Evening star., 1914-11-14
No Color Line in Crops.

Logan Morgan, who lives within four
miles of Muskogee, Okla, finds that no
color line is drawn in the market against
his twelve and fourteen ounce Alberta
peaches, which bring 81 bushel in the
orchard. His twenty-one years of ex-
perience in the southwest have taught
him the value of remaining quietly at
work and of producing, among other crops.
peaches that can't be beat
Morgan was married twenty years ago
when he had only six bits and an eight
een-dollar pCny. Now they own 14O0
| acres of land and have more than one
half their farm holdings in money and
cover crops.
John B. Keys, who came to Oklahoma
as homesteader in 1891, with 500 in his
pockets is one of the wealthiest negroes
| in Oknulgee. thriving city within thirty
| miles o Muskogee. rich in oil and gas
| properties. Keys owns a solid block of
! two-story brick buildings in the heart of
| the best business section, together with
sixteen cottages and six store buildings,
! and has the respect of his white and
| black competitors in business.
Acorns Food in '97-Rich Today.
| During the depression of 1897 Keys
| and his wife. like thousands of other
pioneers in Oklahoma, had to undergo
many hardships and sustain heavy losses.
|
enough to eat. They had to go into the
woods and gather acorns from which they
made soup and porridge. Today his rents
| amount to $1,000 Il month, from s1OO 900
worth of buildings. and his receipts from
/ the sale of groceries amount to $1,000 a
| day.
! "Dr. Booker T. Washington. as presi
dent of the National Negro Business
League. has urged his people to get
off the defensive in explaining why
| the house that we live in SO often
has the gate off the hinge. the fence
palinss gone. windows and doors
| broken and the. plastering knocked Off
Let us acquire wealth and intelli-
gence so fast that the world will for
| get our poverty and Ignorance.
| Let US be so thrifty and industrious
that people will have no time to talk
about our carelessness and idleness
| One big, definite fact in the direction
| of achievement and construction will
| go farther in securing rights and re-
| moving prejudices than many printed
| pages OF defense and explanation
Opportunities Await Many.
! 'Dr. Washington points out the fact
that 100000 negroes living in Okla
homa, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas
Louisiana and Texas. though they con-
! troll as owners and renters about $780,
| 000.o0 worth of farm property and
own 10000 farms containing some g.
| 600, 900 acres of land. are wasting valu-
able opportunities when they do not
raise. for example, all the stock and
| poultry that they might raise. They
now have the opportunity of owning
and developing portion of the 133-
| 100000 acres of unimproved land in
these six rich staNs of the south and
| southwest region of over 100000
square miles, equal in area to ali OF
New England. New York, New Jersey
Delaware, Pennsylvania and Ohio
They now have openings In this vast
! territory for 1000 more grocery stores
owned by negroes. 500 dry goods stores
800 shoe stores, 200 good restaurants
and hotels, 300 millinery shops, zoe
drug stores and 40 banks.
Here is a program of business de-
velopment that is worthy of careful
consideration by at least 100000
negroes and a very large number OF
white men and women. The success
of one race or class spells success fo1
the nation. The lack of progress OF
jany race, either through it's own in
difference or through hostile public
opinion. makes its people a burden to
all the taxpayers"