The Lexington standard. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 1892-1912, 1911-12-16
CHICAGO NEGROES
Making Better Progress than
Those Elsewhere in the
Country.

Many Writer'S nave advanced
theories and reasons for so-called
race question conditions. The sub
ject has been studied in every sec
ton of America with but little
success, for the very reason that
humanity is not subject to rules,
but responds only to the primal
laws of nature.
The Negro, being after all a
human being, has simply ascribed
such knowledge as has been offer
ed him in the different communi-
ties in which he happened to have
his being. For this reason Chi.
cago and the surrounding terrific
ry have shown more advance than
any other portion of the United
States. Chicago's great indus
trial institutions needed labor.
During the period between 1870
and 1890 immigration from the
South responded to the call. The
Negro who came worked side by
side with the foreign-born laborer
under supervision of Yankee boss
es. From the one he learned by
actual contact how to work stead
lily, how to use his wages thriftily,
the beauties of home, and def
mite system of savings. From
the latter he acquired true know
ledge of the word liberty, a prop
er dignity, and manly bearing.
The Chicago stock yards have
been responsible for more Negroes
becoming taxpayers than any 9TH
er institution in this land, except
ing possibly the Pullman com
pany.
Contrast the horizon of these
men with that of Eastern Negroes,
nearly always servants at hotels.
clubs or homes, where the nature
of their employment brought to
their view nothing but ease, SPLEEN
dor of garment, sure findings
and extravaganza. The Eastern
boy saw Mr.. George" during
his hours of recreation and i'm
itated him. He saw the top of
society's structure without know.
ing of its foundation, as did the
Chicago bov. Without that in
fluence and without the paternal-
Ism of the Southland, the Chicago
Negro developed a business abiI-
ity based upon economy and will
lingness to work.
These seemed to be the founda-
tions upon which is built Chica-
go's black citizenship.
Another primitive law prevails
there, That is Birds of feather. +"
etc. Notwithstanding any res
taurant in town will serve a Ne
gro. none need to, for in that ter
ritory, between Twelfth and Fifth
eth Streets, along Wabash, State,
Dearborn and Armour, can be du.
plicated any downtown restau
rants bill of fare. State Street
has its Pekin Theater as we'll as
several smaller ones, its bank oil
5000, 900 capitalization, real estate,
concerns, department stores, no.
tells, small shops, even its own col
ony of artists an incorporated
concern that does a mail order
business, its lodges that own their
buildings and its churches tLeiI
own edifces. A steam laundry is
owned and operated by an individ
ual AS purely industrial matter
I can mention IS saloons owned
outright by Negroes and catering
to their own trade. And the wills
key business is not out of proper.
ton to the other lines of business.
Dentists. physicians and attor-
neys are plentiful and average
we'll.
As I said before, this business
and professional structure rests
upon a solid foundation of labor.
Asphalt paving gangs and railway
construction gangs send into Chi
cago to their families twenty-five
hundred and fifty million dollars
per year. The stock yards con-
Germs get blank receipts for over
six hundred dollars annually.
Railways out of Chicago send to
the State Street merchants a half
million in hard earned wages via
Negro employees.
With such an industrial show
ing and paying taxes on two mil
lion dollars worth of property,
owning five hundred thousand
dollars worth of stock in these
corporations of their own, it is
really no surprise that the Negro
is more in evidence in public ser
vice in Chicago than anywhere
else in this country.