Oakland sunshine., 1915-06-12
nxRALPH w. TYLER.

Prejudice Against the Coiored Popu-
Iation In Buckeye State.
By RALPH w. TYLER.
Columbus, O.--It Is perhaps TO the
disadvantage OF the colored man that
white friends know more about the for
eign born citizens who are in our midst
than they do about the colored race,
which, like the poor, we have with US
always, and have had with us since
1920.
It may well be that an unconscious
ness Of what the colored man has done
and Is doing rather than any innate
race prejudice Is responsible for much
of the apparent discrimination the race
suffers from In Ohio.
Any time there exists within speci-
fed domain goodly number of people
Of any race or nationality who, In all
things for mutual progress, are one as
the hand, but In all things social are
as separate as the fingers on the hand,
there develops "a problem to invite the
serious and helpful attention Of all
those who are willing to vouchsafe ex-
act justice without regard for race or
color.
There are 111,452 colored persons In
Ohio, all native born Americans. These
people are not decreasing In numbers.
but, on the contrary, are increasing.
They increased Is per cent In decade.
They are not all black-these people
whose earlier ancestors, as Cowper
said, were forced from home and all
it's pleasures; Africa's coast they left
forlorn to increase a strangers treas
ures, DER the raging billows borne"
OF the total colored population in Ohio
Of III, ASP, 80, ,249 are mulattoes, and by
a strange form Of evolution the mulat-
toes have increased since 1870, when
they formed 2S.2 per cent of the total
colored population, until now they
form 35.2 per cent of the colored popu-
lation.
In contradiction to the southern
states. the colored population in Ohio
is most largely urban, and tha urban
population lis increasing at rapid rate
each year, Cincinnati, Dayton, Colum-
bus and Cleveland showing the largest
per cent of increase Of any cities In the
state. OF the total colored population
in Ohio S2,2S2 Is urban, while only
%, 179 is rural. While the back to the
farm movement LIS not caught on to
any very appreciable extent with the
colored race, still Of the eighty eight
counties In Ohio but twelve report no
colored farmers. There are 1,948 colored
farmers In the state who own farm
property to the value of $6.901, ,721-
This is an increase In the value OF
farm property owned by colored farm
ers In Ohio of $2.603, ,799, or 6O.2 per
cent, since 1900. Even the avowed en-
eniies of the race must admit this Is q
commendable showing and one which
gives fresh concrete evidence Of prog
ress on the part of the rural colored
population. One other commendable
and noteworthy fact respecting col
ored farmers in Ohio Is that they are
most largely owners rather than mere
tenants, for Of the 1,948 In the state
1.311 are actual owners of their land.
1t Is surprising that the race In Ohio
has made such phenomenal progress
In reducing it's illiteracy when condi-
tions are such as to make such large
per cent of them hewers Of wood and
drawers of water. In spite OF the ract
that. of the 49,297 of the race who are
ten wears Of age and over, 41.243, or
83.7 per cent, are engaged In gainful
occupation, still the race In Ohio has
reduced the iiliteracy at remarkable
rate. or the TO.S36 colored urban popu-
lation in Ohio there are but 1858 who
are illiterate, and of the 23.O74 rural
population but 3,407 are illiterate. Gin
cinnati shows the largest per cent OF
colored illiteracy of any city In the
state, and Cleveland the lowest.
In Cincinnati there are 2.50S colored
people, or 14.3 per cent. above the age
Of ten years who can neither read nor
write; In Columbus there are 062, or 81
per cent, who are illiterate, and In Day
ton there are 1872, or 9.5 per cent who
are iliiterate. while Cleveland has but
oUOt VI III pcl SCh1 WAo NAC oAAbAS ~
read and write.
The fact that Al 1,243 OF the race Of
ten years of age and over are coms
PEELED to be employed In gainful oc-
cupations affects, to some extent, the
school attendance on the part Of the
race. In Cleveland 60 per cent Of the
colored children of the same age are
In school; In Cincinnati 57.2 per cent
are In school; Columbus falls behind
Cincinnati with but 55.4 per cent Of
colored children Of school age In school.
while Dayton shows just trifie better
In this matter with 56.8 per cent Of
colored children Of school age In school.
II ian appeal to Caesar" was made
on behalf of the race In. Ohio 1t would
be proper to state, and to show, that
the 111.452 colored people In Ohio
spend every working day In the year
Se0,7 ,726 with merchants-the grocers,
furniture, dry goods and shoe men. who
give the race no representation, with
but very few exceptions, above COM
mon iaborer's job; that the race In
Ohio has on deposit In the banks Of the
state S4,672. .210. but not single clerk
In any Of these repositories Of the state
to assist in handling their deposits.