The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1912-10-31
HAS A POOR OPINION OF THE
LATTER-DAY CUFF.

y
the 18th of Oct, an article under
the heading, "The Whites Response
bic for the Blacks clipping from
the Literary Digest" concerning
the negro, which reads as follows;
ut is also to be charged to the fact
that he is compelled to live in the
worst sections Of our towns and
cities, often without drainage or
sewerage or garbage service, with
out water in reasonable distance,
and scarcely any Of the sanitary con-
ditions in house or yard or street,
which whites consider an absolute
necessity. We drive. the worst
forms Of immortality into the negro
quarter, and then curse the negro
because of his moral weakness. We
subject him to the severest test of
our city Hfe-physically morally,
and politically-and then cynically
declare the niger no good any
way. Let's give him square deal
a mans chance"
| wish to state through the col
umns of The Jeffersonian, with all
emphasis and truthfulness, that the
writer of this statement above, is
entirely unacquainted with the sub
ject upon which he is writing.
The negro is not compelled to live
in the worst sections of our towns
and cities. 1t is through choice, that
he goes to that place. His object in
doing so is, LIST, to get low rents;
End, to avoid surroundings, where
care will have to be exercised, as to
social connections, and decent con
10 -
Of restraint. The writer has we'll.
said, that the negro lives in those
sections, destitute of sanitary con-
dltioRs, which conditions the whites
consider an absolute necessity This
is often the fact. If the-negro cared
anything about these conditions, he
would not live without them. The
whites care for them, work for
them, and pay for them, and will
not do without them. That is why
they have them. The conditions
that whites live under are generally
not more above the conditions that
negroes live under, than the stand
ard Of the whites Gas men) is above
the standard Of the negroes Gas
men, Fifteen unwashed negroes
will occupy a dilapidated two
roomed house at three dollars
per week, draw the same
wages that the white men do for
the same work, lose two days out of
each week going on excursions, de-
mand to quit work at naf past four
in the evening regardless of the con-
dition of the job they are working
on. Quit their job when they please,
without giving notice to their en-
ployer, and they are excused for
their conduct, because they are ne
groes. When you hire one of them
to go to job, you often have to
give him supplies for his family for
the week in advance, before be can
go, and you always have to pay his
way to the job, and often he jumps
you at the other end of the journey,
and the laws of Florida give you
no chance at him as criminal. He
laughs at you for being fool.
These are facts. l was one out of
contractors on road from Tampa
to Brooksville, and by enforcing
rules of justice and decency among
my men, it became saying among
some, that had all of the good and
honest men on the works. I had
three preachers, who were supposed
to be all right. In the course Of
time however, l found that one of
my preachers had hole dug under
his bed, and was selling whiskey to
the men from that hole. l found
that another was receiving benefit