The Colorado statesman., 1909-07-31
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY
O. 7. JACKSON BEFORE
THE STATE BUSI-
NESS LEAGUE.


appeals to me more forcibly than The
German Land Company, the Swedish
settlement, or colony with some for
eign name. The Negro Townsite and
Land Company indicates that the Ne
groes have organized for the purpose
of securing for themselves their pro-
portion of the land.
This generation may not reach the
stake that has been set afar off for
our young people by the incorporation
of the Negro Townsite and Land Com
pany, but History will record that an
attempt was made by race men and
women of this generation to lay a solid
foundation for the building of race in
dependence upon the soil. AS Ruskin
has so aptly expressed:
When we build, let us think that
We build forever. Let it not be for
the present delight, nor for present
use alone; let it be such work as our
descendants will thank us for, and let
us think, as we lay stone on stone,
that time is to come when those
stones will be held sacred because our
hands touched them, and that men will
say, as they look upon the labor and
wrought substances of them:
See! This our fathers did for u.s. "
The Negro Townsite and Land Com
pany has for its object not only the
establishing of strong and supstan-
tial company composed of reliable men
and women. but is using every effort
to get our people interested in the i'm
portant matter of owning land, and Sc
curing it while it is within their reach
so far as the price per acre and gov
ernment filings are concerned.
The directors of the Negro Townsite
and Land Company are not altogether
concerned as to whether you buy land
in a district that will be established
by the Negro Townsite and Land
Company, or whether you secure land
in some other district, as the Negro
Townsite and Land Company has a
| charter that covers other branches of
mercantile business and will be in a
position to reach Negro farmer
| though he be located in South Africa.
Our chief object is to establish a
Negro district and town in Colorado.
farming district with a town in its
community, owned and controlled by
| our people, according to the laws of
| Colorado, will do more good towards
| lnc 70 lich i'm
race respect than all the boss politi-
/ clans can do by claiming political pat
ronage for our votes. 1t is the duty
of every man and woman Of voting
age to cast their vote for some party,
in order to maintain their citizenship.
1t requires taxes to support the mu-
nicipal and state governments. When
it comes to giving out jobs, any ad
ministration in power is more duty
bound to recognize the person who
pays taxes on land. than it is to rec
ognize the demands of the boss poll
ticians on account of the votes he
claims to have herded to the poles.
The time has gone for us to realize
|
will set aside their own to make way
| for our children and provide sub
| stantial future for our race. The
laws of Colorado are equal and the
advantages are equal for any race or
class to establish their independence
in this state upon the soil. People
| of other nations have established set
| Elements in this state in the last few
years and have surpassed us who
have lived here for years without TAX
ing advantage of the early opportun-
tiles which were much easier than to-
days Shall we sit idle and wait until
all opportunities are closed up, and
prove our inability to shift for our
selves?
The Negro Townsite and Land Com
pany's answer is NO. We propose
to make the start, and if we do no
more than awaken an interest among
the people to take individual action,
we will feel that we have been of
some service to the race.
If, after investigation of the present
Incorporated company, you find that it
is not organized satisfactorily, and
some better plan can be presented,
| am sure that not one dissenting
voice will be heard from the manage
ment of the Negro Townsite and Land
Company. The directors of this com
pany are men in fair circumstances
and have no other interest than that
of race building. The directors have
agreed to serve for the first year