The broad ax., 1916-02-05

mas Oeeu his uoNolOpucub dIOuS OIAOA
linesi
We get some ideas of the economic
development of the Negro race since
the Civil War from the statistics of
the United States. We are sorry that
we have no data concerning the num-
Der of homes owned by the Colored
people in the northern cities, but &C
eording to the Government statistics,
the Colored people of the Southern
States in 1910, occupied 1,917, 391
homes of which they owned 430, 449.
Of the owned homes, 314, $40 were free
of incumbrance. They had s64,6SS
farm homes of which they owned
212,5O7. Their farms comprise 1924
$40 acres; the value of their farm prop
erty in 1900 was $499, ga, 234 and in
1910 it was $1,141, 792,426. The value
of their farm property during this
period, increased 1884 per cent. and
that of the Whites increased 99.6 per
cent. They have in so years, advanced
from a place represented by zero in
the economic world, to the place held
by them as shown by these figures.
In 1906, there were 36,77O Negro
Religious Bodies with 3,6s5,O97 COM
municants. (-of these the National
Baptist had 1854 bodies and 1921 ,607
members or 61.4 per cent of all.) The
value of their church property was
So, 626,159. The debt of the church
property was $5,O05,9O5. The value of
the parsonage property was 1922, 1884.
The Sunday School Scholars numbered
1,74O,O99. (-of these the National
Baptist had 924,665 or 52.1 per cent.
of ally These figures show the ethical,
mental, economic and religious devel-
opment of the Colored race and show
also that they have well merited all the
benevolent acts bestowed upon them
by the White race since the Civil War.
OCCUPATION:
To see how the Colored race have
fitted themselves for Life 3 duties since
the Civil War we have but to ex-
anime the statistics of our Government.
These statistics show that there were
in 1910 2,s93,3S Negroes occupied in
agriculture, forestry and animal hus-
bandry, 631, 425 in manufacturing and
mechanical industries; 255, 1869 in trans
portation; 1,122,1S2 in domestic and
personal service; 1886 in clerical
service and 67,245 in professional serv-
ices. Those engaged in gainful oeeu-
patton number 5,192,535; among these
are skilled laborers, mechanics, farmers,
merchants, brokers, bankers, preachers,
teachers, lawyers and doctors; in fact,
they are in every gainful occupation.
These persons have labored hard to be-
come skilled workmen and to fit them
selves as skilled and trained artists
and in every way as persons learned
and proficient in their professions.
Now they are standing and pleading
with the White people who control the
business and commerce of this country,
to give them an opportunity to earn
their living by the sweat of their brow;
they are pleading with them not to
close the door of employment against
them because of the color of their skin,
but let competency be the rule by
which they are to be judged when
seeking employment.
I repeat, that at the close of the
Civil War the Colored race was as a
child dependent upon the White race
for support-but today, it has de-
velOped as a boy, to his youth, and is
able, willing and anxious to support
itself if given a chance and all it
asks is an opportunity to labor-to
be given a chance to earn living and
develop its powers.