The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-10-17
Recent Visitor Gives BOIey,
Okla, a New Title
GOVERNED BY CAPABLE men
Authentic Account OF Advancement
Made by the People Of Large and
Wealthy Municipality In the Far
Southwest - ones TraeI<isss Plain
Becomes Great Center Of Industry.
By RALPH w. TYLER.


There IL popular belief existing,
which I. to, shared before my recent
visit to Boley, Okla. that Boley Is but
mere settlement Of incapable imi-
tators, ignorant lawmakers. like
some who obtruded themselves into
public Office in the south during the
reconstruction period; that few log
huts and makeshift houses and stores.
that are stores only In name. constitute
Boley; that the municipal government
Is a farce comedy, and that modern"
y word as foreign here as phonetics
to a Brazilian monkey that Quenches
his thirst In Colonel Roosevelt's river
of Doubt.
The town is we'll illuminated by cleo
trio lights furnished by the city's mod
ern electric light and power plant;
the main street, in its entire length.
has granolithic sidewalks: the stores
are substantially built. we'll stocked
and orderly conducted; the church
edifices are very creditable indeed, and
the towns bank building and Masonic
temple are the equal Of any town with
three times its population. both being
brick, the Masonic temple being q $685.
coo structure Boley 10 "a modern town.
? The public school building Is a per.
fectly modern. two story. eight room
brick Of chaste design. In addition to
Il there II a good denominational
school. Nineteen teachers are employed
to instruct registered 800 Negro
pupils. Eight churches conserve the
religious interests Of the town. two
Baptist and one each Of the following
denominations: A. M. r.. q. M. e..
NJ. e.. Congregational. Catholic and
Church Of God. The people Of Bolsy
subscribe for 2,100 monthly publica-
lions. 1900 weekly publications and
$50 daily publications. This number
Of publications subscribed for by
community Of $500 souls indicates that
Boley Ia a reading community that
means to keep informed regarding
what IL current In the great outside
world The town maintains seven
physicians. two dentists. six lawyers
and 6fty-one merchants. the latter
having over $4OO. 900 invested In their
businesses. The town has federal
form Of government
On arriving at this town. and ought
to dignity It with the title Of city be-
cause Of the highly intelligent manner
In which its laws and ordinances are
administered. the visitor alights at
railroad station whose station master.
ticket agent. express agent. telegraph
operator and baggage smasher' are
all men collated by the census bureau
ut Washington as Negroes. One finds
here the well conducted hotel Is pre-
sided over by member Of the race:
that the telephone exchange is Negro
institution; that the electric light and
power plant 10 wholly In the hands OF
Negroes.
There ID no race discrimination In
Boley. Although the city is an ex-
clusively Negro owned and populated
town. when a white man puts In an
appearance at Boley. as In frequently
the case. on business ezra nds. he is not
subjected to, the discrimination and re-
voting segregation to which Negroes
are 10 frequently subjected In white
governed communities. In this Negro
town white man Is accorded that
generous hospitality which must I'm
press him with the Negro's sincere de-
sire to return good for evil
CaptivHted by the harmony existing
here. observing the progress being
made. I could not help recalling Oliver
Goldsmith's lines:
Hope, like the cleaning taper's light
Adorns ana cheers the way
And still. al darker grows the night.
Emits O brighter ray.
There are many things. and frequent
discouraging happenings to incline
those of us with less sturdy hearts to
the belief that. for the race. darker
grows the night" But when we turn
our eyes to Boley. Okla. to Mound
Bayou, Miss. and dozen other ex-
clusively Negro towns where peace
and smiling plenty reign" in which
ie the proof Of Negro cooperation and
capacity for self government we are
made conscious Of the fact that Hope,
Ike the cleaning tapsrs light. adorns
and ehaarn the WAY"