The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-01-17
THE NEGROES AND FARM LABOR

There are many things which appear on the horizon in
the way of after-war problems about which even the wisest of
the country seem to be at sea, but there are none of greater
concern than that Of labor. In this section, which is so largely
agricultural, the chief concern, of course, is farm labor.
dependence Of a world on the farm. S o highly important has
been the food problem, that our Government saw the wisdom
only a short while after our entrance into the war OF making
sure the production of a big wheat crop by guaranteeing the
PRICE. Nothing has been overlooked that was thought would
to make what was produced go just as far as possible and fee1
Just as many mouths a possible. The hungry thousands OF
Europe today have made necessary an Allied food administra-
tor, and the man named for this great duty is the man our
own Government used during the months of hostiities, thus
furnishing another evidence that the world is looking to this
country for leadership.
We entered the war not for territory OF for booty, We
entered the war because our sacred rights We're violated; We
entered the war because the inalienable rights of humanity
We're hanging in the balance; We entered the war because we
believed in the Golden Rule and the Sermon on the Mount.
These ideals have been held aloft by our President. by our min
istry, by the press and by the safest and best men of the Nation.
We did not believe in seeing the rights of the Belgians, the
French, the Serbs and the Italians trampled undertoot. Our
purpoe was noble. 1t blazed out a new pathway in stateerait-
1t set a new star in the political heavens.
Now that ouf boys went willingly to battle. Now that
they have helped to cage the Nero of the goth century, nov
that they have set freedoms lamp upon Alpine heights, we
must see that our own door steps are swept around, we must
see that our own house is kept in order.
Very naturally in considering the future of the farm ard
the matter of labor, the mind dwens upon the negro. What
shall we do with him? What will we have hin do for us?
There is a destiny that sweeps the negro along with us
whether we will it so or not. He is here. We are confronted
with a condition that we cannot sidestep if we would. A vast
majority of our population would not have the negro go ava
If ne desired to do so, and he does not want to go. We send
our missionaries toChina, to Corea, to India, to Africa and
Japan, yet the thought comes to many OF us many times that
we are running away from a duty at our doors.
There are two things that the white people of the South
are agreed on, indeed a vast majority of the North now enter
talns the same view. That is that the negro is a misft IN poll
ties and that social equality is a thing never to be thought OF.
We are OF the opinion. indeed We feel that we know it, that the
best and most intelligent negroes of the country do not want
social equality and it is but fair to judge any people by their
best informed and most enlightened. In support of our state
ment that even the North regards the negro a misft politically,
we would call attention to the fact that at a meeting of the
National Committee of the Republican party held only a few
days ago, no negro was given representation, and haste was
made to contradict q statement which found its way into the
newspapers that 9 negro was chosen to membership.
So with politics and social equality out of the way, the