Wichita eagle., 1890-03-08
SOME MISREPRESENTATION
CORRECTED.

We give place to the following COM
munication to the Topeka Capital simply
to assist IN correcting the misrepresenta-
tions that have been made in regard TO
the matters referred to, and which false
statements have done Oklahoma terri
tory great injustice and placed it in an
erroneous light
KINGFIsHER, Ok, l. T., March, 6.
To the Editor Of the Capital.
The statements recently made in the
Capital and some other newspapers i'll
regard to the negro population of Okla
hOma are gross mlSrepresen tationS, cal
culated to do much harm and should not
90 uncoutradicted. In the last few davS
L have made diligent inquiry of the most
intelligent and best posted colored men
in the territory and find that the negro
population is even less than
have been disposed to put it at.
Previous to this investigation |
supposed there Were probably 5000
negroes in Oklahoma. | am now salts
fled that this is an overestImate. In the
Guthrie land district ] learn from good
authority there are not to exceed five
hundred negroes, all told. In this, the
kingtisher land district. there are not to
exceed fifteen hundred. The negro
population in the Oklahoma towns is
very small - proportionateiy much
smaller than in any towns of similar
population i'll the western states. In
kingfisher there are probably thirty or
forty negroes, all told. Ia Reno City,
FL Reno, Frisco, Hennesey and Downs
there are none 10 speak of. Outside Of
the black jack" country, which lies on
the north bank of the south fork Of the
Cimarron river, negroes do not consti-
tute three per cent of the rural popula-
ton. In the "black jack neichDor-
hood the negro population does not ex-
ceed twelve or thirteen hundred. The
coming census viii verify these esti-
mates.
Il is bad advice to tell the negro peO-
pie to come to Oklahoma az the present
time, unless they can come prepared 10
buy claims at good round figures. and
have additional means TO enable them to
improve and cultivate their claims and
live for SIX or eight months, at least.
The same facts apply 10 any ether
class Of people. For people
with money. as soon as congress gives
rights NAV be legally defined,
there will he favorable opportunities for
business here in my opinion. At pres
ent, however, there is not single foot
Of vacant. unclaimed land in Oklahoma
that Is good for anything and there IS
net enough labor in the towns for the
people who are already here. When new
territory IS opened TO settlement. not
r., al -r,t
want to take advantage Of about the last .
they viii ever have 10 &C. +
cure homestead from the public do
main should be prepared - move 81 a (
> notice. and # the colo-e1 man
and brother gets there first. that fact
VIII be sufficient proof Of bis cualihca-
tons 70 make pretty fair citizen. The !
however. that Oklahoma 4
should be turned over exclu-iveiy 70 ne i
yroes for the purpose oi giving them q
chance to demonstrate their capacity Tor /
seif government, or ioT any ether pur-
pose, IS simply wild-eyed luna
-. and Is calculated 10 90
hem great and irreparable harm.
Men who really have the good Of the he
yro sincerely Al heart ought not TO IN
iuIge n Il ! am sure they woul1 not
4 they knew what they were talking
about
The course Of the Capital ard mos 0.
The Kansas daily papers ttbe Wichita
EAGLE always excepted. toward Okla
aonla has been the cause % profound r.
-ret Hp9a TIE paT1 of The people ot the
.eTrI,oT-. ~ pre-erlt ~ per cent tsna
his Is too low rather than too high an
estimate af the entire population os Ok
ahou4a coues from Kansas. They de-