The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-08
w. L. Vernon Talks of Negro
Race in Business.
Urgent Need of Business Men as
Well as Others.
MILLER TAKES STAND.
Calls Stock and Grain Gambling
Greatest Evil in America.
LincOln's Portrait Obliterated
From Postage Stamps.

Washington, Jan. S.-"The colored
race has need of its business men,
Any people whose sole accomplishment
is based on the hazard of political fu-
ture, or who depend entirely upon
their own professional men to make a
place for the race, will find themselves
on sandy foundation, and when the
storms come and the winds beat upon
this race the house will fall.''
The foregoing was an utterance by
William 7. Vernon of Kansas, who is
register of the United States treasury.
at the first annual banquet of the Ne
gro Business league of the District OF
Columbia at True Reformers' hall.
mo man." Mr.. Vernon declared, 'is
so politically Independent as that man
who has an assured income and who
can express his opinions untrammeled,
without fear of being reduced to want
or of bringing distress to his loved
ones. In the various communities of
TINS country the negro business men
are more and more becoming factors
in the political life of the race. To
these men the temptation to be venal
does not come. They are above want
and can put the temptation behind
them.
81 would not have you think that
the possession of property or money
can take the place of upright char
acter, because venality in politics is not
necessarily limited to the poor.
The successful negro business man
can stand out for all the rights of the
race and uncompromisingly demand
that justice be done his people This
attitude, when known by our people,
but tends to. popularize him and his
leadership comes as consequences"
Congressman James NJ. Miller thinks
that stock gambling is a great evil.
In addressing the house, Mr.. Miller
said in part:
"I know of no greater evil in Amer
lea than the evil of gambling in stocks
and grain, and believe that some
time congress will legislate so as to
destroy that evil or in a large degree
minimize he effect of the evil"
Congressman Ed Madison has present.
ed bill in the house creating the Office
of attorney for the Interstate commerce
ceedings against carriers upon formal
complaint of any person, association, or
corporation that. they have been sub
jected to unjust practices. Appointment
is to be made by the president, and the
attorney is to receive $10,0 per annum,
and each of three assistants provided
by the bill to receive $4,000 per annum.
The picture of Abraham Lincoln does
not appear on any postage stamp, hav-
ing been removed from the 5 cent stamp
by the recent order of the postmaster
general
When the government first went into
business, and for many years thereafter.
only the pictures of Franklin, founder
of the postal department. and George
were used. The engravings
of various other great Americans were
used. Now Postmaster General Meyer
is returning to the original arrangement
Of using only Washington and Franklin.
The immediate result is a storm of
protest from admirers of Abe Lincoln.
They want him restored to a stamp of
his own, and kept there. and saved from
the discomfort of the peripatetic exist
ence which has been his. He was sue
adorned. for short spaces OF
time, on the cent, the 10 cent the g
cent and the 4 cent issues.
Congressman Dawson, of Iowa, recent
ly proposed a resolution in the house
to issue a special series of Lincoln
stamps this year, in commemoration OF
the centenary OF Lincoln's birth. Bus
this only called the attention Of phila-
telists and Lincoln admirers to the fact
that Lincoln has been dropped out, and
now letters are coming to the postmas-
ter general, the postal committee OF the
senate and house. to many members of
congress, demanding that Lincoln be
given a permanent place in the stamp
series.
Bills introduced in the senate by
Senator Charles Curtis: Bills grant
ing increased pensions to r. r.. Hun.
George +. HeuSI1S, JOSIAH WILCOX.
Louisa st. Clair Grail, Wyatt c. Craw-
ford, Alexander r. Banks, Minnie ID.
Dobbins, William c. Black, Lucien H.
Mears. David M. Evans, Jane Plank
inton, Young 8. Slater; bill for the re-
lief of James Carroll bill for the re-
lief of Roughlin Brown; petition OF
the Vineland, (Kan.) Grange, praying
for the passage of a rural parcels post
and postal savings bank laws; petit
tion of Wathena citizens, praying for
the enactment of legislation making
the first day of the week a day of rest
in the District of Columbia; petition
of Wamego citizens, urging legislation
granting pensions to the surviving
m embers o fthe United States military
corps who served In the
civil war; petition of Buffalo, (Kan.)
praying for a law granting
pensions to the widows of soldiers
who have married veterans OF the
civil war since 1890.
Mabel L. White, of Kansas, a clerk
in the office of auditor for the state
department, has received a salary in
crease from $1,000 to $1,400 year.
FlIbert Charity, another hailing from
the Sundower state, employed in the
office of the auditor for the war de-
nartment. was also increased in pay
from $500 to $1,000.
Homer Follett has been commits
stoned postmaster at Wheeler, Kan.
Sent Paris Green in Candy.
Denver, Colo, Jan. S.-Faris green