The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1919-10-18

/ that be owns 100 acres of land that could
| be sold for $4,000. Robert Harris: an
fother negro land owner. 20 years resident.
| towns zoe acres of land and is worth stta,-
0Oo These facts we secured from the ne
groes themselves. These men own their
| own automobiles and we had the privilege
| of riding with theia and surveying thefr
farms for ourselves.
3. Public Schools.
| We found the public school term To be
| nine months in the city for both white and
black and eight months in the country for
| both races For the benefit of those wh"
may not know we viii say that they have
separate schools for the two races. Thr
parents of negro children admitted thar
| they do not send their children To school
with any regularity and several white
planters stated that the children aud their
parents regarded the schools as JOKE.
They have tire privilege of sending their
children to school for the full term IL they
so desire. t'pan the statement of coiored
workers themselves, we found that the chill
dren work about four months year ihe
school term is so arranged that II does NOT
interfere with the months iii which the
children work.
t. Churches.
We found adequate aud comfortaaie
churches all plantations. On the Shlth
and Lombard plantation. 11.o00 acres. arf
ten churches for 800 people. In THE tti*i
of Greenvillf we found there were seventy
resident colored ministers who Freach III
| the city and varions parts "f the county.
:. Housing.
We found many OF the ohl"- housas
were not adequate or eomfofiI5l" We
found however, there are man.. a"W 'e>es
beiRg built of modern type aad Il great
Improvement over the older 1u'S. We
found the man who had already spent
ST. 600 this year and said he would spend
$4,000 more during the year on housing
conditions his platations.
g. Race relations.
There appears to be the strongest possi
Bile human ties between planter and work
er. The planter is always willing To pro-
tect in all matters except crimes, and pain
iy states that he prefers negro labor. be-
cause the years of association have given
them perfect understanding of each 9th
er. We found, by making inquiry OF sew
eral negro workers, that they have every
, confidence that u man for whom they work
would not allow them to suffer for any
necessity of life or In any way, even though
he should fail to make u crop, aud when
sick would see that they had medical at
tention.
We found many Instances confirming
these statements.
We found no Instances where the negroes
were not permitted the frcest use et sij'-
walks, streets aud thoroughfares. We ob-
served this point closely throughout our
Investigations and were unable to fnd any
police oppression or imposition or lawless-
ness of any kud. The happiness. content
ment aud prosperity which prevail among
greater than the committee had expected I"
lind We knew of Do place where great
er happiness and prosperity prevail among
them.
7. Saw Mills.
The committee also visited the Saw Mi'l
district and found the workers well pald
aud couditios good. The same relation
ship existed here as among the wv" races
in other sections visited. Several counties
were visited and close observation made
There prevails In each county practichily
the same conditions as above outlined Oh
the conditions obtaining In Clarksdaie anu
vicinity The principal towns and cities
visited were: Clarksdaie. Rosedale. Benoit,
Greenvilie, Leland. iHdianola. Greenwood.
Fernwood and Grenada. We met the Cham
bers of Commerce in most of these towns
and received uniformly courteous treat
lnent from them all.
Mississippi's penal system
Tuesday, August Goth. we visited ths
yftta.s nen1i farn--~ ahieh is !. ~
who generously conducted us about the
! Mace and who turned over to us the re-.
| ords of the month OF July. lS1v. whlch
showed as follows: The SunnoWer iar,n
/ which contains 10000 acres of land, nearly
aH i'm cultivation; LOO prisoners ioo
white prisoners and 1.ooo negro ptison
ers other white prisoners being kept on the
| other farms owned by the state ! Nv
| Sunflower farm lis divided into IL diief
! ept camps The number punished
in July were II whipped. no prisoner pe
ling struck more than 10 lashes. seven VI
1.-THE IL were whipped for fighting each o'nrl
humber of white women prisoners tWo !;
number of colored women prisoner" 90 ;
| number Of prisoners died from hitHfa'
lcauses, one number killed in the past
three years, one. ., ooo ooo =, ia,
last six wears and will clear this year u
| least 5000, 900. The work throuSnnut wv
farm is done by the prisoners Inc -
ltensiye ice piant and -four mill are run pF
lprisoners without boss or guard lhr
leuly y,lard we s;G was II negro prisohei
| under 100 years sentence. No guards ar
used except life prisoners. No celis' IN
place of solitary confinement, u" u"s 81
chains, no spurs or other implements m %
| torture are used on the farm. severn
nrisoners we interviewed ns to the tTeat
ment they received, all whom testihea a. a.
to being well treated. NO sersenm ,,aity -
| lowed to break the skin. under penalty
, discharge No sergeant Is allowed TO pun
| ish "A prisoner without giving "I.'e
! record of the cause. Six hundred OUT
; | the thousand prisoners on tnis i"ln a,
; itrusties: they are not guarded or cohnhe
in any way Together with what we hhS
seen. with the talks We have had WIN IN IN
| nrisouars we say that no more Duihah
/. treatment could be shown 10 PRISONERS AZ
{ place. ...
Political and social equality are are, ~ ~
: promised the negro. Those VINO WIN a
: cept the laws and customs Oh hiss'a,p, s,,Ii,,
lare fully recommended to return ! "he'
security aud industrial opportunity al
! abun,iantly offered to the deserving hesi
q Committee feels a deep sense OF Fra; Era.
. Itude for the aid extended us ny .ne as, a.sS
, sinpi Welfare League through Its emciel
. Secretary, Mr. Jack G. Wilson, VINO 80 p'
: tjently and kindly piloted US OH our 'ou
II tney. .,, - ros,rictf
q We were not circumscribed or restr,tt' s..t'
. in any way In making this hSestiea'i'
? land this report, but were given every
y sistance and co operation possible oy DO
r workers and employers.
= { Signed)
u JOHN MALONE. tWhiteD
" HENRY s. COINS, tCoiore
re @. W, DOWNING, tCoiored
u Committee.