The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-01-31
BY RALPH w. TYLER.

Kansas City, Mo.-This city's fame,
throughout the self-satisfied East,
rests, apparently, upon it's stock yards,
its abattoirs, and its beef barons, and
yet no city in the world, not even
Paris, can boast of so beautiful and
extensive system of boulevards, or
more handsome residences, many of
which are fin de steele palaces that
will rival the homes of New York mil
lionaires which line Riverside Drive.
The colored people throughout the
country have just as erroneous ideas
of Kansas City's colored population;
just as faint a conception, or knowl-
edge, of the hustle and progress of
their brothers here in this city.
If you want the very best evidence
OF race progress, Of race loyalty and
cooperation come to this city whose
abattoirs supply large per cent of
the world with meat. There is an air
of hustle here, among colored men and
women, rarely seen, and an evidence
of business thrift and activity unsur-
passed anywhere, by Colored men and
women. And withal there is culture
and refinement the equal of that found
in social-famed Washington or at the
presumed Hub of the Universe
Boston. Two Hundred Thousand Dol
lars invested here by Colored men and
women in business enterprises, and
more than Five Millions of Dollars of
realty in the possession Of the race
here tells something of the progress
made and being made by the race in
hrrv1new mAtraEQlis of the West.
hirty-two CoIored churches here ad
minister to the spiritual needs of the
race; ninety-one Colored school teach
ers, through twelve modern school
buildings. conserve the educational de-
sires of the race, and thirty physicians,
four dentists, eight lawyers and six or
ten pharmacists, with the ministers
and the teachers, form a professional
coterie the equal of the same number
of whites here or elsewhere.
The race is represented here, ac-
lively represented, in thirty-six differ
ent lines of business, and in every line
success is being recorded, and the race
unity prevailing assures continuation
of this success. In my visit here l
have been impressed with the unusual
enthusiasm, and confidence in their
ability to succeed against any odds,
that possesses and fairly envelops the
Colored people here. One reason as
signed, and very potent one too, for
the wonderful progress being made
here by the race, in business, is that
this is the home of the banner Local
Negro Business League in the coun-
try, and that it has for president For
tune j. Weaver, one of the most ac-
tive, ceasceless working Colored men
1 have ever met. In Kansas City he
is dubbed >"the live wire" AS indi'
eating the activity of the Local Busi-
ness League here, it may be said that
although heretofore laying claim to
the largest membership and greatest
activity, since November last seventy
five new members have been added.
The Kansas City Sun, under the able
management of Editor Nelson G
Crews, constitutes another very helR
full aid to race progress here. Even
the Colored women here have become
innoculated with the business spirit
and quite a number Of them are en-
gagged in conducting such establish
ments as bakeries, cafes, dressmakinG
and millinery shops, floral business
ETC.. in addition to the usual numbe
found conducting hair dressing an
manicuring parlors. Kansas Cit
boasts of two of the best drug store
conducted by Colored men in the coun
try, the Palace Drug Store, owned b.
DR.. e. S. Lee, and that conducted b,
McCamphell C Houston. She boast
OF one of the most successful and lare
tst real estate companies, he Afro
American Investment Company, @
which F. ]. Weaver is president an
the directing head. She claims tn
best printers in G. A. Franklin, A. "
Harris and John H. Farley. He
thirty physicians, all with large cl
, entele, are among the most skillful /
the city, and likewise can the same b
said OF her Colored dentists, and he
eight Colored attorneys fully measur
up to the best white attorneys, an
are accorded the same fair treatmen
at the hands of the courts and ba
meted out to the attorneys of tn
dominant race-because on their hie
standing as attorneys.
Eighteenth Street, for sever
blocks, and the intersecting and para
lei streets Of tae immediate vicinit
presents most busy and encouragir
scene with its many Colored businei
III. n0H ~ DnlnTf