Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-10-05
POLK COUNTY NEGROES.
They Are Buying City Property and
Farms and Acquiring Wealth.
They Are Large Consumers md Help to
Drive Away Hard Times by Keep
ing the Current Coin of the
Realm In Circulation.

C. " tt
TIE Iowa STATE BYsTANpER desires
to call especial attention this week to
the rapid increase in the colored popu-
lation in this county and its material
prosperity and growth in every desir-
able way. The casual observer will
have but limited knowledge OF these
facts il his attention il not called to
them.
The growth of the colored popula-
ton has been steady, and those who
came seeking work readily found it,
To-day there are nearly 900 voters in
the county, which would represent in
the neighborhood of 4,500 people.
These figures do not include about 200
miners who have recently come from
other parts of they state. They have
all been remarkably prosperous, and
some of the finest farms in the county
are owned and operated by colored
men. Some of the handsomest and
most valuable property in the city of
Lies hOlHcS ID wv hSl ny SSloASN AASh,
many of them renting to their white
fellow citizens without prejudice. The
total valuation of the property of col
ored American citizens in this county
would astonish those who have not
looked into the matter
The colored farmer comes to Des
! ar II 4lo 49, hsc f,.aI
He has the money to spend for grocer
!. les, dry goods, boots and shoes and va
rious other articles. The proper y
holder of color, like the farmer, must
and will live, and he alsospends money
for the luxuries sometimes, and the
necessaries Of life all the time. The
colored miners of the county make
good wages and always live comfort
ably. They will spend their money
with the merchants of Des Moines if
the merchants will let them know
what their prices and the special in
ducements, which they frequently Of
fer, are.
In the city of Des Moines there is as
thrifty, industrious and intelligent a
class of colored men and women as one
will find anywhere in the country
among any class of people. They are
composed Of professional men. lnechan-
| les, business men and laborers in vari-
GUS fields open 10 them in this city.
They all must and will live, and are
| not afraid to earn the money with
which to purchase the staple articles
in which the the city merchant deals.
Colore people all over the country are
noted for living well and dressing well.
The question for the merchants OF
| Des Moines is; .sIs it necessary to
make an effort to gain at least a por-
ton of the trade of 4,5aO cnlored peo-
ple?' These people are believing more
and more in the doctrines of PRoTEC-
TIoN and RECIPROCITY. They look in
| the paper of their choice to see what
Des Moines merchants have to offer.
! and are surprised to find those with
whom they have been dealing for
years without an advertisement in a
paper owned and operated by colored
men.
The Iowa STATE BYsTANDER has fire.
quently called upon merchants for ad-
vertisements and given ''hard times
prices THE BYsTANDEE is the only
state paper in Iowa. 1t has the largest
circulation of any paper of its class in
the city. 1t goes into the homes of 60C
colored families in Polk county. The
professional men. business men. me
chanics, miners and laborers read THH
Iowa STATE BYsTANDER. We offered
space in this paper to our merchants
because we felt able to give them value
received, if not handsome return or
a comparatively small investment.
| We have called attention to these
facts because they have been over.
looked in the rapid and steady growth
of the city and state. The Negroes o.
Iowa and Polk county are by the force
of circumstances consumers, and it is a
| well-known fact that the larger the
! mum ber of consumers the greater has
been the prosperity of the city and
state.