ocracy, looked upon manual labor as degrading; while it of
necessity became the natural sphere of the weaker. Thus the spirit of
work became engrafted into the very being of the Negro. This is the
path all races have trod.

The basis of the South's industrial system was Negro labor; and
although the Emancipation Proclamation changed the whole structure
from a base of slave labor to that of free labor, nevertheless the
Negro remained virtually in the same position, but with enlarged
opportunities. This was a legacy greater than the ballot, for it is
vastly more important to a man to be able to earn an honest living
than to be privileged to cast a ballot, and doubly so if the element
of doubt as to its being counted enters into the privilege. It was a
cruel change from that of an irresponsible creature to that of a man
clothed with the responsibility of self-support and of American
citizenship--a change that would have staggered any race, but the
Negro has acted nobly his part.

To say that the Negro is a valuable citizen, and a necessity in the
development of the South, is to put it mildly. It can best be
appreciated when we remember that since the war the Negro has earned
seventy-five billions of dollars, and out of this vast amount he has
saved the pitiful sum of five hundred millions; thus contributing to
the wealth of the South seventy-four billions and a half of dollars.
It is estimated that four-fifths of the labor done in the South is
done by the Negro. The theory advanced by those who claim themselves
to be immunes from that dreaded disease of Negrophobia is, that the
industrial education of the Negro will inevitably inspire a similar
movement for the industrial training of the poor whites, and the
resultant competition means a further complication of the race
problem, which will only be solved by the ultimate separation of the
races. This theory is as unique as it is original, and bids fair to
revolutionize the laws of economics. But to the contrary the laws of
trade and labor are as imperious as all the enactments of necessity.
The South is fast regaining her lost treasures and bids fair to become
not only an agricultural section, but with her wonderful oil and
mineral resources to be the rival of the North. Coupled with her
wonderful resources is the free Negro labor, which is the cheapest in
the world outside of Asia, and will not only be in demand but will
ultimately enter into all industries, driving all