The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-02-03
~AFRO-AMER|CAN CULL|NCS


There is a new national problem
with very direct local bearings. It
is the migration of Negro laborers
from the South to the eastern states,
to New York and Pennsylvania, to Tli-
nois and the middle West, with a
full share to Chicago.
The reason for this influx of the
tide of Negro labor is the stoppage of
immigration by the war and the exodus
Of many foreign-born residents back to
their Netherlands at the call of the
colors. Some of the Negroes are COM
Ing out of the South 3t their own
prompting to better their conditions.
Others, perhaps many more, are com
ing because employers have their
agents among the southern Negroes,
offering them work and actually en-
ploying them. So many are leaving
their southern homes and places Of
employment that in certain sections
of the South there is arising not q
little excitement and opposition. EN-
plOyment agents from other sections
are said to be warned away, or even
threatened if they do not keep hands
off the steadily-employed or surplus
labor of the South.
Hitherto it has been too generally
the fact that the labor of Negroes has
been more tolerated than welcomed.
At any rate, very many Negro have
been made to feel that this is the case
with them, even where, as in the
South, there were no other laborers to
do their work. And more and more,
rather than less and less, in the North
and at the West scant welcome has
been extended to them at best, and di-
rect antagonism has threatened them at
the worst. Increasingly this has been
the attitude of white laborers, unor-
ganiZed as, well as organized. Almost
all labor unions profess to make no
discrimination against color, but very
few of them admit Negroes as freely
as whites to their membership. This
~antagonism is aggravated by the en-
ployers whose preference for Nego la
Dor seems to be n discrimination
against white labor or its standards of
living and wages. Landlords also are
reluctant TO rent their houses and fats
to Negro families, but not more SO
than the white population surrounding
their property is opposed to having Ne
groes love into the neighborhood.
Notwithstanding these disturbing
conditions, Negro labor is being sought
and is seeking to meet the increasing
demand and opening opportunity, But
the situation thus being created in
many localities is sure to become sc
dangerous as to demand immediate at.
t%ention, investigation and provision fol
the future. Many are the dangers
which are to be feared not only, but
which already confront every commu'
nifty into which Negro laborers are
coming more rapidly than spe
cial provision for them is made
Housing conditions were among the
dangers with which the increasing Ne,
gro population of New York city con.
fronted its p~ublic-spirited citizens OF
both races Overcrowding and the
mixing of better and worse elements
in the insanitary "old law" tenements
We're found, on investigation, to be very
bad. Yet the movement of the better
class of Negro families to the better
tenement houses in the Harlem district
was found to be encouraging. Whole
sections of hat district were practical
ly given Over TO the occupancy of this
go Daily News.