The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-23

What shall be done with the Negro?
This question is frequently asked and
but seldom given a rational, intelli.
gent, satisfactory answer. Possibly
it ought to be changed to read thus:
What shall the Negro do with him
self? Not a few Negroes are answer
ing the question in this form and in
very satisfactory fashion, too. In
stance the Negroes who have been
building up the town of Boley, Okla,
and its surrounding section. There
is an illustration of the successful and
suggestive working out of the self
segregation idea. II has been de-
scribed and commented on by the
Southern Workman:
"Boley, Okla, is the largest Negro
city in the United States. It is sur
rounded by some of the richest land
in the world and has in its neighbor-
hood most valuable mines of coal
and wells of oil. Recently 1t was
the scene Of joyous activity when DR..
Booker I. Washington and some 400
delegates to the National Negro Bust
ness league came to it's citizens from
Muskogee, through Okmulgee, Boyn-
ton and Clearview, where Negroes are
succeeding in farming, in cattle rails
ing, in mining, in the oil and gas
fields and in storekeeping.
"Boley was founded in 1904 by
Thomas NJ. Hayes of Texas in the
rolling prairie land on the Fort Smith
& Western railroad between Deep
Fork and North Canadian rivers, and
is in the heart of a vast region capa-
BILE of producing such diversified
crops as corn, wheat, cotton, potatoes,
alfalfa. apples, peaches, grapes, ber-
ries and the common garden vege-
tables.
This Negro town is making good
Today it has over eighty business con
Germs, an electric lighting plant, eff
cient waterworks, two banks, several
attractive churches, a high school
worth over $4,000, a normal and in
dustrial school supported by the G. M.
E. church, fourishing fraternal orders,
a Masonic temple of the Oklahoma jul
risdiction worth $4,000, a telephone
system, several cotton gins, a cham
Der of commerce, a city hall, a Ne
gro station agent and a Negro news-
paper.
From $4,000 to 10000 people live in
the region surrounding Boley-3,000
are in the township OF Boley and 1900
are in the city of Boley. Here, then,
is the beginning-really an excellent
beginning-of a demonstration in Ne
gro city building which will be
watched closely by those who r in
terested in the Negro as a factor In
business.
THE people of Boley, all of whom
are Negroes, have shown rare pluck
in going into a new country and doing
together what most people said Ne
groes never could do-exercise initia.
tive and judgment in building up bust
ness enterprises apart from white
men. They have won their present
ice by making their lot one with
the man or the farm.
"Boley is in many ways a substan-
tial evidence Of the ambition, thrift
and capacity of the Negro who takes
life more seriously than the average
nan of the race and is not interfered
with by unwise friends or out-and-out
enemies. Boley reflects credit on
Mr.. Haynes and his coworkers. 1t
gives promise of great things. 1t
ought to be better known by young,
doubling Negroes, especially city Ne
groes, who are dissatisfied with their
lot and are ignorant Of what the South
and the Southwest offer in golden OPP
portunities for the sober, hard-work-