Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-06-28
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS.
Twin City Special.

west stands out unique in the histor,
Of America. They are the two larges
and most rapidly growing cities toda,
; upon the face of the earth, for only
half century ago they were mere vii
lagos or mission posts upon the "fathe
of waters,' today Minneapolis has ,
population Of more than 100000 people
while st. Paul numbers more thar
100000 people. Each of these great
metropolitan cities has its distinct
identity yet they have grown entirely
together now but was 10 miles apart
Minneapolis is noted for her beautiful
business buildings, her palatial resi-
dences, her broad beautiful level streets
with her laughing Minnehaha Falls. st.
Paul with her old buildings, her narrow
streets running in any and all direc.
tions with more large tall churches,
steeples pointing heavenward, with her
tall costly business buildings is very in.
spring to the stranger, with her great
work shops, factories and mills these
two cities are the gateway to the great
northwest and Canada.
Minneapolis is the home of the
Washburn & Crosby Milling Co. and
Pillsbury large for- mills, the largest
in the world. Well, have said enough
about these beautiful cities. We must
deal with the part thai the Afro. Amer.
leans are doing and the influence that
they are exerting in these cities. First,
1 must say that there is no other city
in America so large as these cities that
has SO few colored people and yet the
few are succeeding in greater proper
tion than they are where they are more
in population; so the old adage is true
gate ourselves in business on the farm,
in the mines, work shop or factories we
would succeed much faster. We must
mix and labor side by side with the
Anglo to properly succeed. Let US first
consider the eolored people of Mime.
apolis. Here lives about $500 colored
people. They have five churches, two
Methodist, two Baptist and Episcopal.
Rev. T. w. Lewis, our good Christian
friend, has charge Of St. Peter g A. NJ.
E. and is doing nicely. His amiable
wife, Mrs. Anna Hal.Lewis, was a res
ident Of our city. Rev. M. w. Wethers
has charge of one Of the large Baptist
churches. He is doing well. We did
not get the name of the other Baptist
minister. The St. Phillips Episcopal
is supplied Sunday in the afternoon by
Father Therobold Of st. Paul. Mr.. O.
A. Lawrence has the undertaken busi-
ness. He has been here several years
and is doing we'll. He should have all
the colored. trade. They have two col
ored policemen and five men working in
the U. 8. mail service. There, are IA
col0red students at the University Of
Minnesota. This speaks well for the
race UP here. 0ney oz sStllYsa1, Ga1s II.
Hilliard, graduated here last Wednes-
day. He is very bright young man
with a great future before him. Many
Of our Des Moines people will remem-
ber that he represented Minnesota in
the Interstate Literary contest held in
our city two years ago. The peculiar CO.
incidence is that his father was the first
colored man to graduate from the Uni
versity Of Minnesota about 40 years
ago. He holds good political berth at
Washington where the family has lived
for the past IS years. The Foraker
Cafe, owned by Mr.. Rutledge, has NOV
ed twice since we were last here. It
is now located just across the street
north of the court house where he So
licits his friends. DR.. Brown, formerly
of Oskaloosa, Iowa, is still practicing
medicine, doing well. There is one
other doctor here. The Tyler Brothers
are still running their barber shop and
pool hall at the same stand. Mr.. H. D..
Parker has moved his barber shop and
pool hall to PA 3rd avenue south. He
has the best equal rights shop in town,
a four-chair up.to-date shop. He reads
the Bystander With delight. G. Beck
with, formerly of Des Moines, is a ce-
ment contractor doing extra good. He
has moved his plant to 1912 2lst street
East. o. A. Lawrence, 507 4th street
South, owns the only undertaking bust
ness and is doing well. VIM. Walker,
an old Des Moines man, is married since
we were here last year. He is head
waiter at one of the cafes and is doing
nicly, with his new bride, Mrs. Ger
trude stepp, formerly Miss Nc
Cracken of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, has
learned the nursing profession and has
all the work she can do. We are in
formed that Miss Marguerite Fields, the
fine musician of Des Moines, daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. J. W. Fields, who has
been employed here, was quietly mar
ried last week to man named Mr..
Lee, who is employed at hotel, We
wish Miss Marguerite success, as she is
very accomplished. Mr.. and Mrs J. A..
Withers, R. L, Buttner and J. w. Ko-
ger all own beautiful homes and, are
doing nicely. Their homes are out
among the elite white people. Rev.
A. G. Pierce is here from Des Moines.
Mrs. J. l.. Neal is doing nicely. Her
son Charles will chronicle the Mime
apolis happenings for the Bystander.
Over in st. Paul we found more col
ored people than in Minneapolis by
about 1000 and they own some Of the
most beautiful homes of any city that
we have visited indeed some are pala-
tial; for instance, Mrs. Kata Craw-
ford's home, Mrs. James Cox, Mr..
Booker's Mr.. J. @. Adams, Mr.. F. l..
MCGEE, Rev. Strong D. Turner and
many others that we could name, if we
had the space. There are 7 colored
clerks in the post Office, viz, G. H.
Booker, M. H. Hickman, j. H. Sher-
wood, J.. II. Hickman, Jr., Geo. Wells
F. B. Simpson, j. E. Murphy. There
are six carriers, one J. P. Anderson
has been on 81 years and Ralph w
Anderson for 20 years. VIM. Williams
and Geo. Hoage are Governor Eberh
art g messengers and O. C. Hall is a
clerk in the state auditors office. Miss
Alice Vassar is the only lady notary
public in Minnesota. Mr.. Morton is q
stenographer in the Federal building
Lawyer Francis is assistant attorney
for the Northern Pacific railway com
pany. DR.. Waldo Turner is the leading