The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-08-21

lreallty dance nails. lHeSe lie" PIaSeS
had no liquor licenses, although most
of them sold intoxicants, and they
didn't open their doors until midnight
or l :, m. They caught the crowds
which surged out of the eabarets at
the closing hour and held them un,
til sunrise.
The old Pekin theatre at .2,7OO
street for years one of the leading
negro amusement houses in the coun-
try, became one Of these dance nails.
They were openly conducted for
long time without being molested, but
early in 1918 the city council passed
an anti-cabaret ordinance which put
a damper for time On the night life
of the city.
Last spring, however, the mayoral-
ty election came around again. May
or Thompson was candidate for re
election and was reelected. The black
Belt did its duty.
When the primary campaign open
ed the lid was tossed overheard. Re
sorts which had been closed reopen
ed The Black Belt became again the
centre of night activities.
With the elections over in April
and prohibition looming up in the
near future, the hearts OF the city au-
thorities were softened, and the I'D
stayed off. In the last few months
conditions in the Black Belt have been
almost unprecedented. Men who have
travelled the country over say tnat
where in the United States have they
witnessed such scenes as they saw in
the notorious "black-and-tan' re-
sorts on the south side in Chicago.
State Attorney Maclay Hoyne OF
Chicago a few days ago laid the blame
for the race riots at the door OF tn,
politicians, who, he said, taught the
negroes disrespect for the law.
1.-The police department" said Mr..
Hoyne has been demoralized to such
extent by the politicians, black and
white, on the south side that they are
afraid to arrest and prosecute nic.
with political backing or who claim
have political influence
| Others have issued similar warn
ings from time to time in the last two
or three years.
Municipal Judge Harry M. Fisher,
after sitting for time in the morals
court, where the larger per cent of the
offenders were negro men and women
said:
MY opinion, based on observation
in this court, is that crime conditions
among colored people are being deli
berately fostered by the present city
administration. Disorderly cabarets,
thieves and depraved women are al
lowed in the section of the city where
colored people live. They have an ex-
prssion, the law is around tonight,
as warning to behave, so seldom is
the law enforced
Chicago's Lesson.
When Chicago began to come out
of the nightmare of rioting last Fri
day, it is >probable that the smiles
which greeted that Uncle Toms Cab
in" parody had worn off, never to
return. The city's roster of dead was
80, of whom IA were white. The total
of injured was given in press dis
patches as 800, with the probability
that perhaps 200 others had been in
jured without making any report L,
the police and hospital authorities
Governor Lowder, had sent 5000
troops to guard the city and Quell the
mobs, under the direction of Adjt
Gen. Dickman, and apparently quie,
had been restored.
For five days the district affected
by the rioting had been without
fresh meats or vegetables. City Con-
troller Harding, who owes his political
preferment in large measures to his
influence in the Black Belt. sent g.
900 bottles of milk into that area and
the movement of supplies in that di-
rection was initiated at the same u.
Negro undertal~rs began to prepare
for the burial of the dead. During
the disturbance there had been no
funerals in the Black Belt.
Presumably Chicago has learned a
lesson such as she never drew Il
the numerous surveys of negro condl-
tions in that city, or from warnings.
Whether other American cities will
take the lesson to heart remains to be
seen.
Chicago's negro population is dif
ficult to estimate. The estimates rul.
from $4,000 to $4,000. There is II,
authentic information of recent d.:
on the subject. The United States
census taken in 1910 reports a pop
lation of 44,103 negroes in Chicago.
In the last three years however, the
increase has been enormous. The col.
ored population has grown more rap
idly in proportion to its numbers than
any othe rpart of the citys popula-
ton
Junius B. Wood of The Chicago
Daily News, who made an extensive
survey of the negro problem in Chi
cago, estimated the colored popula-
tion in 1916 at $4,000. The seady in
flux of thousands of negroes from the
south and the continuous spread of
the colored section of the city indicat-
es that the population is more tina
10000 at present. 1t is a difficult
population to count. Probably more
than so Der cent are lOdger