The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-10-02
DELEGATION FoREsTALLs seq.
REGATioNlSTS.
c.. A. franklin Makes Pointed Ad.
dress,

| lhho Ah1 6AONNh VI AhV tOAOA GU pOpu
lation by hemming them in at least
with a southern boundary line of
Twenty-seventh street in the neighbor.
hood of Vine street, Highland and
Woodland avenues. The following let.
ter best explains at least the Interior
intent:
This is a resolution adopted and
signed by Thomas S. Ridge, president;
c. T. Allcutt, secretary.
BE it Resolved, That we, the mem.
bers of the Linwood Improvement AS
ISOLATION residing or owning property
in the district bounded by Twenty.
seventh street. which is on the north,
Linwood boulevard, which is on the
south, Brooklyn venue on the east,
and Paseo on the west. Realizing that
the 'desirability and value of our prop
! erty is dependent on the character of
the residents thereof, hereby agree to
use. all lawful means to remove all
negro ~residents-and to prevent the &C.
cupancy of any and all houses in said
district by negroes. In order to ac-
complish this we purpose to assist all
owners in securing desirable white
tenants for rental property and white
purchasers for property listed for
sale
Is not the above letter a fine sam
pie of brainless and constituencies
| conceit? But no more than could be
expected of "peckerwoods' who are
too poor and shiftless to keep abreast
with their own race, must ever stay
and contest the steady progress of
their more aggressive black brother.
Out of these known facts was born
the Spring Valley Colored Improve
ment Association"
Purpose-To improve housing con
ditions in Kansas City, who addressed
the following letter:
Kansas City, Mo, Sept. 81, 1915.
To the Honorable Park Board of
Kansas City, Mo:
Understanding that a proposal has
been made to you to convert into a
park the property bounded by Vine
and Woodland, Twenty-seventh and
Twenty-eighth streets, we, the Spring
Valley Colored Improvement Associa-
ton, respectfully request an opportu-
nifty to appear before you to show rea-
sons why this action should not be
taken.
Respectfully yours,
The Colored Spring Valley Improve
ment Association.
C. A. FRANKLIN, President.
JOHN A. HALL, Secretary.
AS said, the five colored men were
there to protest and act against any
movement calculated to condemn
their homes. And so after the session
was called and the minutes read, the
president of the park board stated that
AMY delegation present might pres
emit might present their case. Mr.. c
A. Franklin, taking the cue, arising
said:
Mr.. President and members: Be
fore l make my statement l desire
to introduce these gentlemen accom-
panying me. This is DR.. Thomas A
Jones, home owner; this is DR.. How.
ard M. Smith; this is Mr.. Charles A
Starks, business man and writer for
our local colored paper, and this is
Mr.. L. C. Stewart of the Stewart &
Smith real estate firm" and Franklin
pointing to himself, the printer"
Mr.. Franklin then told in a clear
pleasantly frank way, and unmistake
able manner, how the colored people
in the vicinity of Twenty-seventh and
Twenty-eighth streets and Vine, High
land and Woodland n were no
seeking to bring about any conditions
other than what was natural and
right. That the colored people claimed
the right to spread out in natural ways
just as white people do in the com
munities which they prescribe for
themselves. He claimed that the col
ored people had a double right to en-
large their present territory when
conditions warranted it, if for no other
reason than that they were not free
to buy homes in other parts of the city
as the white people are" Hence, it
was the right and proper thing for
them to seek enlarged conditions in
the one community which has by com
mon consent been allotted to them.
He thought that the honorable body
would be glad to know hat the col
ored citizens were making reasonable
progress in becoming n of homes
and were highly concerned in every
good movement of sanitation and pub
lie improvement. He would read,
with the presidents permission, the
letter of the Linwood Improvement
Association Ian overnight organiza-
tom, which showed too plainly what
the motive was in having his prop
erty and others condemned for park
purposes" He continued:
"Inasmuch as we already have two
parks in the vicinity he thought it
strange that a certain set desired
another one. The question that this
committee brings to your honorable
people to decide upon is whether a
small set of individuals will be al
lowed to prescribe a boundary fol
other citizens to live by who wish tc
: become home owners and better citi
{ zens. If decided unwisely it will be-
the means of creating problems il
every part of our city"
Many other logical things were said