The Portland daily press., 1895-09-28
HEeoT $4,000 FOR HIS IDEA.
One Black Man Who Has Made Fame and
Fortune in Business.


of the banking and insurance features OF
the True Reformers' Association of Rich
mond, Va, of which the Rev. W. W.
Browne was the founder and is now the
controlling influence. Any one familiar
with the development of the work OF the
True Reformers will admit that Mr..
Browne has a remarkable head for bust
ness. He is a pure African in feature
and characteristics, and his ancestors
must have belonged to the trading tribes
of the west coast of Africa. He undoubt-
eddy inherited his knack of organizing
and controlling business enterprises. He
has no technical, scholastic, or business
education.
The fifteenth annual meeting of the
True Reformers has just been held IN
Richmond 1t was one of the most i'm
portant meetings of the order ever held.
There were 500 delegates in attendance.
One of the most important propositions
submitted to the meeting was made by
A. V. Norval, that $50, 600 be appropriated
to purchase all the right and title in the
plans of the order upon which MI.
Browne held copy right The question
ofspurchase had been made special order
at the previous annual meeting. Mr..
Browne was asked to state what he con-
sidered fair price for his plans and the
like and named $40, 600. DR.. L. S. 2.
Miller of New York made an address ex-
planning the value of Mr. Brownies plans
and labors to the True Reformers and the
ro-American race and moved that $50. :
600 be given to him. Amid great excite
ment the motion was put, and of the 500
delegates only twenty voted in the mega
tive.
In speaking of this action and of HMr.
Brownies work, a prominent New York
member of the order, who has just re-
turned from Richmond, said to Sun
reporter:
"Fifteen years ago an obscure negro
| from the wilds of Georgia migrated to
| Richmond, poor and friendless and almost
| ignorant of the alphabet. Yet he pos
sessed a fertile and active brain. He APP
if they would help him secure few dol
lars he would show then, what he could
do by putting banking system in opera
ton. Many of these people laughed at
Browne and his ideas; some said he was
either crazy or fraud. But he kept
hammering away, and finally succeeded
| in finding persons willing to advance the
required capital. How much do you sup
pose it WASP One hundred and fifty dol
lars was the capital which became the
foundation of the gigantic superstructure
we have to-day. This was the capital on
which Mr.. Browne has built banking
system unlike any other in operation any
where. the phenomenal success of which
| is admitted on all hands. He simply put
| in motion machine for gathering in the
pennies of his race.
Beginning in Richmond, as his head
quarters he has succeeded in putting his
system in operation in nearly every city,
town, land hamlet in Virginia, and has
many lodges in nineteen other States OF
the Union, with a total membership OF
over 80, 900. In the space of fifteen years
he has disbursed over $3.50, 900 and pur-
chased over 500, 600 worth of real estate
Many of the buildings owned by the
order are paying 10 and Is per cent on the
investment. 1t is but just and fair that
man who has accomplished so much for
the order should be paid handsomely for
his idea, as he crystallized it into sys-
tenn, under which the order is now work
ing. I do not think $500, 600 at all ex-
cessive."
DR.. T. S. P. Miller of New York,
Chairman of the Committee on Eaaking
and Insurance. and his associates exam
ined the books of the bank, and found
them kept in the most simple and accur-
ate manner. The system is kextremely
simple. This committee had placed be-
fore it on a table in the bank .$25, 900 in
gold, silver, and paper money. This was
glory enough for the down-trodden negro,
who has staggered under burden of
ignorance and poverty for 200 years, and
delivered from bondage without an acre
of land or penny to his credit.
"The institution has now IN it's employ
over 100 negro clerks, men and women,
with 200 boys and girls in training, to be
placed in active service as rapidly as the
necessities of the order shall require the
opening of branch banks and the like. 1t
is q sort of business college. The True
Reformers expect to keep on reforming in
this new field until the business capacity
of the Afro-American negro has been
thoroughly established. The business in
all departments of the order during the
past year amounted to $91. 773. 04, an in
crease of three-fourths< per cont over the
business done last year. Under the mas
terful direction of W. W. Browne we ex-
pect to go on from one success to an
other"
The headquarters of the order in Rich
mond is one of the largest and finest
buildings
His Size.