New-York tribune., 1922-10-08
By Robert Cresswell

- the mental, moral or physical
makeup OF the negro race
which would prevent It's at
'afning Its full stature as a component
part OF the American commonwealth II
certain environmental conditions that
handicap 1t at present were to be re-
moved. At the same time. there are no
snort cuts to the solution of the prob
e lem Of fitting Caucasion and Ethiopian
? into their proper relative places In our
Z civilization. No laws and no restric-
tions will be effective in accomplishing
what must be done by tolerance, pa
thence and forethought In a hard
struggle against some Of the most
stubborn and unreasonable and selfish
elements IN human nature.
Such is the gist of the opinion rem
dered by the Chicago Commission on
Race Relations in its report on the
causes, underlying conditions and rem
edies for the race riots of 1919. This
opinion is the result of three years Of
2, intensive inquiry. conducted along
strictly scientific lines. Thousands of
persons were questioned and hundreds
OF homes and factories visited.
The most important section of the
report Is that tending to show that the
widespread belief that the negro peo-
pie is an inferior race is unfounded In
d fact. This is more important than the
perspicacious setting forth of the
causes of racial friction, and more i'm
.portant even than those sections speci-
flying definite measures for the avoid
ance of such friction, for it is that
/ belief which Is not only at the bottom
fof race prejudice, but is also guilty of
making responsible citizens feel that
the case is really hopeless one which
pailiatives may assuage but remedies
never cure.
Negro Child Found Not
To Be Inferior Mentally
Careful scrutiny Of the record Of
negro children in the public schools.
Of negro crirninality, Of the negro in
industry and Of negro thrift and hon
esty in business matters, as compared
with the characteristics of whites un-
der the same circumstances, furnishes
the background Of facts on which this
particular conclusion is supported.
In the first instance the figures Civ
Ing the causes Of retardation OF q
group of about 5000 children, nearly
evenly divided between white and ne
gro, are most illuminating. In the
case of children retarded for backward
ness ls2 negroes are noted, against 271
whites; for irregular attendance, 1877
negroes, against lei whites; for low
mentality, 40 negroes, against 14s
whites; for feeble -mindedness, 8 ne
q groes, against IL whites, and for i'll
health, lao negroes, against 204 whites.
On the other hand, 564 negro children
were held back because OF entering
school at an older age than usual and
2b3 negroes. compared to ITS whites,
because of family difficulties. The OBJ
q vious testimony of these figures Is. as
the commission points out, that the
negro child is, if anything, more capa-
Die mentally than the white child of
his own age and class, and that where
the negro Is slow 1t is usually because
social and family considerations have
handicapped him.
On the question of comparative ne
gro criminality the commission. fnd-
ing itself unable to rely on police sta
tlstics, confesses that 1t can make no
accurate findings. A canvass Of Chi
- cago judges, however, resulted In a
consensus Of opinion that the proper
tonate criminality Of the two races is
much the same.
Employers Find Negro
?, Labor Ia Desirable
In relation to the negro In industry
it was developed that by far the ma
Jority of employers of large numbers
OF the race regarded them as being
just as satisfactory, efficient and desir-
able as white labor OF the same class
= when once they have been familiarlzed
with the difference between the routine
of industry and the greater freedom
. of the type Of personal service or aeri-
cultural labor in which negroes have
draditionally made their living.
g Under the general headings of "The
Negroes as Home Owners" and "Finan-
cial Resources Of Negroes the com
mission made sone astonishing dis
coveries that quite controvert gen.
ST-r,ly held opinions as TO the business
methods and thrift Of the negro geo
Germs were questioned, and most of
those that had dealings with negroes,
whether az buyers, borrowers or rent
srs, expressed satisfaction with their |
transactions with them.s One man said /
that his long experience showed that /
negroes carry out what they intend to /
do and that very few default on their
Daynen~e. Another, who had been deal