The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-08-13
White and Black in Chicago.

White and Black in Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune.
1t is possible for whites and negroes
to live in peace in Chicago. They
have done SO for years in normal con-
ditions and in normal times. They
have managed to live without much
prejudice There has been good feel
ing. The negro has had political
equality. There has been an attempt
to give him fair representation IN
public affairs and not to resent his
presence there.
We admit frankly that if political
EQUALITY had meant the election OF
negro mayors, judges and majority
Of negroes in the city council the
whites would not have tolerated 1t.
We do not believe that the whites of
Chicago would be any different from
the whites of the South in this re-
spect.
We have been able to extend the
essentials of citizenship to negroes
| freely because the whites are doml-
/ nant in rumbers. All the essentials
are in the possession of the negro. He
! is not Jim Crowed by law. A line is
drawn by usage. The law in fact for
bids what is actually done. 1t is at
futile law because it encounters in
stincr.
Legally negro has a right to serv-
| ice anywhere the public generally is
served He does not get it. Wisely he
does not ask for it. There has been
an illegal, nonlega1 or extra legal ad-
justment founded upon common sense
which has worked in the past and It
will work in the future.
The fact is that so, long as this city
is dominated by whites whether
because Of their numbers without
force Or by their force if they were in
the minority, there will be limitations
! placed upon the black people. They
will be limitations which will not
work an injustice to the black peo-
pie who have right to their own
| development.
There is no objection to economic
equality. There is a decided objection
to the exploitation of black labor
During the war many negroes were
OF them went into the stock yards.
The war shut off the supply Of com
mon labor The South supplied the
want.
Thus the population of blacks
doubled in war times. Concerns which
brought the negro here to exploit him
damaged, the community by throwing
| n race question upon it, Concerns
which needed the negro and put hlm
upon an equal basis with the whites,
without importing cheap labor to take
! the jobs of whites, were legitlmately
supplying their need of labor.
The race issue in California grew
out of the fact that the japanese were
cutting under the price of White Ia
bcr. That will produce race troubles
as quickly as anything.
Concerns may have been derelict in
not considering the housing problem.
The imported negroes could not live
| in/ the streets Or vacant lots They
had TO get under roof and in getting
under roof they suddenly established
new contact with white neighbor-
| hoods
In THIS change there was bound to
be trouble unless precautions were
taken In the present case there is no
evidence of precaution and some OF
provocation It is possible for that
question to adjust itself. Such realty
movements cannot take place without
friction, but the friction need not lead
to riots The city is steadily shifting
in residential character. Some Of the
people affected by the shifts do not
like it, but in normal times the read
justment is not disturbing to the COM
munity a spread Of factories may
change the character Of a section.
spread of negroes may do the same
thing.
question by saying the North has
the principles and the South has the
negroes We are coming to have
the negroes and we want to keep the
principles so far as they are ap-
plicable
Industrial radicalism, expressed in
| the T. w. w. Propaganda among the
negroes will not help us to keep them.
Thuggery will not help us to keep
them. A rebellion by the negroes
against facts which exist and will per-
sist will not help US to keep them, but
! we are confident that the situation in
Chicago is susceptible of being handl-
ed in the fashion it always has been
handled