The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-02-18

hin The t,:rec vc- New England
states. and the par: Of New York
south Of q line drawn from Miss
achuSct,s northwest corner to
! PENNSYLVANIA northeast. making
, ur u total OF 5000 square miles
I against 2l0.0o0. This Negro
i Canaan. as | named it. in 1910
held 100000 blacks whose deccn
) NAL rate Of 21 per cent. compareo
with one OF less than 4 per cent,
for the l.974.ooo blacks OF the up
land south 1t contrasted in an
+, other way with the western south
an area twice rs large. holding only
! 912. 600 negroes.
Even then Il more informing
i corparison-ccrta one more
readily followcd--would have been
afforded by adding to the northern
+: territory the remainder OF NcW
York. raising the area to 246, 900
/ square miles. and contrasting With
the 227.0G0 of the five southern
border states, Delaware. Maryland
West Virginia, Kentucky, and Mis-
! souri,. with Tennessee and Virginia
added In the northern group there
were S.6 900 blacks. with a decen-
! NAL gain of 1900: in the south
| ern 1881, 900. With decennial
loss of 5000: the half century gains
were in the northern G32 900. or
2S3 per cent: in the southern
i.312. 900. or 81 per cent. only. Now
from the returns of the census OF
1920 we find in the northern group
.236.000 blacks. showing a decen-
nial gain OF $50, 900, or 44 per cent.
and in the southern 1.911.0o0
showing a gain of $4,000. or less
than ! 1-2 per cent. And II we
, again extend the comparison back
10 1860. as the beginning Of the new
dispensation, we have in the north
ern area an increase Of 100000
negroes. or 44S per cent. against
one OF $4,000, or 10 per cent. only
in the southern.
y still more striking comparison
! between the seven great states OF
the north leading in negro popula-
ton, New York. New Jersey
PENNSYLVANIA. Ohio, Indiana. Hi
noiS, and Michigan. with the Dis
trict of Colunbia added as before,
and those six states Of the lower
south-South Carolina, Georgia
| Florida, Alabama. Mississippi, and
Louisiana-in which in 1880 there
was already that black population
accumulated along the Gulf OF
Mexico" which De Tocquevillc
thought would have q chance OF
success, if the American union is
dissolved when the struggle be-
tween the two races begins.
These were also six Of Judge
Tourgee's eight black republics.
and for them his anticipation seem
ed much better grounded than for
North Caroline and Virginia. for
in 1850 the two races had stood in
them on practically even terms,
whites outnumbering blacks by
only % 900. whereas in 1880 the
blacks outnumbered the whites by
,, 243.000. But while the blacks
still led in 1900 by $4,000. in 1910
the whites held a majority OF 53l,-
900. and this had grown in 1920
to 100000. This rapid relative
gain Of the whites is itself striking
enough but the difference between
the rates OF growth Of the black
population in this supposedly most
conscnial habitat. and that Of the
widely differing northern area. Is
even more so. In the northern
territory. Of 100000 square miles in
1860 there .ere 202.30Q negroes:
in the southern of 2S7,00o square
miles. 2166.000. In 1920 there
were in the northern 1.2ls.000 ne
sroes. showing 4 decennial gain OF
400. .ooo. or 80 per cent: in the
southern 4.957. 900. showing q de-
cennial loss Of 10000 For the sue
ceSsive twenty-year periods begin
crease in the northern were reSpcc-
lively 112 55. and SO per cent: in
the southern ~, 50, and ] per
cent
This contrast may be startling.
but that me figures are only typical
may be seen by comparing the
black rates Of increase for the three
great divisions-north, west and
south-as defined above. For the
last three decades. beginning with
that ending in 1920. these rates
have been in tho north, As. 20. and
81 per cent: in the west 80. tS,
and II per cent: in the south ;.
10. and II per cent. For the three
twenty-year periods since 1860. be-
ginning with 10000. in the north
a. -. and Ia per cent; in the
west lGe. 1856. and 1868 per cent.
in the south -. 80. and ~ per cent.
Mr.. Van dc CRAFT is convinced
that in the long run only good "an
come TO both south and north and
to whites and blacks aiik" from the
continuance of the migration
movement:
l! In no state Of the north WAS the
percentage of blacks RS high rs
in 1920. and in only six states did
; ii reach =. With the first turn OF
.hc industrial tide the critics and
industries OF both north and west
will again need and bid for negro
labor. For the south. answer
might we'll have been made TO the
Nebraska inquiry by the secretary
/ ul the Montgomery Chamber OF
80 \, 1, q Il {