The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-07-07
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HE CAUSE AND REMEDY.

THE v AND M
culosis among the Negroes, as COM
pared with 224 among the whites.
Some progress had been made by the
social workers who had succeeded in
reducing the Negro. death rate, but
they are in despair in face of the pres
ent immigration.
Is it not a little strange that such
a problem should have risen at all?
How is it possible that in the richest
nation in the world there should be
enough native-born citizens lacking
an understanding and appreciation of
our institutions tothreaten their sta
bility? These men are not the neg
lected of other nations thrust upon
us full grown, but are men born and
nurtured Upon America nsoil, and sub
ject throughout their lives to the in
fluence of American institutions.
There is not the excuse even that
they were formerly slaves, for not one
of these immigrants was born a slave.
Is it not another instance of Car
lyle's beggar? Organized labor mobs
the Negroes brought into strike re-
gion because they are unorganized
and lack the spirit of solidarity. Yet
organized labor has been rather tardy
in taking in the black brother. So
cial workers despair at the Negroes
indifference to hygienic laws, and the
better class lament the possibilities
for evil from having such citizens
congregate within control of unscrup-
ulous politicians. But these neglected
human beings have been all the time
within our borders, and these newt
able evils should long ago have been
foreseen by our leaders.
The ignorant. shiftless, unambitious
since a common sense of decency pre-
vents their forcible removal, there is
nothing left for the better classes to
do but to put them in the way of
catching up with their more fortunate
brethren. Organized labor must make
provision for them. The educated
classes must bee to it that their
schooling opportunities are increased.
But most of all must opportunities for
employment and self-government be
opened for the Negro.
So long as the Negro is a laborer,
union labor should see that he is or
ganized. So long as he is a citizen
and a voter, publicists and men of af-
fairs must see that he is raised to the
level of his fellows. The strength of
society is the strength of its lowest
citizens.
The Negroes condition is merely the
white mans condition emphasized,
Owing to the inequiteable distribution
of wealth caused by our false econom'
ic system. all labor suffers, the ignor
ant and the illiterate suffering the
most. There is need of all the labor
in this country. Both food and fuel
have reached almost prohibitive
prices. Yet the only thing necessary
TO till the soil and operate the mine
is labor. But labor can produce nei.
Their the food nor the fuel so long as
the owners of the land insist upon
holding it idle for speculative pur
poses. Open up the idle land in the
South and the Negro will not be sc
eager to go North. Open up the idle
lands of the North, and ii he does &c
he will not congregate in dangerous
numbers in the cities. BY taxing idle
land the same as used land there will
be opportunities for Negro labor, ant
the funds so derived will be ample fol
his education and social regeneration