Wichita eagle., 1890-02-06
TO THE CoLoRED PEOPLE.
KNGFIsHER, l. T., Feb. 4, 1S9'

| III IdE COLOhED PEOFLE.
KNGFIsHER, |. T., Feb. 4, 1890.
| To the Editor OF the Eagle
Dear Sir: Pursuant to call for &
meeting of the representative coloreC
men of the territory of Oklahoma, a
large meeting was held at Kingfisher,
February 3, and the following address
adopted and requested to be published il
the EAGLE. Kindly favor US and oblige
Andy Overton, Jr.. secretary:
An Address.
To the Coored Citizens of Oklahoma Ter ritory ant
| the United States
We, the representative colored citizens
Of Oklahoma in conference assembled
| beg leave to call the attention of ouI
colored compatriots who have taken
homesteads in this beautiful and salubri-
Gus country, and those who contemplate
doing SO, to the following facts:
Our condition is different from that ol
our people in any part of this country
| In that it is more favorable from every
point of view.
Our numbers in the territory, actual
and prospective, must give us
social, political and economic
consideration which should be we'll i'm
proved.
Both our friends and enemies are
| watching US.
The fact of our having in Oklahoma
an equal start in the race of progress
should encourage US to take every adj
vantage to improve ourselves morally,
financially, mentally and industrially.
A community of interests should so
cement us together that we may attain
the above recited virtues; that we may
prove to our enemies that the want of
opportunities and not 1nferiority him
dered us from making better progress on
these lines; that we may demonstrate to
them that no fault OF ours snail keep
open the chasm between them and us,
and that it is our desire to continue
friendly relations with our white fellow
citizens and prove ourselves worthy of
their confidence and friendship. Fur
ther, that it is not our desire or intention
to draw a line Of demarkation, either in
politics or religion; that we shall do all
in our power to make progress COM
mensurate with the advantages offered
us.
Noimmoral act, impure conduct, OF un-
cleanliness on our part, shall separate us
us from our white fellow citizens.
in church OF school. Such charges
shall not be the means of
keeping us from receiving our civil
rights. That it is our intention to avoid
all hindrances in the way of our general
welfare in other localities, caused by
jealousies and petty chickering's That
the charge that we are incapable of or
ganization and cooperation shall be sue
cessfully refuted.
We urge our brethren to be economical
and industrious, and inculcate moral
principles in their children, cline upon
line, here little and there little" and
thus lay foundation for them in this
new free country. We have in our
hands the solvent for the race problem.
That though we be of African decent,
yet we are American citizens, and our
wants are the same as that of the Cau-
casian, and that we are in harmony with
American institutions. That the civil
iZation we desire is American civiliza-
ton, and thus be in accordance with the
progress of the evening Of the nineteenth
century.
With our agricultural skill and accom-
plishments we have already made rich
fourteen of the states of this great re-
public. Let us them demonstrate that we
can assist in making Oklahoma the
grandest and greatest of all of the
agricultural states Of the union.
The public domain will be exhausted in
a very few years and when the lands
shall have passed from the government
to the people. lands will become too high
to be purchased by the poor, and then
those who are not land owners must be-
come forever "hewers of wood and
drawers of water" for those that are
The 2,O37, Ala acres of land in Okla
homa have nearly all been taken up,
but the present congress will undoubt-
edly legislate the opening of many more
millions of acres.
In view of these facts we invite and |
encourage all industrious, honest and |
moral colored citizens, who desire to |
procure farm homes, to prepare to come |
and possess homes for themselves and |
heir posterity and help US develop the |
agricultural resources of a country |
whose climate is mild and whose soil for |
fertility cannot be surpassed-thus |
the richest reward to the |
honest toiler.
B. +. FOSTER,
5. S. JONES
ANTHONY OVERTON, JR.,
PAUL JONES,
G.. |. CURRAN,
d. B. GARRETT,
Committee