The Colorado statesman., 1911-09-16


ored people in Arkansas paid in local
and state taxes $4,000 toward the
support of government in Arkansas
during the past year.
'In proportion to their numbers,
question whether the colored people
of any other state in the south have
made greater progress In material d.
rections than these figures indicate.
But we should not be satisfied with
what we have accomplished In the
past. There is richer and broader
future for us II we can but be made to
appreciate what is possible for US In
state like Arkansas.
"One of our weaknesses as race
which in an increasing degree we must
learn to overcome, is that OF squan-
dering that which we earn, OF waste
full and unnecessary expenditure OF
money and property. One OF the ob-
jects of this National Negro Business
league is to not only teach our race
to get hold OF things but to hold on to
those which we get.
For example, 1 find by the official
records that about 40 per cent OF the
cotton raised in Arkansas is produced
by the hands OF negro farmers. l am
I.safe in saying that the negroes In Ar
kansas produced last year about $780,
900 bales of cotton valued at about
s24. 900, 900. The question is, how
much of this $24,000,000 remains In
the hands of the race today and how
much Of 1t has been spent for Things
we could have done without?
THE negro farmers of Arkansas pro-
duced last year about $500 bushels OF
corn valued at IS 500, 900. The negro
farmers OF Arkansas produced last
year $4,000 bushels OF oats valued at
$S7 900. They produced last year
about $4,000 bushels of wheat valued
at $4,000 They produced last year
about 432, 1000 bushels of Irish pota-
toes and sweet potatoes valued at
about 1921 900. The total farm PROD
ucts of the colored farmers of Arkan-
sas for 1910 amounted to 32,0OO,OOO.
II we add to this what the colored peo-
pie earned In other occupations such
as professional, domestic and personal
service, trade, manufacturing and me-
chanical pursuits, the people of our
race in this state earned at least $685.
900, 900 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 churches? How
much has gone In directions which are
calculated to make us stronger, more
useful, intelligent, moral and religious
| race?
"In the state of Arkansas there 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 almost every
kind of farm products. In the past
| fifteen years in Arkansas there has
been great increase in land values.
Land which fifteen years ago could be
purchased for So 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. If we do
not as a race improve the opportuni-
ties to get hold of our share of these
rich and productive lands 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.
Taking the southern states as
whole, / find that colored farmers
last year produced four and a half
million bales Of cotton valued at about
1919, 900 900. Colored farmers In the
south produced last year 15O,OOO,OOO
bushels of corn valued at about $685.
100000. How many of these millions
| of dollars today remain In our hands,
and how much has parted from us?
THE colored farmers of the south
produced last year four and halt
million bushels of oats valued at over
two million of dollars. They produced
last year $50, 900 bushels of wheat val
ued at nearly four million dollars, and
| 98, 8,O00, 900 pounds of tobacco valued
at about nine million dollars.
"It is estimated that the total value
of the form products of colored farm
ers of the south last year amounted
to five hundred million dollars. In ad-
dition to what was produced by the
farmers, / am safe in saying that
those engaged in other gafnful occu-
pations such as professional service,
domestic and personal service, and
trade and manufacturing and mechan-
ical pursuits earned last year at
least two hundred million dollars,
making the total earnings of our race
in the south alone something over
seven hundred million dollars.
81 repeat again and again that it is
the duty of the negro minister, the
negro teacher, the negro business man.
of the leaders Of our race everywhere
to see to it that larger proportion
of the tremendous amount earned by
omr raca is invested in lands. houses.