The Appeals From Oklahoma
January 11, 1908
Summary
The Home Protecting League of Oklahoma speaks on the “evils” of those unfairly taking their land and people. They plea for support from the government and African American newspapers.
Transcription
We, the citizens of Grayson Grove Church and the vicinity of Wagoner and Gibson Station have met and organized under the name of the Home Protecting LEague. For the purpose of upholding the law, we feel that every citizen has a right and it is his duty to assist in this great work. We feel that the tide is changing and we know that we must change with it. We know that we will soon be in a new state and we are in favor of the enforcement of all the laws alike and condemn all mob violence.
We now further resolve that the President of the United States endorse our action in organizing the said league throughout the Territory and we further resolve that our work shall at all time be in compliance with the law and we further favor that the action of our league be made public to the world.
We heartily condemn all violations of the law whether by individuals or by mobs and we further resolve that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the President of the United States.
Signed: T. Grayson, Creek Citizen, President; L. N. B. Slaughter, Treasurer; J. Edwards, Assistant Secretary; E. M. Jones, D. Jackson
VIEWS OF THE SITUATION BY THE LEAGUE
A call was made and the members responded promptly. The meeting was called to order by L.N.B. Slaughter. A hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” was offered by E. M. Jones and a prayer by T. Grayson. The house was then announced in order for business by J. E. Edwards.
L.N.B. Slaughter offered the following resolutions: Whereas, we the citizens of Grayson Grove Church, and the Home Protecting League have assembled ourselves for the purpose of forming a union and in order to offer resolutions condemning the great evil which is now being forced upon us. We condemn all actions and effort made to force the government to remove the restriction from our lands. We favor that our land be held in restriction for twenty-five (25) years and we further urge that all the citizens of the FIve Tribes to unite and stand together as one. We have looked down the line of time and we must say that we see the great evil. Now we urge our people to stand up like men. Now, when you look down the column of our Daily Newspapers, what do you see? Is it Jim Crow Law and Separate Waiting Room. Disenfranchising all who are not able to read a certain part of the Constitution. Say men! What do the mean to do? Perhaps they do not want us to vote but intend to make us pay taxes in our homes.
What do they mean by the term “Jim Crow?” It is hard to tell unless they mean to force our wives and daughters to ride in the smoker after they have paid full fares. If that is their intention, then they are mistaken, for we wish to tell them, if they don’t know, that these roads are built on our dirt and that whenever they refuse to carry us when we have money to pay them we think they will quit running.
We wish to say one thing to our people and that is this: We must urge our ministers, school teachers, and our leading colored newspapers to come to our rescue in order that we may save our children and our land. We have hundreds of acres, yes thousands of acres of land and are willing to assist in any way to have our land occupied by our colored brethren. We want good men - we want race pride men. Therefore this body will subscribe for any leading paper that will help us in this great work in order that we might be able to stamp out this dirty evil.
A brief talk by Tom Grayson:
“Gentlemen, there is one thing I have to say. It is true that before the black-handed evil came among us we had no such trouble. We have lived on this land for seventy odd years and have never been molested by our government. Now we find that the black-handed evil has tried to break peace between the red man and the black man. We have lived here since 1865 as brothers and sisters at peace with each other and could live here in the same way a thousand years longer if this black hand of evil was stamped out.”
“Brethren and fathers and mothers rush your children into the club in order that we may stand up as one. It will make them gentlemen and ladies and good law-abiding citizens.”
By Tom Grayson, a Creek Citizen and an uneducated citizen, well known all over the Territory.
We favor that a copy of these resolutions be sent to all of the leading colored newspapers of the United States.
For any information regarding the Home Protecting League, write to the body at Grayson Grove Church in care of Tom Grayson, Box 12, Wagoner, Oklahoma.
We now further resolve that the President of the United States endorse our action in organizing the said league throughout the Territory and we further resolve that our work shall at all time be in compliance with the law and we further favor that the action of our league be made public to the world.
We heartily condemn all violations of the law whether by individuals or by mobs and we further resolve that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the President of the United States.
Signed: T. Grayson, Creek Citizen, President; L. N. B. Slaughter, Treasurer; J. Edwards, Assistant Secretary; E. M. Jones, D. Jackson
VIEWS OF THE SITUATION BY THE LEAGUE
A call was made and the members responded promptly. The meeting was called to order by L.N.B. Slaughter. A hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” was offered by E. M. Jones and a prayer by T. Grayson. The house was then announced in order for business by J. E. Edwards.
L.N.B. Slaughter offered the following resolutions: Whereas, we the citizens of Grayson Grove Church, and the Home Protecting League have assembled ourselves for the purpose of forming a union and in order to offer resolutions condemning the great evil which is now being forced upon us. We condemn all actions and effort made to force the government to remove the restriction from our lands. We favor that our land be held in restriction for twenty-five (25) years and we further urge that all the citizens of the FIve Tribes to unite and stand together as one. We have looked down the line of time and we must say that we see the great evil. Now we urge our people to stand up like men. Now, when you look down the column of our Daily Newspapers, what do you see? Is it Jim Crow Law and Separate Waiting Room. Disenfranchising all who are not able to read a certain part of the Constitution. Say men! What do the mean to do? Perhaps they do not want us to vote but intend to make us pay taxes in our homes.
What do they mean by the term “Jim Crow?” It is hard to tell unless they mean to force our wives and daughters to ride in the smoker after they have paid full fares. If that is their intention, then they are mistaken, for we wish to tell them, if they don’t know, that these roads are built on our dirt and that whenever they refuse to carry us when we have money to pay them we think they will quit running.
We wish to say one thing to our people and that is this: We must urge our ministers, school teachers, and our leading colored newspapers to come to our rescue in order that we may save our children and our land. We have hundreds of acres, yes thousands of acres of land and are willing to assist in any way to have our land occupied by our colored brethren. We want good men - we want race pride men. Therefore this body will subscribe for any leading paper that will help us in this great work in order that we might be able to stamp out this dirty evil.
A brief talk by Tom Grayson:
“Gentlemen, there is one thing I have to say. It is true that before the black-handed evil came among us we had no such trouble. We have lived on this land for seventy odd years and have never been molested by our government. Now we find that the black-handed evil has tried to break peace between the red man and the black man. We have lived here since 1865 as brothers and sisters at peace with each other and could live here in the same way a thousand years longer if this black hand of evil was stamped out.”
“Brethren and fathers and mothers rush your children into the club in order that we may stand up as one. It will make them gentlemen and ladies and good law-abiding citizens.”
By Tom Grayson, a Creek Citizen and an uneducated citizen, well known all over the Territory.
We favor that a copy of these resolutions be sent to all of the leading colored newspapers of the United States.
For any information regarding the Home Protecting League, write to the body at Grayson Grove Church in care of Tom Grayson, Box 12, Wagoner, Oklahoma.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Right Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Emma Alvarez
Citation
“The Appeals From Oklahoma,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed April 27, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/118.