The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-07-04
Or. VIM, J. ThOmpklns Speaks
His Views on The Pend ng Franchise Con-
VlnClrg and UnsnsWsrabIe.

In taking a position on public at
fairs, my first interest has always
been for the welfare of Kansas City's
minority, my people the black folk.
Relative to the Metropolitan Street
Railway Franchise / have taken a
position only after careful investiga.
ton from a standpoint of civic pride
and racial interest.
I shall not attempt to go into all
of the details of the franchise for
this has been done by the city ex.
perts and has been adopted by the up
per and lower house of the city coun.
Gil and has been endorsed a sane
business proposition by the CONNER.
cial Club; that body Of men who
guard and control the destiny of Kan
sas City's present and future CONNER
cial life; the history and record OF
which stand as an open book to the
public.
For four years Kansas City has
been embarrassed before the world
because her commercial interests
we're thrown in a chaotic state as a
result of false representations to the
people by the Kansas City Star. Let
us as a race take a retrospective view
and ask ourselves: can we rely on
what the Kansas City Star says in
regard to any proposition?
The Metropolitan Street Railway
Company employ 500 Negroes daily
with a payroll amounting to $500 per
week which represents $500, 900 per
annum as salaries to my people.
The Kansas iCty Star employs two
Negroes to load the heavy paper
trucks at $3.50 per week each which
amounts to 1920 per annum.
The Armour Packing Co. employs
$500 men, rs per cent Of this number
demand for unlimited Negro labor at
the packing plant. Mr.. Charles w.
Armour, the president of this firm, is
the stockhoIder Of the Metropolitan
Street Railway Co. II was he as one
of the members of the hospital and
health board that made it possible for
the Negro nurses and internes to be
placed in the old city hospital. It is
the Armour interest in Chicago that
make possible the existence of ProVi.
dent hospital, the pride of the Negroes
of Chicago. During the existence of
Douglass hospital in Kansas City,
Kas., Mr.. Armour has lent valuable
aid to its support. | might go on
speaking of the pension list Of old
Negroes who get not only their fam
lily provisions weekly but their pay
as we'll, but space will not permit the
same.
On the other hand, may we ask:
what has Mr.. William R. Nelson, edi-
tor of the Kansas City Star, done for
the Negro?
Is this not a most splendid oppor.
tunity for us as a race to show
gratitude to those who make it pos
sible for us to succeed?
do believe my people are ever
/ grateful to those who help us to make
our opportunities better. do believe
there is in the heart of every Negro
in Kansas City that racial prid,
which makes him keenly responsible,
to that desire to take advantage o
this occasion and show Mr.. Armour
that you want to return your appre
citation in support and loyalty to him
and that institution which has made
possible many of our home necessi
ties.
With the same undaunted courage
which is a characteristic of our race
go to the polls on July Z with YOU
$500 votes in the same spirit as you
did last April when you elected
Henry L. Jost mayor of Kansas City
Pay your debt of gratitude and there
by make Kansas City a great big place
in which to live.
DIR VIM. 7. THOMPKINS.