The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-10
CURRENT TOPICS.

Booker Washington thinks that the
condition of the negro is improving, in
spite of the wall of the pessimists to the
contrary. In a recent communication TO
the Chicago Record he said:
Within the last few months it has been
my privilege to examine, by personal
visit into the condition of my race IN
nearly every Southern State l have seen
the people in their homes, on their farms,
in the shop, in the factory, in the MINES
in their stores, in the schools IN the
churches, in the jails, in the peniten-
tiaries, and l have talked with the white
people who were once their masters and
are now their neighbors.
after this inspection, combined with
nv experience and my observation IN the
heart of the black belt OF the South
through a period OF nineteen years, /
have no hesitation in asserting that the
beginning of the twentieth century shows
that there is constant DrogresS-prosress
that is tangible, visible, indisputable.
Anyone who has daily opportunity OF
studying my race at first hand cannot
fail TO gain the impression that there are
indisputable evidences that the race is
mon-sensc view of life that it is fast
learning that a race, like an individual,
must pay for everything that 1t gets
must pay the price OF beginning at the
bottom OF the social scale and working
up gradually, naturally, to the highest
civilization. The exaggerated impress
sions that the first years of freedom nat
urally brought are giving way TO an earn
est, practical view Of life and its, Iespon-
sibilities.
With a few exceptions the negro can
buy land and a home wherever he has
the money to pay for them; can establish
schools and churches where he pleases.
\ New York correspondent says:
The craze for gambling in stocks has
reached its high-water mark here this
week. The public are loaded up with
stocks in railroads about whose earning
capacity they know very little and in the
industrials OF which they know less, and
securities believed by conservative bank
ers to BE almost worthless are largely
bought up by the verdant lambs. AS the
public is generally Il bull on the market,
il has been winning on the game ever
since the election OF President Mckinley.
The street teens with stories about for
tunes being made on small investments,
and these stories serve to keep up pubic
buying The feeling in the street even
among those who have been bearish on
the market is that prices generally will
go still higher, although slight reactions
are inevitable. Brokers having seats on
the New York Stock Exchange are reap
ing a harvest in commissions, and some
of the houses are unable to execute all
of the orders they receive The floor OF
the New York Stock Exchange daily re-
fleets the great activity in stocks, while
the galleries of the Exchange are daily
throngeG with sight-seerS, most of them
people from out of town. The price of
seats on the Exchange has passed the
$50 900 point. and if the present craze for
stock speculation continues the price will
soon reach $4,000 for a seat"
This country is now in a prosperous
condition and trade conditions are quite
satisfactory. 1t would be national
shame for q panic TO be brought on by
a speculative craze.
''If it is a reproach to the outgoing
century, says the New York Tribune,
that in the freest. greatest and most
advanced State in the world it often
takes from two to five years to punish a
murderer, and sometimes he isn't pun
ished at ALL the plea may be made in mi
LEGATION Of the censure that we are al