The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-07-20
NEGRO DISTRICT
MAY BE RESTORED
Civic Heads Favor Lift
ing Of Order Against
., Rebuilding
WOULD ALLAY RUMORS
Say Negroes Have no Money
to Purchase Other Prop
erty and Build Homes

Directors of the chamber ~ com
merce. T.. s. Hutchison, preHid"nt o'
tho Rotail Merchants association,
and Y. Il. white. PRECEDENT ~ tho IA
club. went on record Tuesday ns IA
voring the liftinR OF the order re-
stricting building operation In M"
burned district 20 fircproof struc
tureF. They would ut tho ban On
tiroly and allow the ncgroos 20 rr.
huild the district under tho samu
regulations that were In force prior
20 the uprising on the night of May
al.
Hutchison. white and tho cham
bcr Of commerce directors met AZ
the city han Tuesday afternoon with
the mayor nnd city commission"rs.
and thoro discussed the situation as
It pertains 10 negroes who wish 20
rebuild their homes. but who have
no money with which to purchase
lots further north and caat. on mo
ton OF Street Commissioner O. a.
STEINER lIf HlhNpi WIN NRh'h W.
meet hsreconstruction commit
teo Thursday afternoon. ascertain
it's wishes regarding the burned
area, and report back to the city
commission at It's regular meeting
Friday morning.
Lack OF Funds Blocks Move.
Hutchlson, who acted Bs spokes-
man for the delegation. pointed out
that financial conditions now aro
such that thero rs small possibility
or converting tho burned area into
an Industrial conter within reason
able length OF time. In the mean
time. ne stated, winter is on the wny,
and unless tho negroes are allowed
to rebuild thoy will face n dreary
prospect during the cold months
Another important reason as
signed by HutChson for lifting the
restrictions Is the propaganda tnnt
has been spread over tho country to
the effect that white citizens Of
Tulsa have maliclouslv arbitrarily
end with premcdltation deprived local
negroes of their property with tho
Intention Of converting II To their
own uso and profit. white added
that this rumor has spread as fnc
away from Tulsa as Honolulu. tho
homo Of his son, from whom he re
reived a letter recently telling Of
his report and asking II 1t was
authentic
Negroes Don't Want Work
II was reported al the meeting
that a number OF negroes arc loaf
Ing. and that when offered Jobs they
retort that the white people burned
up our homes and now they cnn
take care Of us" \ paving con
tractor stated n few davs ago that
several negroes, when offered work
on his paving gang, said they didn't
want 10 work"
Hutchison aud White both OK
pressed belief that II the negro
district is returned to tho status n
occupied before the uprising, this
spirit OF sullennoss and dissa tlsfac-
ton will eventually disappear. be
cause the negroes will then bc oc-
cupicd with working out their own
salvation"
There is no reason why the
mayor and city commissioners can
not rescind the order cnlarging tho
fire district and preventing negroes
from rebuilding on their original
sites" white declares "if the com
mission can mako such an order l.
can repeal or change IT, And It
should be done at once" However,
the motion prevailed to obtain the
opinion OF the reconstruction com
mittee before giving a definite an
gWgr 70 Whites urppOga1