Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-08-20
EDITORS OBSERVATION.

Our next stop was at Peoria. Here
is located one of the large Illinois
cities, a busy, progressive modern
city with great factories and brewer
les. We found about 1000 colored
people, of which many are doing fair
ly we'll. They have twofdoctors, two
churches, one Baptist and one Meth
odist; one mail carrier, Mr.. H. F.
johnson, who is a reliable and trust
worthy carrier, having been in the
service for nearly thirty years. Mr..
G.. Harper is still in the pantatorium
business. He has moved to 423 Main
street is doing we'll considering the
financial depression everywhere. Mr..
&c: F. Ruff; q former, Ds4 Mcines man
and former editor of the reliable Iowa
State Bystander, is working as limo
type operator for large daily news
paper. He and his wife are snugly
located here. Turning backward to-
ward dear old Iowa, we stopped OH
in Galesburg, Ill. Here dwells about
5000 Afro-Americans and about 3d.
900 Anglo-Americans. This city is
noted for her colleges and academies
of learning. The colored people are
doing we'll. Mr.. Washington is still
in the composing room. He holds a
very responsible position. Mr.. Fletch-
er is another composer and stereo-
typer, who holds good paying posi-
ton in stereotype Office. Mr.. j. W.
Davis, the veteran Of the civil war, is
still living here. He owns nice
home and often thinks of his Iowa SOL
der comrades. He wishes to be re-
menlbered by them. u. G. Davis is
still working at the gas company as
engineer. He has been here for more
than a quarter of century. His
brother is a u. S. mail carrier, who
owns one of the finest residences Of
colored people in the city, beautiful
modern brick. Mr.. G. w. Kidd is still
in the barber business. He was FORM
cry an Iowa man. He is superin-
tendent of the A. M. E. Sunday school.
Mr. C. M. Watkins is still running the
Turkish bath shop in the Union hotel.
He is having a lucrative business. a.
L. Harper still has the contract for
hauling the U. s. mail to the trains
His four years are up and he is now
serving on borrowed time, but will
continue to work for Uncle Sam il
he wants him to. Mr.. Harper and
wife are very progressive and true
race people. This is perhaps one OF
the best paying mail jobs in the
northwest that a colored man has
Rev. l. Bert, our good Methodist min
lister has charge of the A. M. +
flock and is doing fine. The Baptist
church is split up and I do not know
what the ultimate outcome is. Thi:
is the home of Rev. S. B. Moore, ou1
Des Moines P. E. Of the A. M. E
church, who is our choice candidate
for delegate to the general confer
ence. He has his cosy home covered
with the choicest fruits. They hav'
a very bright young lad. c. c. Hop
kins is an active, industrious young
married man. This town has {
young ladies' brass band, which il
unique among our people. We mex
rode into Monmouth, Ill.,, beautiful
ly located city of about 10000 people
of which 1900 are colored, mostly olt
settlers, and therefore owning theil
own homes. There are two churches
the A. M. E., pastored by P. H. Lewis
new man in the west, but an aged
we'll experienced minister. The Bap
tist people own a beautiful new mod
ern church, with a new minister
whose name I just now cannot recall
Mr.. G. w. Jones is truly real rae
man, as demonstrated by his action
I dare say that he reads and take
mere colored literature and newspa
pers than any other colored man ii
! the U. s. He takes the following
The Colored Man Of Baltimore, N
d., st. Luke's Herald, the CLEVELAND
Gazette, the Chicago Defender, thi
Dallas Express, the Home Protectiva
the Freeman, the Boston Guardian