Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MUST ELEVATE TO PROTE W. W. Lour?, Farm Demonstratio Raising Blacks From Shifless Would Establish Lo lAd?)teas on "Tenant Problem," de livered by \V. W. I,one of Clemson College at the recent conference for education in the south held at Louis ville, Ky.) in order to discuss intelligently the tenant problem lu the south, one finds it impossible to ?io so without discuss ing ni thc name time, the nice prob- , lem i Nearly half of the farm lands in South Carolina are in Hie hands of negro farmers, as tenants or share croppers. A condition similar to this exists in most of the southern states, though the percentage is rmi generally as gnat. Considering this situation,' it ls- plain t hat no people can afford lo have one-half or even one-fourth nf ; all their farm lauds In the hands of a ? lass of people unskilled in the care ! of land or the production of profit 1 from it. When we-consider that ev- | cry acre of farmed land that does not ! produce a paying crop means so much 1 loss to thu wealth of a state or a sec- , lion, wo realize that the state of af fairs now existing is intolerable. j Hut we have the negro here und ? We shall always have him here There are il.OOO.OUfl or him in the south to- j day, nearly one-third of our total pop- ! ulation. Wt? can not get him off ot' ?mr land:; now. and we shall never be j able to gel bim off. not for many. ' many years at any rate. Let us get' il:at settled in our minds at once amil allow it to give us no further concern, j ll ls only the short-sighted man in ! the south who talks of getting rill of! the negroes. What Is to be Hone. What, therefore, is the logical > cours?? for our people to take? Wet have on our hands and our lands an enormous number of ignorant negro ! fa r mer F, who are lhere, so far as we can tell now, to stay. To a sensible, logical people, the only answer is that we must make the negro a better far mer. Just here I desire to say that I shall not discuse this question from the humanitarian standpoint, hot from Hie white man's standpoint. And so I ray, we must make the negro a bet ter funner, not if you please, because humanitarian principles demand it of us, but in order to protect and bene ilt ourselves and our children. In malting the negro a better farmer th going to mean educating him, let us educate him. If it means renting our lands to him for a term of years, let us rent him our lands for a term of years. If il means giving him cheaper mon ey and not endeavoring to squeeze out of him unsuriously every dollar that we can, let us give htm cheaper mon ey. If it means treating the negro fairly and honestly let us be tslr and honest, with him. And since I believe that making the negro a bette? farmer will require these four changes of at titude on the part of our people. 1 shall limit myself to discussing these four things in the order in which I have named them, which I believe to be the logical e rd er of the negro farmer's .betterment at the bunds of our white people. Believes in Education. I have always tielicved in negro edu cation. 1 have heard it said, and be lieve lt to be true, that you can knock a man down and keep him down by sit ting on bim. But just as lone as, you sit on him you will be una ole to get up yourself. This seems to nie to be our situation with respect to I he nogro. Those who oppose educating the negro on the ground that lt ir .> >t lead 'o something like social equa ity oe nu at tc m nt at it, can hold the n'.-gro down so lona as they wish to. But they have to stay down with him. The wisdom of the sages and the experi ence of the ages assure us beyond cav il that Ignorance is detcrlmental to a community no matter in what portion of the community ignorance may exist. The south can never achieve its des tiny until it has reduced its present enormous percentage of illiteracy. It cnn never do this until it educates its negroes. , Wheu the white people of the south ' squarely face the fact that they will I have to educate the negro and leave off quibbling abont it, much of our prob lem will have been solved. I dr> not believe in giving him the same educar r Hon that a white child receives. ThlB would not he practicable, anyway, be cause of his, at this time, inferior or der ot Intellect. But educate him in * the rudiments of culture, train him to do useful work inculcate in him the fundamental of right living, make bim by practical and sensible means, a de cent clUzen. . .Thc nex: point I wish to make is, th?t in order tc make the negro a het- j