Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-02
NEGRO COLONY
TO BE FORMED
OPTION TAKEN ON TRACT IN
SAN JOAQUIN
Ten Thousand Acres to Be Devoted to
Homes, and Model Town and AgrI-
cultural Schools VIII Be
Leading Features

"To create sentiment favorable to the
colored race" is one of the objects OF
the organizers Of the first negro colony
ever established west of the Missis-
sippi The promoters of this scheme
have options on 10000 acres of land IN
the San Joaquin valley. on the main
line Of the Santa Fe, midway between
Los Angeles and San Francisco, much
of which has been taken up already.
A model town will be built in the
center of the tract, and will be sur
rounded by farms of from two and a
/ half to twenty acres, all owned by coll
ored people. An agricultural and hor-
| ticultural school viii be established
where those unfamiliar with modern
methods may receive instruction.
One purpose of the association Is to
| encourage intellectual and industrial
| liberty; to promote homes; to create
comfortable incomes from the cultiva-
ton of the soil and to establish manu-
featuring plants for the utilization OF
| its products.
Particularly is 1t the desire Of the
association to obtain their colonisfs
from the congested districts of tho
southern states, where industrial con-
ditions prevent the advancement of the
race The town will be managed on q
cooperative basis, and any profits ae-
cruing will be used for the betterment
Of the colony or the establishment OF
new institutions.
The name OF the town will be AIlens-
worth, after Colonel Allensworth, a re-
tired army officer, who Is one of the
directors. The streets will be named
alternately after historical characters OF
| the Caucasian and African races.
Douglass, Lincoln, Bruce and Brown
xrrfII ha he c4r hA
public park will be named after Boxer
T. Washington. Eighty acres donated
| by O'Bryan and Lotus, adjacent to the
town site, will be devoted to the Pacific
School Of Agriculture for the use OF
members of the colony. This school
will be presided over by graduates of
eastern and southern institutions. such
as Armstrong and Tuskegee. "a labor
/ bureau will be established to furnish
occupation for members of the colony
The laborers will be divided into
groups of ten. under competent direc-
tors, who shall be responsible for those
under them. Contracts for labor for
the surrounding country will be made
at this bureau.
The town will be strictly temperate,
in so far as this result can be obtained
by q restricted and careful selection OF
its citizens The buildings will be ar
tistic and substantial On the main
streets there will be no telegraph or
telephone poles or sewers.
A model department store Is another
| of the main features. In this store a
practical commercial education may be
| obtained, and employment found for
those who are fitted for 1t.
| Funds for the support of the munici-
| pality will be obtained from the rental
| of the lands, and large acreage has
been set aside for this purpose. A per-
centage of profit from the sale of town
-. Ill f1@r< a141 .p =
ministration, to be distributed accord
ing to its Judgment.
Raising American Flag
It is expected the town will soon be
formally opened to the race with the
raising of the American flag in the
public park. Ten thousand dollars has
| been invested In lumber, and work on
the buildings will~begin at once. Much
! of the land has been reserved already
by responsible members Of the race in
| the southern states, and space in the
department store has been allotted to
merchants Of the south who will join
| the colony.
The association is presided over by
| Colonel Allensworth, who has been a
teacher and clergyman among his peo~
pie and served twenty years In the
army as a commissioned officer J. w.
Palmer, vice president, Is a successful
merchant. w. H. Peck, treasurer. is a
graduate Of Wilberforce university, and
w. A. Payne secretary, is a graduate
of Denison. Harry Mitchell is superin-
tendent.
The offices Of the California Colony
and Home Promoting association are
in the San Fernando building.
Many letters indorsing the scheme
have been received. J. c. Hemphi1l,
editor of the Charleston Courier writes:
Some relief for the sore1y burdened
south would certainly result from the
dispersion of the negro population
throughout the northern and western
states. In our opinion 1t would be far
better for the negroes, as well as for
the whites of the south, If the con-
gestion of the colored people in this
part of the country could be relieved,
and any plan which would have this
result would be received with approval
by a large majority of the thoughtful
white people of this section"
Preston Taylor, member Of wen
known Nashville, Tenn, business
house, writes: 1T seems to me our
people are ripe for such a move. The
only barrier to their emigrating Is the
hard times and scarcity of money. II
is the only solution for our people, to
move on farms and build their own
homes, and the west affords the best
opportunity"
S. A. Beadle and p. w. Howard. at
torneys of jackson, Miss, say: Eve
get plenty of hog and hominy here, but
there is very little consolation in that,
as our people wish to rise, like other
men, and have an equal break in the
race of life"