1 66 Negro Migration 



the first period. All but 3 of these 28 counties, which 

 during one of the two periods, pursued this policy, have 

 substantial Negro majorities in their population. The pro- 

 cess therefore seems to be one of subjecting the already 

 overcrowded Negro rural schools of the Black Belt to fur- 

 ther crowding in order to provide much needed facilities 

 for the more scattered white population of these counties. 

 The substantial number of counties which, during both 

 periods, increased their expenditure for Negro schools re- 

 gardless of decreases in the Negro population, may be said to 

 indicate an increasing tendency in the majority of communi- 

 ties to do justice to the Negro schools. The substantial in- 

 creases in expenditure for Negro teachers' salaries after 

 some counties had lost heavily by the migration of 1916-17, 

 and after the Negro's complaint against his school facilities 

 had been forcefully brought to the attention of County 

 school boards, doubtless indicates the effort on the part of 

 these boards to do their share towards checking the move- 

 ment by rendering belated justice to the schools. 



RACE RELATIONS 



Areas Losing by Migration. — In districts from which 

 the Negro is moving the general effect seems to be a lessen- 

 ing of race prejudice. People who do not go below the sur- 

 face accuse the Negro of restlessness and unreliability, but 

 the general effect on white people of the discussion which 

 accompanies the movement seems to be to center their 

 attention on the factors which make for the discontent of 

 the colored population, and to emphasize the justice of 

 some of the complaints of the Negro. Again race preju- 

 dice seems to diminish as the proportion of the Negroes 

 in the total population becomes smaller. The migration 

 of Negroes from the Black Belt areas and the resultant 

 increasing percentage of white people in the total population 

 relieves the fear of Negro domination. Perhaps the passing 

 of the old-fashioned demagogue, who could so easily make 



