The Indianapolis journal., 1902-09-21
THE NEGRO In BUSINESS.



Richmond. Va. Correspondent New York
Post.
successful negro business man from
Chicago, in a thoughtful address which he
delivered at one Of the meetings of the Ma
tiOnal Negro Business League here, this
week, predicted that the virtual prohibition
of the negro from many avenues of labor
would in time have what the speaker called
a "Judoizing influence upon him; or, as he
explained it, drive the negro into business,
just as the Jew has been to a large extent
driven. Another negro business man, also
from Chicago, told how, when not long ago
he went TO a Jewish dealer to buy certain
piece of machinery, he was asked If he
wanted the machine for his own use. To his
affirmative answer, the dealer replied: I'm
glad of dot. Dots what the negroes haf
got to do If they want to succeed. They haf
got to stop looking for tips, and go into
piziness."
The stories of how these two men got
their start in business are so interesting
that l give them here, although they are no
bit more graphic inspiring than those
of numberless other men of the race which
this business organization has made pub
lie for the sake of the encourag cement OF
other men and women of the race.
The first man, the one who likened the
future OF the negroes to the Jews, w. +.
Taylor. owns drug store, which has been
opened five years, and puts up an average
of 1900 prescriptions year. When MIR.
Taylor got ready to open his store, five
years ago, after working all night TO finish
shutters with just one cent in money left
to his name; and he had pawned his watch
and bicycle besides. The first customer
was a woman who bought cents worth
of something and rendered a 10-cent piece
in payment. The new druggist looked in the
money drawer, and, with apparent surprise,
exclaimed: Excuse me, madam, till go
out and get some change" and slipped
across the street to get two nickleS for the
dime.
The second man, the one who wanted to
buy the machine, is A. G. Howard, young
colored man, who not many years ago was
running q porter in Pullman car out
of Chicago. OF an inventive turn of mind,
he began to experiment in the making of
shoe-blacking, succeeding in a year or so
in producing a satisfactory article. The
porter went on running, and in his lay-offs
in Chicago made backing and sold it. un-
ital, he embarked in business life as a
manufactures of shoe-pOlish. That was
less than six years ago. Now it takes
three teams to supply the trade in Chicago
alone with his shoe-polish. Last year a
Mexican firm placed annual contract
for 600 gross of IT, and a New York firm
has just ordered $50 gross for foreign ship
ment. This years sales will amount to
over $4,000.
These two. men and fifteen more, all ne
groes, came from Chicago to Richmond
to attend the convention of the league, of
which they are members. They experienced
no inconvenience from the Jim Crow
car law, because they came in a special
CdT CudTttIeu Dy tIltUl lOT the
trip, and they had no trouble in finding
hotel accommodation here, because there
is a neat and comfortable negro hotel In
Richmond, capable Of accommodating over
a hundred guests, built with negro money
and managed by negro men. Money counts.
The National Negro Business League was
organized by Booker T. Washington in
Boston in 1900. Last years session was
held in Chicago. The object of the organi-
zation, as set forth by Mr.. Washington,
who has been its president from the first
is to bring negro business men and women
together from all over the United States
as a source of encouragement and inspira-
ton to themselves, and also that the
country in general may see something OF
what the race is doing in the direction
of business. From twenty to thirty States
| have been represented at the meetings
| each year. and considerable number OF
| local leagues have been formed TO meet al
| certain times and report to this central
| body. The meetings of the leagues have
| steadily increased in interest and In at
tendance and have improved in Importance
| and in the businesslike way in which the
| deliberations are conducted. In fact, the
meetings this year, here at Richmond
| could hardly have been improved upon by
any body of business men.