly every
South American country is represent
ed and I think all the West Indiar
Islands. The Government Of Porto
Rico keeps about fifteen in the
school"
rs the Negro taking part in th'
development of the new South 2
"Well, in every crook and cornei
and crevice of it, wherever you hnc
progress, you will find the Negro i:
somewhere near. The Negro is il
business to a larger extent that ths
North understands. You will fnC
Negroes owning stores of variou;
Kinds. They own banks too. Why
there are no fewer than ffty-thres
banks owned by colored men of which
three are as far north as Richmond
Va. This has come about mostly
during the last fifteen years.
AT Tuskegee we are growing il
the matter of buildings and equip,
ment. We have put up a new dining
hall, an agricultural hall and dor
1aitory for girls within the last twt
years; two of the buildings having
been given by New York people. We
have between 1900 and 1000 stu
dents and this year we shall hav,
about $50 graduates, of whom one
third are women. A majority of tht
women who graduate from Tuskeget
go into teaching, while some take III