Negro Migration during the War
a betterment in their methods of living. A decidedly better treatment of the negro, both in the North and the South, will grow out of the fact that the demand for his labor has been limited and the supply unlimited.

In the spring of 1918, the Walla Walla, Washington, _Bulletin_ summed up the situation by stating that there was much alarm over the migration of negroes to the North in large numbers. However, economically, the migration has been seen as providing necessary labor for war industries and increasing the productive output. While there have been complications in housing and social problems, the negro labor has been recognized as a new industrial asset.

Some of the negro newspapers opposed the migration, expressing concerns about the exploitation of labor and the impact on the southern economy. The _Journal and Guide_ of Norfolk, Virginia, highlighted the importance of understanding the true inducements and implications of the migration before promoting it.

There were differing opinions on the migration within the African American community as well. While some saw it as a right of liberty and pursuit of happiness, others questioned the wisdom of a wholesale exodus. The need for conservation of moral life and the challenges of adjusting to newfound freedom in the North were also emphasized.

Discussions around how the negro should be treated and what would retain him in the South revolved around humane treatment, protection of rights, educational opportunities, and fair wages. The importance of recognizing the negro as a citizen with responsibilities and allowing for progress and freedom of movement were underscored in these debates.The Christian Index the official organ of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, published at Jackson, Tennessee, was of the opinion that: There are two sets of causes for the negro leaving the South at this time. One set may be known as the surface causes and the other set beneath-the-surface causes. The surface causes are easily seen and understood. These are economic causes. The war in Europe has called home foreigners out of the industrial centers of the North and West. These large factories and other industrial enterprises, representing enormous investments, had to turn in some other direction for labor. These large industrial opportunities with higher wages made strong appeals to the southern negro. The beneath-the-surface causes are to be found in the handicaps under which the negro labors in the South and the uncivilized treatment to which he is subjected. He is segregated. To this he most strenuously objects. There 
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