ter farmer we shall, have to make .radical changes in our prosont tenant .system. At present our lands aro be lng robbed of their fertility and future urefulness by shiftless, short-term tenants to whom we have offered no inducements to improve our . lands. Why should he improve the land he ' plants? He knows that the chances are that, at the end of the year ho will ,ho turned off and another tenant taken h. his place, or the land taken over by the owner. And If he improves the soil by planting legumes or ny oth er methods, he fears, and rightly, ?that the landlord will raise the rent of'the - land .because of the improvement the. tenant has made on lt. It ls not po.i \ albie, under ? present conditions, to make the negro tenant use. proper ag agricultural methods. In the low coUh ties of South Carolina, men have giv NEGROES !CT THE WHITES ri Agent, Points Out Need of Class to Thrifty Tenants ng Lease System. on their tenants fertilizers ?UK! made tin m cowpeas for planting and mnde lin ni promise to use Ul em, ami thus the negroes have sold tin- materials furn lilied them and have kept the money. The Iteul Solution. Hut 1 believe there ls a solution to this problem and nut a very difficult one lither. Let us lease land tu Hie [negro for a terni of say. live years. ? making a binding contract with bim to permit him to stay nu tin- land for Ibis length of time, without any in crease in rental, provided he will plant ' winter cover crops, ami use other soil building methods which must lie set, for"li in Hie contract. Make a nagrec nii nt in Hie contract further, that at I Hie end of live years the tenant will have tin- option of re-routing tile laud for another terni ol' years at a reason-' able increase in rental. I .believe that ' if the farmers of Un- south will do this' it will benefit our lauds und increase! the community wealth to an extent impossible now for us to estimate. j Hut having rented the land to him ' on eiiuituble terms ami having made; provisions which will permit bini to. become a good larmer and our lands I to become better lands, shu) we de stroy what we lia ve done by refusing to let liim have money except at a ruinous rate of interest? If the white j fanner rises in arms against the mun j wini wishes to charge him 10 ami 12 , per cent, for money, what must bi' the! feeling of Hie negro who has to pay the enormous rate which Hie majority | of our people are guilty of charging him? It is little to be wondered thai he does not care to do anything tn Im- j prove hit- landlord's place. Such ?sage j is not calculated to make men feel , kindly toward those who use th?Vi so. Money Question a Factor. Let us therefore make up our j in i inls once and for all time that an i essential step in solving the negro tenant problem is the changing of our ' rystctn of loaning him money anil let I us give him money on thc saine terms on which white fnrmers receive it. These are the two main steps, leas ing land for a term of yours, and let ting the negro have money cheaply. As for our fourth requirement, that of treating the negro fairly and honest ly-when we have educated him. niven him a reasonably permanent tenure on our soil and dealt with him equitably in fin; ucial matters, we shall be able to ? la? .i with reason that we have ful filled this-iourth requirement. Before concluding my discussion of this quotion, I wish to say, and I be lieve it id be directly germane to the tenant problem in its larger phases, that 1 am very strongly opposed to ne gro ownership of land. As I said when I began, I am not dlsciiHsing this matter from the broadest point of view but purely from the standpoint of the white man's best Interests. The owner ship of ?aad is the very basis and foundation of this and all other civil izations. If th? negro is allowed to continue to ncquire lt, nay, if he con- j tinue to be diven to acquire land by: a tenant system that offers the small present system and those who oppose est possible gain the devotees of flit* negro education may then well fear social equality. Mure y.'