The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-07-27
MAKE COLOR LINE
COSTLY PRIVILEGE
Corporation Formed to Get
Homes for Negroes.
SEES PROFIT IN PREJUDICE
Only Colored Men in Kew Concern and
They Promise Radical Changes
in Conditions.

NEW YORK. July with offices
extensively furnished and with an au-
thOrized capital Of 100000. the Afro
American Realty Company has begun
business as a corporation under the
laws of the State oil New York.
The new corporation is the outgrowth
of a copartnership Of real estate ne
groes, and il is exclusively Afro-Ameri-
can. 1t will lease. buy. and build fats
and apartments for rental TO negroes in
the boroughs of Manhattan. Bronx, and
Brooklyn, and its avowed object is to
make it possible for a negro to live
anywhere he desires if he has the money
10 pay.
The corporation got its start in the at
tempt. about a year ago. of one of the
wCll-known realty companies Of this
city to Gust the negro tenants of 135th
Street, between Fifth and Lenox Ave
nues. At that time this company or
dered the negro tenants out of fats
they had been occupying, so as to make
it white street and raise rentals.
Bought Two Flats.
Several well-to-do negroes who were
interested in real estate. resenting this
attempt, got together. and after vainIy
trying 20 get leaseholds on property in
! that street finally bought outright two
| nathOuses tenanted by whites. dispos-
/ sessed them. and rented the flats TO
| negroes who had been put out Of the
! other houses.
| The men who started the movement
/ were William Ten Eyck. Winston Dab
/ ney. Walter f. Handy, James A. Car
! ner, Joseph H. Bruce. Richard r. VIII
/ son, John Stevenson, MILFORD II. Smith
! James c. Thomas and Philip A. Payton
/ Jr. Most Of these men are negro prop
erty owners and business men.
! These men. with Frank A Steuart
make mp the board Of directors of the
/ new corporation. Thomas is president
| Garner secretary and treasurer. Paytor
! vice president and general manager, and
Smith attorney.
Large Blocks Of Stock.
One hundred thousand dollars has al.
/ ready been paid up, the stock being II
the hands Of the directors and a few 9th
/ crs. Among the larger holdings are one
Of $4,000, one Of $4,000 and one Of s, OOO
/ The stock IS all of one class, being pal
at SO.
The prospectus asking for subscrip
| tions to the unissued stock saysE
The lines along which the Afro
American Realty Company can operat,
are many" it says. THE idea tha
negroes must be confined to certain
localities can be done away with. TIL,
idea that il is not practical 10 put c"l
Ored and white tenants together in tn
/ same house can be done away with.
Race Prejudice.
1.-THE reason for the present condition
Of the colored tenancy in New Yorl
city today is because Of the race pre-
judice of the white owner and his whit
agent When the owner becomes color
ed and his agent colOred. then thor
is compelled to come an improvement
Of the condition.
Race prejudice is a luxury. and. lill
all other Injuries, can be made very *
peHsive in New York city. With a cas-
capital Of 500, 0OO the Afro-Amcrical
Realty Company can turn race preju
dice into dollars and cents. The yer
p prejudice which has heretofore wUrke
against us can be turned and used t
cur profit.
"A respectable. lava bIding negro Wi
ind conditions so changed that he Wi
be able 20 rent wherever his means wi
permit him 10 live.
The Afro-American Realty Company
besides controlling ten Hat houses, Unde
uVc-ycar leases. now owns four i've
, story flats, valued at $4,000"