The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-15
TIE BLACK TERRITORY.
The Number of Negro Settlers in Okla
homa Estimated at 90, 900.
Ian the Nam mis- Scirrntnr
7 IULl lLIO NHVIIl llle oILIutIdT.

r EOLLl tlG AAClL JA4c SE4LI6Lar.
The growth of Oklahoma has been one
If the most remarkable in the history of
American territories. 4 few years ago
II was a barren wilderness, inhabited
onlv by savage Indians and lawless white
men; to-day it is knocking at the doors of
congress for adminissiou 20 the union as
state. When it is admitted il will nave
a larger Afro-American population than
anv state of its size and population in the
union outside the southern states. From
figures furnished by Mr.. Peter FLYNN
oliver, a repuJab Die lawyer of FL Reno
who went to Oklahoma from South Caro-
lima a few years ago, il is learned that the
Afro-American population number 81, O00.
there being S,565 in Blaine county. IA 900
in Kingfsher county, $500 in LINCOLN
county 10000 in Logan county, the re-
mainder being scattered in all the other
counties. The total property holdings Of
these people is So, 49,, S26, divided as fol-
lows: Five million four hundred and
lightweight thousand one hundred ana
ninety dollars represented by 5S4,SIg
acres OF farm land S31, 400 represented By
town property, and 1897, 736 Represented
nv personally. Commenting on thess
figures, Mr.. Oliver says:
The land in Oklahoma is largely raw.
and the price place upon it is extremely
low. Settlers have hardly begun 10 build
elaborately. and the ma GRITTY of the
pioneers brought with them no personal
itv worth mentioning, save their teams.
when they first came; some came even
teamless. The personally valuation is.
therefore, very low. If you could have
seen this barren country, however, on
April %. 1889, then gone Away and
dropped down upon US to-day, you would
be wOnder-struck at the metamorphosis.
The dug-out, the sod house and the
shack are being rapidly replaced by beau
tiful and comfortable homes for man and
beast
The estimates have given YOU are for
Oklahoma, excluding other portions of
the old Indian Territory. There is a
large Afro-American population in that
portion of the Territory, many of them
worth their hundreds of thousands of
dollars. The Creek and Seminole ma
lions have more African than Indian
blood in their veins, and Gov Brown Of
the Creeks shows his African more than
hiS Indian blood He is man of educa-
ton and wealth.
The Kickapoo, the Kiowa, the Co
manche and the Apache lands are likely
TO come in soon for settlement. The next
move will then be upon the five civilized
tribes, who own their lands in common
Then the whole Indian territory VIII
have been swallowed Dy tue white man.
Many lots Of black men help in the swal-
lowing"
The Afro-Americans have settled in
some parts almost to the exclusion of the
whites. LangsJon City was founded by
Z. P. McCabe, who was once auditor of
Kansas, a man OF great resources and en-
ergy. The streets, avenues and boule-
Yards of Langston City are named in
honor of prominent Afro Americans. 1t
supports weekly newspaper called the
Herald Mr.. McCabe projected another
town, but it mas not prospered as well as
Langston City.
Most of the Afro-Americans in Okla.
homa went there from the southern
States, Tennessee furnishing a very large
number, and these are constantly draw
ing others after them, as is natural and
usual in such cases. so it is possible that
when the territory is admitted to the
union it will have an Afro-American pop
ulation of some 10000 In several in.
stances, when these men have been men.
aced by unfriendly Indians and white
they have shown that the courage and
determination which carried them into
the territory and enabled them to secure
homes in the wilderness were SUFFICIENT Il
protect them and their property.