Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-04-05
Negro Population In The
South Steadily Decreasing
Death Rate Larger In North And
Birth Rate Smaller. Race
Losing Ground.

ed in the Evening Sun, March 81,
1924, written by Henry M. Hyde:
The tremendous death rate among
negroes from consumption, pneu-
monia, organic heart Affections and
other major diseases gains new mean
ing when death rates of negroes in
the North are compared.
In the area including the New Eng
land States, New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Michigan and Minnesota for
six years from 1914 to 1919, inclu-
sive, there were la deaths. among
negroes, as compared with 100 births.
In other. words, the negro population
was somewhat rapidly dying off. But
for increased immigration from the
South the negro in this Northern
district-if this proportion had con-
sinued-in comparatively few years
,ould have become extinct.
But later figures make it plain that
yhe years under consideration were
abnormal. Figures for the same
,tates, covering the three years 1920
%, show that the number of deaths
Is compared with births was only SO
% 100. Apparently negroes are be-
Ginning to adapt themselves to living
conditions in the North. The danger
If racial extinction seems to have
yanished.
But meanwhile the Northern death
rate continues much larger than in
The South, while the birth rate is
smaller.
On the whole, and taking the
whole country into consideration, the
negro race seems to be losing ground,
At least it's increase has been cut in
llalf in the last 20 years, almost all
If the loss coming in the decade
t911-20. For that 10 years the per-
,entage Of increase in the negro pop
llation Of the United States was only
So, as compared with 11.2 for the
PREVIOUS decade and 1873 for 1891
1900.
To what extent the decrease is due
~ the surplus of deaths in Northern
titles is uncertain, though it was the
srgest factor. $50 long as the negro
migration to the North continues at
.lood, it is likely that the total i'm
;rease in the negro population will be
.:ery small.
There are now living north of the
Mason and Dixon line about 1,6OO,-
300 negroes, as compared with $780,
300 in the South. In 1870 negroes
aade up more than a third of the
population Of the South. Now they
arc only one-fourth of the total. In
.hc North the negro still represents
n spite of the continuing migration
only rs per cent. Of the popula-
ton.
In practically every Southern city
he proportion of negro population is
decreasing. The drop runs from s
Ter cent. downward. In Birmingham,
.,ew Orleans and Baltimore the ne
;ro population is almost stationary
IN the proportion it bears to the total.
In each Of these three cases the de-
crease is less than one-half of 1 per
cent.
In almost every Northern city the
proportion of colored people is on the
Increase. = In Chicago it has doubled,
Cleveland it has been multiplied by
three within 10 years.
The one Northern city of more than
100000 population which has the
argest percentage Of negroes would
iotsbe easily guessed. It is Kansas
lily, Kan, where the proportion is a.
oout Is per cent. That is probably |
lue to the large number of packing |
houses located in the city They en-
'loy large numbers of negro laborers.
The proportion of negroes to the total |
population is apparently larger in
.tlantic City than in any other city |
IL Vic 4NOIIl. AUOuI IL pei CCuC VI |
he people Of the Jersey resort are
:olored.
It is startling to note that there
ire more negroes in New York than
in any other city, North or South.
And both Philadelphia and Chicago
number more black people than are
gathered together in any one place in
the South Among Southern cities |
Washington and Baltimore are con-
siderably in the lead, almost even,
with about 10000 negroes each.
In the South 60 per cent. of the
male negro workers are employed on
the farms. In the North only 6 per
cent. are engaged in farm work In
fact, only a very small number of
them live outside the big cities. And
in those cities all but a few of the
negro population are engaged either
=, loo, oc&so A~.,;oo 40 nc go, e1,;1JaJ |