The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-02-03
AFRICA FOR THE
AMERICAN NEGRO

A Renaissance of the period before
the civil war is combined with an en-
tity of the perod after the world war
IN elaborate resolutions in which the
Legislature Of the State of MISSISSIPPI
pi nemoralizes Congress. 1t would
liquidate the war debt owed us by for
eign governments by accepting in ex-
change part Of the huge territories
owned by those governments in Afri-
ca. To the territories thus acquired,
It urges Congress to "send" the ne
groes now in the United States.
In the first half of the nineteenth
century, the re-establishment in Afri-
ca Of all the negroes in the United
States had at some times a perfervid
and at all times fairly consistent adj
vocacy. Just as now it is conceived
to be a solution of the race problem,
SO then it was held by very many to be
a solution, and the only solution of
the slavery problem. A monument to
the sincerity and earnestness of it's ad-
vocates is found in the present Afri-
can State of Liberia, with its capital
named after President Monroe. Be-
tween 1920 and 1860 the work of the
Negro Colonization Society absorbed
a vast amount of individual effort, a
large output in favoring propaganda
and no less than $1,806,0 900 in money,
a very considerable sum in those days.
In the latter year summing up SEEM
ed to show formidable accomplish
ments in the transfer to Africa of no
less than 10000 American negroes.
That is, they seemed formidable until
somebody began to make calculations
and comparisons with a pencil and
found that the 10000 negroes trans
ferred in forty years were fewer than
the negro birth rate in the United
States for single month.
The current of immigration has in
some recent years brought annually
100000 new people to the United
States. A reverse current which
would convey to Africa number of
negroes equal to birth rate of the
race for twelve months would present
no insuperable problem of transporta-
ton. But other problems are insup-
cradle. With proper effort undoubt-
eddy large numbers of negroes who
have had the advantage of fair school
tuk anu dBI ISuiLuI al anu OLIleE JcCIlIll-
cal training in this country might be
induced to go to desirable sections of
Africa. Under the competent leader
ship provided by such men of their
own race, it may be believed that the
inhabitants of that continent would
make far more rapid progress than
under the exploitation of white races
which have assumed mandates or pro-
tectorates over enormous areas. An
Africa for the Africans which will
utilize the best in it's own race every
where in giving the continent, its prop
er place among progressive peoples
embodies an idea Of great, promise.
But any suggestion that the negro
population in this country can be ma
terially reduced by migration to Afri-
ca is fatuous. In the days of slavery
The wishes Of the individual counted
for little after satisfactory ARRANGE
ments had been made with his owner.
But how could free-born American cit4
liens of color be "sent", as the Mis-
sissippi resolutions request, to Afri-
ca If they did not want to be sent ? OBJ
Siously the greater number would not
want to be sent. The negro is here to
stay. His presence here may long
give rise to a race problem, but pro-
posed solutions must assume that his
presence is going to continue. Solu-
tons predicated on the possibility that
he won't be present Involves 50 violent
an assumption as to be worthless.