The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-09
BY LOUIS zooHocK.


large proportions as to overshadow in
its results all other movements of the
kind in the U. S. The movement is
another chapter in the story of the
masses struggling to secure better
conditions of living and better life.
1t is greatly influencing and vitality
changing the South; and the Negroes
themselves, North and South. While
the South is confronted with serious
labor shortage caused by the migra-
ton, the North is gaining large num-
bers of Negroes for its industries. Be
sides, the cessation of European i'm
migration has made the Negro a very
important factor in the national labor
situation Men in industry are looking
to the black population as a reservoir
of good and thoroly American" labor
to be drawn upon in the future.
Several recent writer's have been
prone to emphasize the development by
the Negro of a Sudden desire to
move" but an examination of avail
able data soon reveals the fact that
the Negro, ever since the days of his
emancipation, has shown a tendenmy
to migrate.
From 1875 until 1915, there was
constant, fiuctuating stream moving
northward. 1t was part of the drift
of the general population from the
rural districts to the cities, and it fol
lowed an exodus between 1865 and
1875 similar to the present one TIL,
breaking up Of the plantation system
based upon slavery and racial friction
of K. X. K and Reconstruction days
were the moving causes of the striking
increase in the movement of that
period. Between 1890 and 1900, there
was also a considerable increase in
the movement due to economic and
social disadvantages of the period.
The European war has simply
fastened and intensified a movement
that has been under way for a, half
century Nevertheless, the recent mi
grafton, that of the last census, differs
from the previous migrations in sew
eral important respects. And, first
and foremost, in volume or amount.
An examination of statistics shows
that from 1870 to 1910 the number of
Southern born Negroes in the North
increased from 146,49o to 415,553, an
average decennial increase Of $1,000.
But in the decade, 1919 to 1920, there
was an increase of 321, $50 which was
more than the aggregate increase of
the preceding 40 years.
Since 1920, the migration has shown
still greater increase. Thus, during
the year ending September 1, 1928, ac-
cording to data collected by the late
Phil H. Brown, the Negro migration
from 13 Southern states reached
total Of 47S,O0O. Georgia alone, &C
cording to figures given by the Bank
ers' Association of that state, lost for
the past three years nearly a quarter
of million Negroes.
Another Characteristic of the recent
migration is that it has been to a
much larger extent than ever before a
migration from the far South. The
earlier northward migration was most
ly from the more northern states Of
the South. Even as recently as 1910,
As per cent Of the southern born Ne
groes living in northern states came
from two states, Virginia and Ken
lucky. The migration between 1910
and 1920 reduced the proportion born
in these two states to BIG per cent.
On the other hand the proportion of
northern Negroes coming from the
states farther South increased 1872
per cent Of the total number Of south
ern-born Negroes living in the North
in 1910 to 40.5 per cent of the total of
1890.
Negroes in the North.
In 1870 the total number of Negroes
living in the North was 452,S1S, but
OF these 1901 were in the state OF
Missouri, which had been a slave