The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-12
For the Good of
the Community

~
y IRMINGHAM'S freedom from strife
~ and the ability of her industries to
continue operations on normal basis
during the steel workers strike has at
tracted great deal of attention through
out the country.
Industrial and trade magazines and
newspapers generally have commented
on this fact and some of them have init
mated that as a result of this condition
manufacturers and capitalists in the north
and east are looking to the south as pos
sible field of future industrial investment
and activities.
While the steel mills of Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and other states in
the north were closed down and rioting
was occurring the mills in Birmingham
not only continued in operation, but &C
tually increased their output in the first
week of the strike.
The absence of serious labor troubles.
here was attributed to two cause.-the
small number of foreigners employed in
the local industries, and negro labor.
Negroes are good laborers loyal
Americans and do not strike unless
brought under the influence of white men
who use them for motives not in the inter-
est of tho negroes The vast majority of
them are peaceable, law-abiding and in
dustrious, and when not led astray, are
good citizens.
They may not do as much work as
some white men, but as a rule they are
faithful and cause no trouble.
The editor of the Manufacturers Rec
ord, discussing the present labor situa-
ton, has this to say:
eff the people of the SOUTH recognizing their
great opportunity to help shape the whole life of
America to help stay the spirit of unrest and boil
shevisrn, will meet this opportunity, they will rem
der an inestimabe service to the nation and push
forward their own section by many decades
"In doing this they must stand for the utmost
enforcement of law and order. They must see
that crime, whether committed by an individual
white or black, or by mob, white or black shall
be punished legally and not by mob spirit. They
must see that every man shall have right to work
undeterred by fear of assault. They must see that
the negroes are encouraged by giving employ
ment to the better Glass; always selecting for every
work that has to be done negroes whose lives
merit premium upon honesty and sobriety. We
have not always been careful enough in selecting
either servants or other negro labor, and the hon
est faithful class of negroes has been justified at
times in feeling that did not receive the recogn
ton which its character merited as compared with
work often given to negroes without anything ex-
cept bad character to their discredit? A premium
in the way of recognition of good deeds and
through better employment and better pay must
be placed upon the negro workers of character
and fathfuness and in this way thriftless, vicious
negroes will be penalized for their misdeeds. The
thrftless vicious white man has difficulty in find
ing employment, but we have not always exer-
cised the same good judgment as to negroes. This
is one way in which the south can strengthen its
own position and tremendously aid in solving the
race problem.
"There are millions Of Christian negroes in the
south. Not all of them may fully live the religion
they profess, but for that matter neither do the
whites, but the great mass of Christian negroes
can be easily led to do what is right and to CO.
operate with white Christians in the solving Of the
whole race issue to the good of both races and to
the Astounding material prosperity Of the south.
With the race issue thus solved and the south free
to large extent from hordes Of foreigners, this
II, he