.vn LaadH. In the state' of Virginia in 1910, 67 per cent, of the negro farmers owned their own lands, the increase in ne gro ownership being 21 per cent, from 1000 to 1910. In the 24 tidewater counties of Virginia, negro land hold ings have increased In ?0 years from about 6.000 acres to 421,465 acres. Thc total acreage of lands in Virginia owned by negroes in 1910 was 1,629, 000 about 16,000 owned their own farms. The percentages for other states may be even higher and In some cases probably are. Figures from these two, however, suffice to show ^hat it is no mere possibility that faces fcs, but an actual situation. The negro knows that the acquisi tion of land is the surest way for him to raise himself to the level of the white man. If he does not know it, his leaders know it, and instruct him in the ways that he should go. We' find, for example, that Booker T. Washington and other leading negroes are constantly urging upon their peo ple the Importance of buying land. Furthermore, you will find that when a negro hays a piece of land, as a gen eral thing, he will starve himself and his family for years ?n order to secure .a clear title and pay off bis bidrtgsges. He will pay for land with a willing ness anil a persistence that he shows In no other lian net ion. And when he has acquired Hie land, he will not let lt go. This tenacity ls going to be one of cur future troubles if wc con tinue to sci! him land. I know that many'people consider me hopelessly Inconsistent when they hear me, on the one hand, plead for education and fairer and more honest treatment of the negro, and, on the other hand set myself up in opposi tion to the' acquisition of any land by the negro. They will argue that lt is impossible to make first class, tenant farmers of the negroes -without in spiring them with a desire to own land, causing them ultimately to de mand that land bc sold to them. They will argue that lt is impossible to pre vent negroes from buying land if they wish to do so. Let .us see whether these objections will hold water. , , flood Tenant (Mass. As fdr the first objection, we have our anawer hV England, where for j centuries a certain class t of people : owned practically no land. The great 1 landed estates were in the hands of o few and the land were parceled out [among the tenantry. Yet the tenants r became good farmers and made good farmers of their sons, and it was a i li mi sa ml years or mort' before they began seriously to insist that the gov ernment reunir? the gentry to sell land to them. If lt took tho sturdy, intelligent British yeomanry a thou sand years lo bring lo a head their demands to be allowed lo own land, would it not require a longer timi' for the negro Itt reach tltis point? I ad mit that my plan might leave a prob lem for the far distant future, but perhaps in a thousand years the negro may be so different a being that the problem will suive tisejf naturally. At any rate, who are we that we should endeavor to plan for the peo ples oj' many centuries ahead? Shall we not content ourselves rather with doing what wi? consider to be for the best interests of our posterity only so far ahead as we can imagine our posterity? lt is true that you" cannot legislate the negro out ot" land ownership' lt would not do any good to pass such laws, even were they constitutional, unless the sentiment of the community were overwhelmingly against negro ownership of land. Hut once you have secured this sentiment, you need no legislation. So it is plain thal if we educate Hie public mind to tin* danger of the acquisition of bimi by negroes, we shall need no laws on the subject. The Instinct of self-preservation runs with as much virility and strength in a community as in an individual ami but allow the mind of the Com munity to become sulilciently im pressed with the danger of anything that threatens its civilization, and the community will turn against that thing, ami will battle with it single handed, no matter what may be the odds against it. And so it will be with the white people of the south. A Mutual Hebt. Let us recapitulate. When all is said ami done, we owe the negro a debt, and the negro owes us a debt, and this mutual d"tu is permanent and can never periiaps be fully liqui dated. The presence of negroes in such large numbers as tenants on Southern farms has given us a prob lem which stands in Hie way of our agricultural development. I believe thai th?? proper method of solving this problem ls educating the negro, leas ing him land for a term of years, with the privilege of re-renting it, and let ting him have money cheaply and on equitable terms. I further believe that we should so encourage the negro to become a good and contented ten ant farmer that he will not insist on buying land when we make up our minds not to sell ll lo him. All that I have suggested here Vi? advisable for our while people to do hap. been suggested strictly from the point of view of the interests of the white race. But we find that nearly all of these suggestions are also in the interest of thc