The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-08-17
One Of Our " eaknesses

which In an increasing degree we
must learn to overcome is that of
squandering that which we earn, OF !
wasteful and. unnecessary expendi- |
ture Of money and property. < One OF
the objects Of this National Negro
Business League Is to not only. teach
our race to get sid Of things but to
hold on to those which we get.
For example, / find by the off,
| cial records that about 40 per cent
OF the cotton raised in Arkansas Is
produced by the hands OF Negro
| farmers. am safe in saying that
the Negroes In Arkansas produced
last year about $4,000 bales OF
cotton valued at about $25 100000.
The question Is, how much OF this
$25,000,000 remains in the hands
Of the race today and how much. of
it has been spent for things that we
could have done without? ~'". Il
"The Negro farmers of Arkansas
produced last year about $500 bush
| els of corn valued at $5,6OO,0OO.
The Negro farmers Of Arkansas pro-
duced last year s1s9 600 bushels OF
oats valued at $4,000, They pro-
duced last year about $4,000 bush
els of wheat valued at $4,000. They
produced last year about $4,000
bushels Of Irish potatoes and sweet
potatoes valued at about $4,000.
The total farm products of the col
ored farmers ofS,Arkansas for 1910
amounted to $32,OOO,OOO. If we
add to this what the colored people
earned in other occupations such as
Il professional, domestic and personal
service. trade, manufacturing and
mechanical pursuits, the people of
our race in this State earned at least
$3S~000,0 1000 last year. --. .--'~-~-~-
The great question, then, is how
much Of this wealth remains in our
hands in Arkansas? How much Of
1t has been put into land? How
much into houses? How much into
the bank? How much into the
schools? How much into the church
es? How much has gone in direc-
tions which are calculated to make
us a stronger, la more useful, intelli-
gent, moral and religious race?
|
are tremendous opportunities for
still greater progress. l find that in
this State there are at least eight
million acres of unimproved lands
that are capable Of producing al
most every kind of farm products.
In the past-45- years in-Arkansas
there has been great increase in
land values. Land which Is years
ago could be purchased for 81 to
SIS per acre Is now selling from SIS
to $40 an acre, and in some cases
the price has gone up as high as
800 an acre. II We do not as a
race improve the opportunities to
, get hold of our share of these rich
and productive rlanas, people OF an
other race and of another color Will
come In from Europe and reap the
golden harvest which should be ours
IN part at least. &c..
= Taking the Southern States as a
. whole, I find sthat colored farmers
last year produced four and a half
million bales Of cotton valued at
{ about 100000. CoIored farm
t ers in the South produced last year
{ 10000 600 bushels Of corn valued
J at about 100000. How many
of these millions of dollars today re-
= main in our hands, and how much.
! has parted from US?
3 'The colored farmers of the South
s produced last year four and a half
million bushels Of oats valued at
3 over two millions Of dollars. They
. produced last year $4,000 bushels.
Of wheat valued at nearly four mil
lion dollars, and 98,00O,OOO pounds
Of tobacco valued at about nine mil
lion dollars.
"It is estimated that the total
value of he farm products Of colored
farmers Of the South last year
amounted to five hundred million
dollars. In addition to what was
produced by the farmers, I am safe
in saying that those engaged in
? other grainful occupations such as
professional service, domestic and
> personal service, and trade and man
/ HfaetHfiHg- and mechanical pursuits
earned las year at least two hundred
million dollars making the total
earnings Of our race in the South
alone something over seven hundred
\ million dollars.
. Il repeat again and again that it
Is the duty of the Negro minister,
the Negro teacher, the Negro bust
: ness man, Of the leaders Of our race
everywhere to see to 1t that larger
} proportion Of the tremendous
}, amount earned by our race is in
/, vested in lands, houses, banks,