The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1919-11-15
Democracy
By Louise Montgomery.

negroes as soldiers.
There are l20Gg 900 negroes in III,
United States. Since our entrance into
the w2r 100000 Of them have been
called 70 military service In the FIRST
eololed training amp n DesMoines
csc were commissioned rs officers and
proved themselves worthy of Inc posi-
tons they had earned.
The United States government IL
Guided these eolored soldiers in f6f
plans for war. They are nov included
in the plans for peace. The vocational
rehabilitation act gives the means of
fe-odueation and return to civil life 70
all Of our wounded who could not cont
nuc in their old occupations. II gives Il
chance for training to these who need
training. 10 lines are drawn here either
in degree or color. Privates haze TN
equal chanec with Officers. subject to
the provisions specified in the law. and
the colored man disabled in service has
an equal right with the man of any
other iaee to the opportunities for re-
education and employment according to
his ability
However, equality # opportunity is
big phrase ful Of meaning that not
even the war could bring home 10 the
understanding Of the majority Il NJ
Il may take time aud little moro
'irife and some has'l thinking to bring
Il 10 piss, bur II is on the way. Al this
moment. when negroes are BEING con.
sdercd as Difficult, "prohlem -.
few figures may -fnit new train q
Thought.
We have h"a accustomed To thinking
of negroes n, belonging 10 the south. OF
he l24ad,loo in tine United States g.,
Uo0ue0 were ~ one time in the south
ern states. but migration to the norih
has heeH ON tine increase. especially in
the ra.t two yrafs. Between 501. 10o
aul 75o,G0o have cone to The north
en- .tatcs 10 find better conditions and
employment since the be- ming Of the
VIZ. which nude new opportunities n
industry. l. is n significant fact thai
there na. no, one stale of all the fofiy
eight which did not furnish some eol.
osed troops for the war.
In brief. the l9.c0o,0a1 are asrc, Il
pant Of the great population of work
cfs awakening l. he new ere ui demo
cTacy and brotherhood and all that
goes with both, demanding as the fist
3 -fulfiliment Of the nes.-eB,lef -s;H,sl-
ity cf opportunity in education and
employment that has never in its full
uc.s bern given TO them n race.
Their demands are hnsed IL a IT r."
measure on ac.md accomplishment.
They point 20 lie fact ihat, evea in the
census record Of 1910. negroes weHr
,neaued in every kind OF occupation
o4f profession. Architects, motors, doc
tor. electricians. engineers, tcaehc =,
iosgnalists. lawyers. rleieymen IRE lit
ed, as well as CLERKS and unskiIed
workers in all kind of fields.
In Philadelphia recent survey Of
NEGRO business was made. There were
$50 found IN occupations, varying from
newspaper mon to rhiropodist., from
landscape gardeners % real citatc dead
crs, from hotel keepers IN employment
AGENT The negroes of this one city
represented tiftyfiyc diffcrcn; oecu
petions cud professions.
In agriculture negroes cultivntr two
thirds Of the land OF the south. They
own or rent 4l,000.000 aeres of farm
Hnd and till Gem0,Gc1 more as labor
crs. Seventy three per cent of the ne.
gro population is stili rural
These facts point to the need Of tax
ing large point of view What Is
called the i" Negro Problem is naton.
M and no. local. II j. not 70 be solved
bv the easy method Of deporing to an
other state. It can be approached right
Nv only by facing the facts and loo'
inc AT the needs of l2GG0,C90 people
who are part Of the population of
the United states.
One Of the leaders among the ne
groes Of Chicago recently made pub.
lie address advocating u positive poi.
lev 20 replace the usual negative policy.
The negroes. he said, had been brought
here in large numbers 10 meet the
needs of industry at critical time.
They had been told where they could
not live They had not been told where
they could live nor had any kind OF
provision been made for the decent
housing of these imported laborcrs.
Given decent housing, chance to
develop what abilities they possess
employment at living wage, and to-
this man, Il student Of his lace, the nc
qroes will be no more of "a problem
than the people Of any other race. Thry
will naturally seek their own ms other /
races do. They will be human as others
arc. They viii be a part of the PROB
lens of poverty and crime, of sickness
of juvenile delinquency and all the rest