negro race. "Cer tainly, if these methods were to be put into operation our conduct "would be very much more in acord ' with humanitarian practice than it is at present. If we do not allow the ne gro to acquire lnnd, it is because there is a point beyond which a race ls not required, even by moral laws. JW go. Freedom In land ownership would ultimately place the negro so cially on a level with the white man. and the white race would suffer sub stantial deterorlatlon because of this No moral iaw or any other kind of law requires a race lo jeopardize its future integrity. c Finally, it is my belief thut if we fail to do Hie things now which I have recommended, we shall have to do them later, or our children will have lo do them when doing ipay be much more difficult than lt ls, now. It is my ardent hope, therefore: that we can convince the white man in the south of the permanence of the negro ten ant problem and canu influence him tc take thosp steps which will at once be for his own Interests and at tin? same time permit him,to fulfill the debt nnd the duty whkfo he o wes, the negro race. COMBINATION OF MATERIALS Plain white cotton crape with crape 5 su llied in red and .bordered with whlct I mu? red dots makes a stuart and ef J fective combination in t\.?? hummel , .frock, which follows the summer rult \ ot comt,ination oj hinterinls. The loos? ' lines, of the blouse, complemented bj tb* ves tee of sheer embroidered hand kerchief li ii en und the short Rossini tnnlc. not ;? extruding nil the waj around, bnve tue jlgbt touch of sum ueriness. ' '.' Photos copyright, 1914. by American Tresa Association. kEROPLANES are proving of distinct utility to thc American army In Mexico. douerai Fnnston is using tiiem constantly keep tracie of the movements of tile ll nerta forces. The Illustration (top plvture) slums un aviator coming nshoro In a hydroplane after n ro.'ijuutMltwr lng trip, and ut the bottom ls Lieutenant Mustin, un army aviator, making lila report after returning from scouting over the Vera Cruz suburbs. Financial and Commercial j New York Cotton New York, .tune The cotton mar ket was unsettled by heavy realizing today, losing about ?half of yesterday's big advance, and closing barely steady ni a net decline of H to 21? points. A very bullish weekly weather report checked selling tinting the middle of thc day. but failed to inspire any ma t-rial broadening of fresh demand and prices roached, the lowest point in the late tradiug. -""' Closing prices w? re the lowes! of the day. with December contracts showing a reaction cf 2T. paint ''- "U. the .high level of yesterday. A tru\e' lng crop expert wires ?ti from Dp* s that the Texas crop was in hail riup(\ and the statement of the, Sv,'(''\'>' weather bureau that a lar*-1 I,r',J1 in Northern Texas had not ?"en PIa.nted und Huit many fields hr1 b',<,n ?i,)!"> doned. was un" of th/polnts empha sized bv bullish ir"''rL' ?round UM lo al ring. On ti>' docline, how ever, a report ne* received from Aus tin claiming .-"?t with a favorable weather the' Texns crop would .m prove rapi'iy. although it might not be able " overcome till tho damage that lu?' been done, while l.kcr< ms> also, lave been some selling c;? leenl predictions pf showers in t'.ie eastern heit, where needed. Cotton futures closed barely steady. Open ("lose .July.133S l'2t. August. 1322 l'.;0S October.I-'?S I2SI December.12MT 1281 January.. .. 1277 1270 Spot cotton quiet; middling uplands March... .123? 1272 137.".; gulf 1400. No sales. Liverpool Cotton Liverpool, June ?. -Cotton spot firm; good middling ?48; middling TS?;-, low middling 738. Sales 8.000: speculation und export 500; receipts (5,000. Futures quiet; Juno 744; June- July 727; July-August 726 1-2; August Sept. 711 1-2: October-November 686; Dec. Jun. 677 1-2; Jan. Feb. 677; Mar. Apr. 678 1-2. Stocks *??d Bonds New York, June 2.- A definite down ward movement of stocks occurred to day, with a larger volume of trading tlian during the recent deadlock ses sions in which the price level virtually was unchanged. Tho market openc ut fractional recession. On incree '? offerings, quotations fell away ' ,, ." ly. Pressure re laxed late by?; e exhibited no recuperative J* ?,ORI\ " Forcgin markets slio-'", UJC ,WI,.U" euee of .he Ulster mir' an* ,r*t?n d''' velopnienta in Fro-/ J??lilll? don disposed of .-^luips B.t*0 shares herc. , , . , Strength ' staU' u?d municipal bonds Ta}^ to H;i8,amp railroad is sues T?*u' sa,os i'ar ralue $1.750,00(1. Unite- s,at"K 2s registered declined j..,?in call. Chicago Grain Chicago, Jun 2.