The broad ax., 1914-09-12

knock" with. all the energy you ha re-
70 voice complaints. coin that energy
into improved methods Of handling
your own merchandise.
In few other parts Of the world 4,
tnere greater chance for the Negro
to get on the defensive through pro
lection from the soil than Is true In
this section. As ] have stated. In no
other part Of the United States Il
there greater opportunity for the Ne
gro than In the six states adjacent 10
Muskogee-nameIy. Kansas, Missouri.
Arkansas, Louisiana. Texas and Okla
homa. These six states comprise the
greatest live stock and poultry section
OF the United States. About one
fourth Of all the live stock I'm the coun-
try Is In this section. This section is
also great for poultry raising. The
poultry owned in these six states Is
worth over $31.OOO.OOO and is one-Hfth
the value Of all the poultry in the
country.
My own observation and statistics
indicate that this is also one Of the
greatest farming districts In the Unit
ed States. Almost 20 per cent OF all
the cotton raised in the country is pro
duced in these states, and a great
amount OF corn, oats. wheat and Do
tatoes Is also raised. Here are. in
deed, great opportunities for the Ne
gro farmer. There are in the six
states adjacent to this city 100000
acres OF unimproved land. This is an
area Of over 100000 square miles. It
Is equal TO the area OF all the New
England states. New York, New Jer-
sey, Delaware. Pennsylvania and Ohio
together.
I'm this great tract OF unimproved
land Negroes have the opportunity to
settle and To bring up out Of the soil.
which is full of riches, cotton. corn,
oats. wheat. poultry. horses. mules.
cattle and hogs These six states have
a Negro population of 2OOO.OnO. These
Negroes have under their control as
owners and renters about S3m.OOU.OOO
worth of farm PROPERTY They own
about taitssI farms containing about
6,0O0.OOO arreS of land The total value
Of the farm property. land. live stock.
farming IMPLEMENTS etc, owned 10y
the Negroes OF these states is about
$20OOOO.OOO There is room. however |
for Improvement along all lines. For
every Negro that owns an acre Of land |
there are thirty-three who are land |
less. These thirty-three ought to get |
some Of the millions of acres OF unim- |
proved land which are for sale. Let /
us get OF the defensive. Let us stop /
the world from talking about the land
we do not own. but about the land we
do own. Get of the defensive by put
ting the world to talking about the
thirty-three that do own land and not
about the ones that do not own land.
"Let your success thoroughly eclipse
your shortcomings. We must give the
world so much to think and talk about
that relates to our constructive work
in the direction Of progress that peo-
pie will forget and overlook our fail
ures and shortcomings. Instead OF
giving people opportunity to explain
why we failed to build a house let US
build so many houses that the world
will forget about the house that we
failed to build. One big, definite fact
In the direction Of achievement and
will go further in secur-
Ing rights and removing prejudice than
many printed pages Of defense and ex-
PLANTATION.
at is not well for us or our children
hat we should dwell so much on the
defensive. with the negative side Of
life instead Of the positive side. II is
lot well that our minds should be so
continually centered upon our miseries
n upon those who mistreat us. In the
'uture let US emphasize our oppOrtuni-
les more and our difficulties less. Let
Is talk more about our white friends. ;
md about our white enemies less. We
10 our children a lasting injustice {
When we feed them constantly upon !
he miseries OF the race.
Let us talk about the man who has
'ot job and less about the man with /
ut job. Let our fraternal and secret I
Ocieties talk less about sickness and !
cath and more about health and life. {
ct our societies spend less money In {
aking care Of the sick and much more '
money in promoting the health Of the {
ace, and they will have to spend less
n account of sickness and death. In S
tead Of giving the world a chance to q
iscuss the high death rate Of the Ne 4
TO. let us put the world to wondering /
Thy the Negro keeps so healthy and (
trong. Let us make health contagious c
] every community rather than dis G
ase. n
when 100000 Negroes OF the $
outhwest have made the most OF Z
heir opportunities and have let down a
heir buckets deep into the earth and \
rought up the riches contained there o
! in the form OF cotton. corn. oats.
heat. potatoes, chickens. turkeys. !
ogs, horses, mules and cattle they o
ill be able to support in Kansas. r
Iissour, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas
"A niyIabop,o M rnora rynooarv | G