The Omaha guide., 1934-03-03
Omaha Nebraska Saturday March 3, 1884

such persons. Then, too, the ignorant person is more in
cined to take the law into his own hands than the educat-
ca person who usually relies on the courts. Much of the
Negro crime liz Alabama, and in the South, can be traced
to The 81 per cent 1920 who are i~lliterate in Alabama,
and to that large portion of the race which has less than
a fifth grade education. The fact that Negro crime in
New York State is prOportionately less than in Alabama
may no doubt be explained in part, If not i'll a large mea-
groes in New York State are ~illiterate, compared with
the 81 per cent 1920 in Alabama. Only one State IL the
Union has a larger percentage Of illiterate Negroes than
Alabama, namely, Louisiana, which ranks first with 38.5
per cent 1920) of the Negro population illiterate.
A careful study Of all ~lynchings in 1880 by the
Southern Commission on the Study Of Lynching revealed
the fact that lynching invariably takes place in the most
iliterate counties of each state, where facilities for school
ing are poorest, and where the greatest poverty in the ru-
raj parts OF the state prevail. Usually the persons lynched
are very ignorant, and also those who do the l~ynching.
The authors study of homicides in Birmingham
reveals the same situation. All but a very few Of the muir
ders were found to be by the i~lliterate, or the poorly edu-
Gated. The fact that the Negro homicide rate is nearly
eight times that of the white race may not be due to race,
primarily, but to lack Of education. It is not only the ILL
terate or poorly educated Negro who commits murder,
but also the llllterate or poorly educated white person, IN
most instances. Until we reduce materially the number of
illiterate whites in Birmingham, some 1900 persons ac-
cording to the 1890 Census, and the $4,000 iliterate Ne
groeS, we may expect the rate of homicide in Birmingham
to continue high, even though it may not be each year the
highest Of any city in the world as was the case in 1881.
When one discovers that the rate of homicide in Birming-
ham was SO per 100000 population in 1910, when 1914 per
cent of the total population was i~lliterate, and that it has
dropped to 48.9 per 100000 population in 1880, when the
percentage Of the illiterate population had been reduced
to 81 per cent, there is some ground for belief that the
homicide rate may continue to fall as the amount Of ILL
teracy continues to drop. At least there is considerable
evidence to show that there is a positive correlation be-
tween the amount Of education and tn amount OF crime.
1t is likely that other crimes besides homicide will dim
inish as education becomes more generally diffused
throughout the population.
The Educational Handicap Of the Negro-The Ne
gro still suffers from several kinds Of educational Unequal
tiles. The expenditure per child of school age in the South
varies considerably between the two races. In 16 south
en states and the District Of Columbia, the yearly ex-
~penditure per child Of school age for the white race is $45,
Sc; in the Negro race it is $1495. In Alabama, the expendi
ture is $3.50 per white child, and $716 per Negro child.
In one county in Alabama the expenditure is $500 per
white child, and $151 per Negro child. In Jefferson Coun-
ty, Alabama, the amount spent is S4l.95 per white child,
and S15.57 per Negro child. In Birmingham, Alabama, it
is S66. IA per white child, and S2525 per Negro child. AS
long as the white child has about three times as much
money spent on his education as the colored child, we
must expect Negro education to suffer considerably.
Negro children also suffer from a shorter school
term than white children. In IL states and the District
of Columbia the average length Of school term for whites
is 1854 days, or about 8 months; for the Negro it is IA
days, or about Z months. In Alabama, the white child goes
to school 159 days, or nearly 8 months; the Negro child
can go only 129 days, or about 62 months.
Negro teachers have more pupils than white teach
ers. In II states and the District OF Columbia the number
Of pupils per white teacher is 81 but it is IA pupils per
Negro teacher. In Alabama it is worse than the general
average for the South; it is 80 pupils per white teacher,
and AZ pupils per Negro teacher.
The average annual salary of white teachers in IL
states and the District Of Columbia during the peak year
Of prosperity, 1929, was $1,O2O; for Negro teacher only
half as much, or $524. Alabama salaries for school teach
ers has always ranked below the average for all the south
ern states; in 1929 it was 1892 per white teacher, and 1854
per Negro tacher, or less than half that of the white
teacher.
WHERE FREIGHT RATES r G
How do you, Mr.. Taxpayer, like to contribute the
nnat SIM IF ST. 900 for every ton OF cattle. corn. hogs and