Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-09-02
UPLIFTING NEGRO RACE
Work of the National Business
League.
Progress Reported TO Annual Session
Just Concluded at LouisviIlc--
Such Subjects ns Negro Banks.
Insurance Companies nRd
Factories Discussed.

The National Negro business League
has concluded it's tenth annual session.
The keynote Of the session was sounded
In the address of its president. Booker
T WASHINGTON. He cited at some length
the progress made by the race along the
lines OF business and economic advance
mont. No little Of this progress was at
tfibutcd to the influence of the business
League. When II was organized ten
yoars ago there were only two negro
hanks In the United states: now there
are forty-sevcn. A handful OF drug stores
were thor owned and operated by no
sroes; tiey now number over 200. Bust
rc.s enterprises, small and largo, now
reach total of over 1000. A few scat
t'r'd Insurance companies OF ten years
| ago now number u, ana nre placed on
SoN"d financial hn6l' ac'orn'nE 10 inc
principles OF the science ana lnathHna'-
US ol insurance. me great hilh VI 'H0
progress. according to DR. washington
''oa'cn IN u" south "her" INC negro
lI'os ana whore his destiny ICES lie ad-
'.S'A inc race IN inc ilds' or 'hlS pussy
H'F'' 10 accUMuIate material wealth. mat
7"oU'd not OVERLOOK the moro Iunc"-
m'n'al principle Of morality without
prove TO he vanity and vexation of spirit
INC OF the speakers, ss!zlng upon TINS
suggestion, emphasizes upon the atten-
Won OF the co'ored race that business
raining ana experience Is the best school
OF morahty' for without truth ana nom
"S'F ana fair dealing there could be no
permanent business success MI WASH
inrton also suggested That the BUSINESS
proper exhibition ana celebration or
inc nttieth anniversary OF ire Ernancl-
pauon Proclamation in tho year 1919
! MS proposition was eagerly accepted ny
VI" l"sHu" and referred 20 the executive
committee FOR the formulation OF plans
40 ''''s'''''e'''
! "'r" we're in attendAnce Ieading mon
o. ''' coIor"o race from all parts or inc
country representing the various WALKS
| or IH'. rms league includes not merely
FL" VINO are engage IN business ac-
! corning 20 Inc tecHhlca! denn't'oh OF tha'
| ''''' "Ct men anu women OF BIZ caAIihSS'
WHO are Interested III IN" upi'lt OF inc
| r''' 'nrongh ms economic agency
ne N'Noha' Negro BUSINESS Lea que
IS ''' erent from most business orSnflzn-
''ons IN that us ioUnder ana ch'ei pro-
'"''or Is not t'n'scIf BUSINESS man as
''"t '"rf' IS uSna'lE UNDERSTOOD. Inc
'"'ihpers OF inc 9odF haroF expect n
p'rSon"' prort from lts proceedings ana
''hperat'ohs' us purpose IS purely al
U'hs'ic' i's pro'esSeu ann IS 10 develop
IN tle negro race a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS or
us business opportunities 70 induce IN
''eas'"s numbers Oh young people 10
'"'el upon o"s'1eSs pursuits anu 10 'H-
fr'u'r ''lR"'r "esF'e OF l""''ty an"
! ''i'o''"'N III every mum anu woman IN
'"!s '"Ve tHSus'i III 'he ordinary P"r-
e"'S % nv. ~ - '"'''iN announcer FORM
! III WING" MI washington rus orY9'a'-
l'"e" MS "o"lVN 'NerF"'N PHILOSOPHY u
'"""S''!' 'i'1'' anu economy
The National Negro business League
does NOT profess TO cover the entire
| circle Of racial needs. Its field ~ OPP
GRAFTON Is limited, as its name implies,
Tho proceedings Of the Organization are
always limited strictly to this feature,
II is Interesting to sit throughout It's
proceedings and witness men and women,
Who feel deeply and keenly the wrongs
aud outrases perpetratcd upon them In
the civil and political domain and yet
carry through the progra nine without
whisper OF tho underlying burdens OF
| their souls. IT was the most remarkable
example 81 the power Of self suppression
mat the writer has ever witnessed.
Tho programme dealt with such sub
jccts as negro banks, Insurance compan-
les. the ferns factories. and Individual
business enterprises, Each speaker was
limited sharply 10 his own observation
and experience and any tendency to ex-
ap9eration was easily checked Ivy tho
'hrewd cross-exomination OF the pre-
siding officer, Mr. WashirgtCn has little
tastc or Loneliness for generalization aui
abstraction. Whenever n speafer began
TO deal in slittoring goncraities, the
restless gnvcl soon called him back TO
a plain statement as to the number of
acres operated. yield per acre. size of
his bank account. his carly struggles
and final success. He deems that this
pictorial illustration Of the trials and
success is worth more to the young man
or woman than all of the turgid eo-
quence about race prccross and upl,ft.
II YVES as much as he could do at times
to keep back the food Of pure eloqucnce
which threatened to deluxe the conven-
ton.
+ Is as impossible to discuss the M
tonal Negro business League without
Describing the character Of Rocker T.
Washington as It would be to describe
the Rcyolut!onary war without portray
Ing his illustrations namesake. Mr. Wash
inraon has engendcrcd the same principle
into this league which charac,erizes Inf.
general activities. He believes that n
husines. league should. above all th,nr.
10 operated on busineer prlnclplc. A O.,