-Wheal prices turn ed upward today, influence largely by European novices of bullish rop con ditions and of diminishing stocks on hand. The market lu re closed steady al an advance of 1-4 to :t-4e net. Other leading staples, tooti all showed gains corn :'.-4 a 7-8 to 1 .J-Hc, oats 1-4 a !l-8 a 1-2 anti provision:; 12 1-2 a 15 to 4?i ( outs. NEW ORLEANS COTTON New Orleans, La., June 2.- Liqui dation was the main influence in the codon market today and it weighed against l?ricos sufficiently to send them 12 to 16 points under the level close was at tho lowest. H. liing out of yesterday's last quotations. The was heavier, in the aft er noon than in show of strength was made and thc tho morning session when some small trading months were put 3 to ."i points over yesterdays dose. While weather conditions were still unfavorable there was improvement In Texas and the trade appeared to be looking for some elt up in the drouthy conditions in thc eastern bolt. Sell ing was based chiefly on the belief that the extremely unfavorable conditions of the recent past could not contin ue indefinitely and that any chango would l o for (he helter. Tin weekly crop summary and wea ther reports were regarded as highly unfavorable but they did not cause buying of any great importun?e. Spot cotton steady unchanged. Mid ti?r.g |3 8-4. Sale:; un the spot 78f? lo arrive 750. Cotton futures steady. Closing: July 1850;. August 1.132; October 1277; ' December 1277; January 1278; March 12SS. Program jgor Missionary Conference Wednesday. 8- Breakfast. 8:45- Devotion. Mrs. J. M. Sullivan. 9- lllble cluny. Prof. C. M. Faithful. 10- Pcrconui service, Mrs. It. Lee Saunders. 11- Mirsion study, Mrs. A. L. Smoth ers. 12:15-Dinner study and rent. ^Wednesday AitcrnonoV . 3:30 - Ways and Meium Proposed Constitution. 6:30 -Supper. 7:30-VoBper service. Miss Hermie Shirley. 8:20-Address. Rev. W. T. Tate. . Thursday Morning. 8--Breakfast." ' . 8:45-Devotion, Mrs. E. J. MeO< wu. i>-Blb|o study. 10 ^Personal nervlca. ll-.Mission utudy. 12:15-Dinner, study and rest. Tit II rs ila j Afternoon. 3:30- Ways and Means; business serriion. 6:30-Supper. 7:30-Vesper service, Miss Helen Buriiss. 8:30-Address, Rev. Edward S. Heaves, subject, "Stewardship, or Christ's Teaching Concerning the Itlght Use of Property." Friday Morning. 8-Breakfast. ?3:45-Devotion, Mrs. E. P. Gauibrc'.l. p-Bible study. 10 - Porsonal service. 11 -M lesion study. 12- Noon devotion, Mrs. E. W. Mali ters. 12:15 -Dinner. ' Adjournment. -.i BURRISS' SHINGLES ,u-JIL "ESIIH-JU fffr-ssas ). -, iff I;';' M ISP Has recently saved two houses from tire. <~e on Franklin Street, where Mr. Geisberg live? on McCully Street owned by N. C. Burr0, 1 S is well worth considering when you b a nexv house or need a new roof. Insurance l?ss w?enV vou use Burriss Shingles. We mal' a ?arn K?OT that never leaks. No nails expos" to me sun* bee us before roofing your houses ' Phol,e us and w? will come to see you. JON. T. BURKES & SON. DON'T THAT BUGG*^ <>r WAGON und H?)RSE or MULE y^il you have seen the ones I have for sale. If you want the best, say Piedmont Buggy or MH-. burn wagon. Theo P. Watso?r ...Sales Stables... N. McPEFElE KT HF. FT _; a . -.'._tm J. ?NOFBHON, 8. C. We Have Buggies, . coming in almost every day the latest shipment being a car of -COLUMBUS-- * Come in and let us show thara. They are 1914 Modela. We have a nice Une of Pony buggies. %%%% J. S. FOWLER ATTRACTIVE TION TOUR VACA i NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA. The BEAUTIFUL NF.VT ENGLAND <()l NT RV AND NEW YORK Jl'LY 1 To 19, 1014 ?Ia SEABOARD AIR LINE RAILWAY And lUinneetionN Moan! Pisgah Niagara Falls, Niagara Gorge, ??rente, housand Inlands, Rapids of the 81. Lawrence Montreal, Quebec Montmorency Falls St Anne de Beaupre, White Mountains, -Summit ML, Washington, Boston end New York THREE BAYS IN BOSTON AND TUREE BAYS IN NEW YOBK A Complete Itinerary at Minimum Cost for eighteen d?ys of Best, Recre ation. Interesting and Instructive Tratet Personally conducted by Mr. CH. OfitUs and chaperoned by Hrs. Gattls. GATTIN TOURIST AGENCY Raleigh, N. C. rnnrnm im WE have arranged to p?ibli& serially the remarkable amy entitled. "The L\nd of F-token Promise?,Mby Dane Coolidge. It it a story of the Mexican resolution, and a graphic p&ur?. pi .tt>n^tfag in that country built upo? the advsr* tures cf lv/o Americans and thc ruiuauce of a beautiful Mexican senorita. it h a Serial AU Witt Whhioflead mt SUBSCRIBE FOR riyNE ANIMi|W|)5l ii>A-ILY I^U#iPfH WW? FAMILY NEW&PAPER iN SOVXH CAROLINA, Mmlmm.- ' T^ ...... ..?;,.