Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-12-02
CALL I'd NORTH
STIRS NEGROES
Stories Of Money to Be Made
There is Cause Of Unrest
in Dixie.

York World, who was sent to the
South to investigate the Negro exo-
dus to the North and West, has writ
ten the following from Birmingham
Ala, under date of Nov. IL:
"The Negro migration from Ala
bama to Northern and Western states
was given momentum by the activi-
ties of the boil weevil and the sum-
mer hoods in the cotton district of the
State. The progressive little insect
that disheartens cotton growers struck
hard in lower Alabama counties this
year, and floods literally washed
away many crops. Negro tenant farm
ers were advised by their landlords
TO look out for themselves until spring,
when a new crop can be planted.
"The Birmingham mining district
was asked to take care Of many Of the
poverty-stricken Negroes from the
cotton or black belt. 1t was about
this time that the Pennsylvania and
Erie railroads were urged to stop re-
cruiting laborers in Georgia and Flor
ida. The labor agents turned to Ala
bama at the psychological moment
end did lively business for several
months, with the result that more
than 10000 Negroes migrated to the
North, East and West from the State.
County upon county has been almost
deserted by Negro men for the coal
fields of West Virginia, Ohio, Ken
lucky and Indiana and the great ir-
dustrial centers New York, New Jer-
sey, Michigan and Illinois.
1t was the middle of September
before the business men of Birming-
ham realized that the State was losing
its Negro workmen by trainloads.
Between 10000 and 1900 colored
people left Birmingham.
"The Negro movement is spread
.ng over the entire South. Labor
agents are just beginning their activi-
les in Kentucky, South Carolina
North Carolina and Virginia. Cali
iornia has advertised for 10000 Ne
yroes to work in various industries.
The demand for labor, especially I'M
skilled labor, extends from the Pacific
10 the Atlantic and from Maine to
California.
wages paid Negro men in the
South range from 35 cents a day on
arms to 81. so and SO in the mines.
On the farm the Negro is provided
With house and garden and pas
ure for his cow, rent free. He has
he privilege, as a rule, of going into
he timberlands on the farm and cut
ing dead trees for firewood. Many
If the better class of farmers pay as
much as 81 to $3.50 day for good
aborers.
:In sections Of the South where the
lotion crop is good this year Negro
enant farmers have more money than
hey ever had before. In portions of
Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas, ,
where long staple cotton is grown,
Negroes are Buying automobiles and
,ther things that come with prosperi- .
y.
1.-THE news ofIthel Negro migration
las reached almost every Negro cab
n in the South. Every colored man
# ordinary intelligence has heard of
'ffers from the North. Promised
on a special train to
work. that will pay him from twice to
i've times as much as he is making
low has excited many a Negro
Dixie. Last Thursday at
iacon, Ca, fake labor agent col
ected 50 cents apiece from a thous-
nd Negroes, promising to have a
pecial train that night to take thern
North. The thousand Negroes who
lad parted with their hard-earned
alf-dollars, assembled at the station
n Macon and waited all night for the
pecial. Friday morning they were
dispersed by a police force and
earch was Instruction the defraud-
r.
I'm some parts of the South Ne
roes loaf in the streets about leading
otels hoping to meet a labor agent
Who will furnish d Ansportation 10 the