The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-25
ARE BUYING
LAND HERE
Negroes Of Virginia Wish to
Be Able to Vote.
AIDED FROM THE NORTH
AIDED FROM THE NORTH
Said That They Are Being Loaned
Money in Order to Enable Them to
Acquire Real Estate
Holdings.

Colored people OF R1chmo ond are buytns
more real estate in and around Richmond
tfan for many years, II ever before in
their dives. -
The fact is, that for some years pa ast
the colored people have been losing their
property, having gone in debt to buy 1t
and grown careless about borrowing
money on 1t where they could The en-
tire face OF things has changed. Where
as before the adoption of the new Con-
stitutioh. negroes were Indifferent about
real estate sales and rarely, if ever. at
tended one unless 1t was their own house
which was offered.
The observation of real estate me-,
now is that they attend every advertised
sale when the property Is at all in their
reach. One prominent real estate man
said Yesterday afternoon that few days
ago he had a sale and was surprised to
sec a negro In the crowd bidding like
a Trojan. with the result that ne Sc
cured the property. paying a good price
for it. - n
ANXIOUS TO BUY.
Another agent says that not In his ex-
perience has he known the colored peo-
pie SO anxious to buy property. Lot az
eagerness OF colored people to get prop
erty has attracted the attention, not to
say surprise. of such leading real estate
dealers as Mr.. n. w. Bowe and Mr.. A.
J. Chewing. Their sales OF property
likely to be within the reach Of negroes
are regularly attended by colored people
Only Monday Mr.. Bows offered for sale
No. 1920 North Twenth-seventh Street.
1T was bought by Robert Jackson. a coll
ored man, for $3.50. and the amount was
paid cash The house is a small ono
and the expenditure tr!ning to a prosrer-
Gus white man, but the fact Of the pur-
chase and the easerness on the part of
the coiored men to own property Is
significant and Interesting.
MOVEMENT IN THE NORTH.
For some time n rumor has been afioat,
a well-defned report, indeed. that a
movement had been started among the
white and colored people of the North.
tho objective point of which was East
ern Virginia. What the purpose and
kind of movement this was did not ap-
pear, but all who heard 1t We're convinced
that it had something to do with the
negroes voting and was an attempt In
some way TO get the llterate and other
wise debarred from out Of the llmita-
tions OF the Constitution. And row the
secret would seem revealed. Business
men are asking il q fund has come from
the North-''barrl." so to speak-and the
colored people are being helped to get
property as the one sure way OF reach
Ing the ballot box. When the report of
the movement" first came. it was as
soclated with colored peoples banks and
DulluiltS ttuu loall HSSOClatlOnS.5 ARE
Northern people depositing money with
these institutions to be used in purchas-
Ing homes for the negrocs?" In the
light of recent events this question may
be asked with all propriety.
NO ONE WILL OBJECT.
But nobody Is likely to be found
who objects to the colored people
buying property. Summing up It
would seem that either tht negroes,
OF their own accord or urged by
others, ere taking the advice OF
Booker Washington, and putting forth
every effort to own property as the sure
means of having the franchise right.
Tho fact is prominent. that Richmond
colored people are huylug more lots in
and about Richmond now than ever be-
fore. Where did they get the money?
They could not have saved 1t in the time
since the new Constitution was adopted.
The natural question Is: :s"Are the white
and colored people OF the North loanns
the money9 If not, what Is this move.
lnent which IS being quietly talked
3about?"