The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-08-27
Committee Composed of
Whites And Blacks
Visits Greenwood
FIRST
HAND INFORMATION
Find The Negro Is Pros
porous And Is Content
ed In This Section

Readers have noted the past few
days the movements of a Committee
Of Chicago citizens, composed of both
whites and blacks, who, accompanied
by Mr.. J. C. Wilson, of the Missis-
sippi Welfare Association, r touring
the Delta with aaview of getting the
actual facts as regards the living and
working conditions of the negroes in
this state, and of determining to what
extent the charges of barbarous and
inhuman treatment of the negro here
are true.
This committee reached Greenwood
Saturday, and put in the entire time
visiting the various places in which
the negroes are employed, interview
ing the employers and the employed,
inspecting the school houses, church.
es, depots, etc.
Meeting Chamber Commerce
On Sunday at 10 a. m. they held a
largely attended meeting at the
Chamber of Commerce, for a general
discussion of the subject, and each
member of the Committee made a
talk. This Committee came south
for the purpose of getting its infor-
nation at first hand. The say-so of
no one, black or white, is accepted as
a finality. They visit the plantations,
and the homes of the negroes. They
ascertain how they are living, how
much they are making, whether they
are happy and satisfied or not, how
many schools and churches they have,
whether they are patronizing these
schools to the extent of their capa-
city, etc. Whether they r being
abused and mistreated or not. How
often mobs and riots disturb their
tranquility. Whether or not it IS
true they are not allowed to walk on
the sidewalks or stick their heads
out of the windows on the trains for
fear of having them shot off.
Surprised At Conditions.
One of the most interesting talks
was by a prominent professional man,
colored. who was aroused by the Chi
cago riots, and desired for himself
to come south and see if the treat
ment or living conditions of the negro
in the south be any worse than they
were in Chicago. He was born and
raised in Illinois and had never been
south of Mason and Dixon line be-
fore. He was repeatedly warned
against attempting this trip, and
came with a good deal of a%pprehen-
sion. He said candidly, he had met
with the surprise of his life. He had
believed most of these stories he had
heard more or less exaggerated, as
all suchI stories generally are
through prejudice or profit, but to
his utter amazement he had found
conditions here which he would have
found harder to believe than the
stories he had been asked to believe.
He found the negro happy and con-
tented almost without a single ex-
ception, and making average earnings,
that everything considered, far ex-
ceeded anything hat could be hoped
for in Chicago. Their average living
conditions, as regarded housing, were
better than the average pvercrowded
tenement conditions in Chicago. Here
he had not met a single negro, in any
condition or calling of life, who was
not practically Independent, and well
fed and well clothed. In Chicago he
had left 1900 in the bread line, with
the horrors of a rigid winter and a
race prejudice on the part of those
with whom they had to come in con-
tact with their struggle for exis-
tence that was as bitter as any ever
attributed to the south.
The highest ~salaried negro he knew
of in Chicago drew $4,000 a year. In
Mississippi he had met numbers of
negroes earning more, and leading a
freer and more Independent life. He
found them on every hand owning
high priced cars, bank deposits, and
engaging in the trades and indus
trial occupations at wages ranging
from So for unskilled labor to as
high as eight dollars a day for car
penter work. He found schools
throughout the sections so far trav-
eled, but regretted to say, in answer
to the propaganda dished out to nor
theners, that the country negroes, as
a rule, did not take advantage of
these facilities to their limits. He
was told by some that the white plan
tiers of the south did not permit the
negro children to go to school but
kept them in the field. He had es.
pecially investigated this feature and
found that it was not true. Any es-
ceptions would be such, and not the
rule.
J, No Race Prejudice.
Instead of race prejudice, he found
that the southern white man. and en-
ployer, both in farming and industry
preferred the negro to any other race
on the grounds that he was better ms