The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-25
LITTLE AFRCAS BROKEN UP
jy;I uIEifL DRIVING NEGROES
TEOM cotton FIELDS.


,ar 80 the ssuih's Race Problem
NsH OSLgASs. Dec. ETH. new
.,u..- -n..d- additional light on tn,
~ r.. cotton boil weevil II playing In
.n.y.rc one 81 the chief issues Of tn,
reg problem. the congestion Of neeroe,
.- ..rraIn districts Of the South. From
f.. r.''r -us returns 10 il easy to see how
'.. h.,l weev,ls are driving the negroe,
..'1r" them. breaking up negro SETTLE.
....'s and scattering the race over tn.
ar.u'rv
,Olng 40 much to negro emigration
.- white immigration Louisiana has
become white State in the last twenty
valr, and has a white majority to-day
10 "NcH>s Of $50 90. In Mississippi. where
'-. negroes have always been in a ma
.rrv. tn. whites have gained on them in
me asst ten years. The change Is mos,
naked IN those sections where the
'"Ern population il relatively largest
where there are ten negroes or moro 10
.r- white.
burning slavery days this segregation of
tn, blacks was viewed with disfsyor. 4,
beng feared that left to themser IVES the
r"sroes would revert to African sava gerry
orr conspire against the whites: and most
4 tho southern States had laws like that
4 Louisiana requiring slave owners TO
nav. AT least one white employee to every
ten negroes. With the disappearance Of
slavery this restriction was removed
and the tendency toward segregation
well as the gregarious nature OF the
r"gro has tended to bring about the
Establishment OF little Africas in the
south. az in the Carolina Sea islands. in
the YaEoo delta Of the Mississippi and in
re Tensas basin Of louisiana
In these sections the negro ma joritv
ha- grown steadily larger until IL reached
II some cases 10 to I. completely shutting
out white competition. for a white man
vii not. even IL he can. compete with
r"gro field labor. This condition OF
AFFAIRS has been greatly changed in the
est two years by the boil weev,l, which
hreskinR up the nerRo communities.
Just ss the cotton crop and the invention
81 the cotton gin. which made slavery
n-of'abls. are held responsible for its
-nr"ad between 1870 and issO. so disaster
- ~" cotton crop caused by the Me xican
.rytd"r. the weevil. has cut down the
'"Grn population OF the Southwest and
Uttered a large part OF the negroes.
irving them to- other portions OF the
country
The southern negro has devoted his
me mainly to the cultivation Of cotton
for m" last century. II is asserted that
~" negro hand il 40 formed that il IL the
h"-' cotton picking machine in the world.
But whether that il the case or not the
negro has devoted himself 20 cotton Gull
rivation ever since that crop came into
dominance. He knows how to plant. |
cultivate and pick cotton and very it'll.
else in the agricultural line.
That his system is not the best but il |
vatteful and extrAvagant in admitted. for !
80 whit. farmer with q much poorer soil
~.-a- larger amount 81 cotton to the J
ar" and TO the hand. but on this point. I
-'''nn growing. the negro il NJ his best
- = farmer. and he has devoted himself
- 40 long that he knows little else.
peraI.. Of slavery the negro has the /
....t and me ~ fertile lands in the South !
r." PLANTERS and slave owners were able
buy thes. lands and at an early day got
.. session OF the aIluvial country along !
't' Mississippi and its tributaries Her. /
. - rensas basin and the SAZoo Valley /
-" centre Of cotton production in tho |
saith and IN IN. world. The Weld il
-t".' averaging a bale an acre year
- yssr and rhe cotton is Of the best
q" Orleans. nearly as long a. Sea
f. md cotton
tr'm these river lands the white farm
a.. 49," driven by slavery competition
o., nv. poor red hill lands. where one is
.cHy enough II by using great deal OF ,
'"r'ihlar he IL able to get a third Of q
. a.
'.. "ntir. river country is black a. tn
iI2rinn and is getting blacker. and
r"-t"ntha 81 tho rich river alluviai
,ri- Il Louisiana. Arkansas and Mis-
-..-.pri are cultivated by negro labor or
."Srr farmers
l.Ir section became after freedom
-. rromSed land Of the negro The
500 which protected II from overflow
7s-a destroyed during the civil war
' took some twenty years 10 rebuild
-.~ There was already n arge negro
.'.t'rpn IN this section. hut after the
."= were completed in the late 'ss
-. 'Hd. 81 negro immi grafton increased
-a. iIv In twenty years ia. OOO negroes
= m 30 black belt OF the South in Ala
%, Georgia and the CaroliBas poured
90 'Hs. iazoo delta Of he Mississippi and
.. 7t o,ning counties Of Louisiana and
'.-er-a- i'I-, across the river.
i..-" negroes enjoyed great pros
q. 'v Hri sent home word that they |
Jud the promised land. A great
r"a and in that section. formerly
So r". lad been redeemed by the CON ,
80. ..'.un - lev.es. This land. owned
'0. ..v uv m" railroads. was cut mp into ,
''t 'nrms and sold 70 negroes. d,
r'r"- section Of the country North
IN ID for negro immigrants eS. q
".r 'r" delta The negro there was 9
80 ..a'nd there were no Iynchings or !
- .tr- and in Greenville. Misc. the
n rh.s new Africa. there were
peg .aFv"r-. doctors and negroes en- .
-r-.l % nearly every line 81 business.
rn-u- shows u marvellous change
go Two years wrought by che :
'."fs' The prosperity 81 the ne n
: o. rn'InIad until about iaOs. when q
"e"vI FIRST mas" i,s appearance y
i.rity was greatest in the last n