Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-01-12
NEGRO SIGNS NEW BILLS
w. 7. Vernon, Colored Register OF the
Treasury, Will Put Name on
Greenbacks Hereafter.

| Just above the words register of the
treasury" says the New York Tribune.
Ii YOU can get no new twenties. wait
a few months and look at your ones and
twos and iveS, and see the autograph
| OF the new register. the first full hlOoded
negro TO hold the position, and by all
| odds the most representative type of his
race that has yet filled this responsible
| place.
The wonderful presses at the bureau
| of engraving and printing, which are
| grinding out money for us night and
day in vain attempt to keep pace with
the Astounding prosperity of the country,
are stamping the signature of the new
register upon the $50 bills at present.
and as soon as the order is filled will he
gin placing his bold, businesslike fist
| upon money of small denomination. Ii
will therefore not be long before every
| treasury note in general circulation will
! bear the name of Vernon" upon its
face. and it will be no eXaggeration To
! say his will be among the most highly
priced autographs in the world.
! Collectors of signatures of famous men
who will pay high prices for the single
specimens of those Of George Washing
| ton. Napoleon Bonaparte and Oliver
| Cromwell feel their ambition realized
| when they connect with one of each.
| hut for the autograph of Vernon they
will have a never ending hunger. They
will 20 on year after year. through
| health and sickness, through prosperity
and poverty, with the single purpose in
view of gathering together just as many
! of the registers signatures as they can
acquire, and death alone will end their
quest.
Such is one of the marvels that the
| President of the United States can per.
| form by appointment: such is the wonder
| that President Roosevelt wrought when
! he changed the signature of w. T. Yer
| non. school teacher at Quindaro Kan
worth nothing, to ". T. Vernon. register
of the treasury of the United States
worth the ransom of all the kings in
history.
| Vernon is quiet, unassuming negro.
| who bears in complexion and feature
| not a trace of Caucasian blood His
autograph is indicative of the character
! OF the man who writes it; straightfor-
ward business is in every bold stroke
and at the final scratch of ink 1t will
make in size nearly two of the sigma
lures of Judson W. Lyons, the mulatto
who stepped out of the registers office
last June, and nearly half dozen of
the dainty, feminine, almost microscopic
autographs of Blanche X. Bruce, the
noted quadron senator from Mississippi,
who held the place before Lyons time.
Power Back of Him.
Lyons and Bruce showed their white
blood more than their black. Both were
men of commanding presence. and
gained their prominence in politics be-
fore the lightning of presidential APP
! pointment struck them. But Vernon had
not the platform stature, the gift of
oratory or the following of influential
political friends to bring him to the mo-
| tice of President Roosevelt He had q
power at his back. however. that was
stronger in this instance than an army
| of political shouters He had host of
| friends who knew how he had built up
little country school for negro children
out on the Kansas prairie from nothing
TO a useful institution numbering its
| hundreds of pupils.
! What Booker T. Washington had done
of Tuskegee William T. Vernon had
! done at Quindaro. When the President
was searching for a man to fill Mr..
! Lyons shoes, after the latter had round
! ed out eight years of service, Mr.. Wash
| ington was one of the most outspoken
| in advocating the claims of Mr. Vernon
| for the position. Other prominent eduCa-
! tors. white as well as colored, told the
| President that he would make no mis-
take if he made Mr.. Vernon register OF
the treasury. His appointment was soon
decided upon. and he took charge of the
office last June. Since then he has been
signing and issuing bonds of the United
States, of the District of Columbia, the
Spanish indemnity, the three series OF
Philippine islands public improvement
bonds, and the city of Manila bonds and
hereafter his signature must appear on
all new currency, both of rare and popu-
lar denominations.
Vernon was born thirty-fve years ago
in a log cabin on a plantation near LIE
banon. Mo, of parents who had been
slaves. He went TO work in field
dragging hav at eight years. When IF
teen years old he began his education at
a state school for negroes III Missouri,
finishing his course of study when nine
teen. He taught school in Missouri for
six years. and then took charge Of West
ern university a school for negroes. at
Ouindaro. Kan. The school then had
only six pupils, and Vernon was the only
teacher The register points with pride
to the fact that upon his retirement as
head of the college there We're fourteen
teachers employed and 200 students
in attendance. The college property con
sisted of 40 acres of land, with build
ings valued at $4,000. and further i'm
provements had just been orGered under
an appropriation Of 100000 from tie
state Legislature.
Mr.. Vernon is affiliated with leading
negro organizations and has had the
degree Of raster Of arts and doctor of
Ia vrc conferred upou him.