The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-10-24


Who Investigated the Race Disturb
ances In Arkansas.
New York City, Oct. 20. 1919. The
cause of the disturbances in AK lnsas
was systematic robbery of Negro ten
ant farmers and share croppers. For
years Negroes have been working the
farms of white owners on sha and
when the time came for sett nent
owners have refused to give them
itemized statements of their accounts.
Negro tenant farmers and share
eroppers must buy their supplies dur
ing the year from the plantation store
or some designated store. The sys-
tenn kept the Negro continually in
debt, and it is an unwritten law In
Arkansas as in many parts of the
South that the Negro may not leave
The plantation until the debt is paid.
THE Progressive Farmers and
Household Union of America was
formed by Negro share croppers and
ahe dues paid were to go into COM
men fund to employ lawyer. The
Fawyer was to make test case in
court of one tenant farmers inability
to obtain an itemized statement Of his
account.
On October tenant farmers on 81
plantations were to ask the owners
for settlement. 1t appears that,
failing settlement, the. Negroes were
! going to refuse to pick the. cotton then
fin the field or to sell cotton belonging
TO them for less than the market
price Trouble, however, was precipi-
tated when u. A. Adkins, special
agent for the Missouri Pacific Rail-
road; Chaies Pratt, deputy sheriff
and a Negro etrusty" were fired upon.
10 it is claimed, by Negroes in d
church at Hoop Spur. Adkins was
asilled and Pratt severally wounded,
A sIatement of one Of the persons III
the church at the time, however,
shows that Adkins and Pratt fired in.
TO the church without provocation and
that their fire was returned with the
aforementioned results. That pre-.
| cipitated the trouble.
One case which will show the ecor
ionic exploitation Is that Of a Negro
in the plantation of r. b. McCombs,
white man in Ashley County, Ar
sansas. The Negroes crop was worth
| s3,322.76, the Negroes share being
| }I,66I, 38. McCombs paid the Negro
| rs and refused to pay him any more,
| eclaring that the Negro had taken
| tp the balance in goods. The Negro
brought suit but failed to obtain Il
| Judgment, the jury being white, as il
slways the case in that part of the
ionntry,
| Another Negro coming from the
State Labor Commissioners office da
slared that he had worked 27 acres on
shares and that the total value OF his
crop at present prices was SI,5o9.
The owner Of the land had taken all
of the crop, had refused settlement
and the Negro had walked I22 miles
to Little Rock, hoping to get lawyer
being absolutely penniless. Many sim
Lar cases could be cited and it was IA
| determination to protest these condi
ions that led to the formation of The
organization which is claimed by the
whites to have planned a massacre
So far as | was able to discover
after a careful investigation on The
ground, there is no basis for belief
hat massacre was planned by Ne.
sroes and, in point Of fact, it was tbs
Negroes who were massacred.
| Negroes outnumber whites 6 to
II Phillips County and II d massacre
mad been planned the casulty lists
would not have been 25 Negroes q.
against whites.
| Many white people expressed
doubts OF the truth Of the massacre
stories sent out. 1t appears that the
| purpose of those stories was to cloal
| the robbery of Negroes by white land
lords and agents. Prices charged bs
! landlords and plantation stores 81
compared with those IN the openfmar
slket:
/ Open
| Plantation Marker
Bacon Cheapest grade,-
i known as sour belly.S so lb. 5 ~
/ Mary Jane Molasses... ZOO gal Ill
I. Compound Lard 1.......... .56 lb. n
| Sack OH flour, "a b.. 2.5O 1.2'
In one case a Negro was charges
$50 for two secondhand plovs which
1 cost, when new, SIG each.
/ In another case, q ret Of rope pioy
Hines which cost rs cents each wer
sold for $3.50 to the Negro.
/ In other case q Negro was charge
ls58 Tor tow sack. and 4 bushel .
scsttan aeea, the vaasae ef which wa