Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-11-04
TRUE REfORMERs IN RUIN.
License Of Biesext NEGRO Society In World
Is Suspended.

License of United Order OF True Re-
formers to do business in Virginia is
suspended.
Savings Bank Of True Reformers goes
into receivership. owing the insurance
order 1896. 100. and holding $50, 600 of
checks drawn by the order for insurance
claims, which it Is unable TO pay.
Insurance Bureau hopes order NAV
continue business after affairs of bank
are wound up and assets divided.
Policies of $4,000 Virginia negroes are
IN utmost danger.
No event which might have befallen
the colered race in America could have
produced a more profound shock or
could be more far-reaching in its effects
than the suspension of the license of
the Grand United Order of True Re
formers, which was done last week by
the Bureau OF Insurance of Virginia. The
True Reformers is at once the largest.
the most prominent, and has hitherto
been regarded as the most successful
OF all the colored secret societies in Il e
world. =
This big financial and fraternal or
ganization was brought to its fall by
the crash of the Savings Bank of True
Reformers, an allied institution, which
applied for q receiver in the Chancery
Court OF the city of Richmond.
The chances are that there will be
several arrests. AS late as Monday last
the savings bank received several large
cash deposits from colored churches
and the 7. n. c. A. One colored or
ganization was caught for nearly 81. 500.
A colored man connected with the in
stitution declared that the depositors
would not receive more than 25 cents ON
the dollar.
The Richmond virginian voices the
sentiments of all good citizens when il
says:
TINE FOR sYMPATHf."
| The suspension of the license of The
True Reformers, one of the LARGEST
negro benevolent secret insurance COM
panies in the world, is distinct calam-
ity, not only to the negro race bat to
the State of Virginia. This society
has in its long history done world of
good. It has sxsrted on the whole
mass OF negroes an elevating influence.
1t has advanced their moral ideals: has
encouraged them in ways of thrift; has
done no little toward fitting them for
the exercise of useful citizenship
Through its aid and encouragement,
there are today living in comfortable
homes hundreds of negroes who other
wise would be the inhabitants of shan.
ties. In its success, it stood as a mon
umcnt to negro effort and self-respect:
IN Its fall, it deserves from whites and
negroes alike more of sympathy than
OF criticism. The result OF the catas-
trophe which it has suffered should ne
not despair of negro enterprise along
these lines, but concert of helpfulness
towards rebuilding and re-establishing
the shattered Structure"
FISHERMEN MAY GET INSPECTION.
In view of the receivership decreed
for The Grand United Order of Cali
lean Fishermen's Consolidated Bank
and Enterprise Insurance OF Endow-
ment and Mercantile Company of the
National Grand Tabernacle of the Grand
United Order of Galilean Fishermen. of
Baltimore City. Maryland, at Hamp-
ton, it is believed that an examination
will be made by the Bureau of Insur-
ance into the affairs of the Grand
United Order of Galilean Fishermen.
The department, it 10 known, is sus-
picious of fraternal organizations which
have banks and other side lines.
The books, says the report ON this
bank, were Of the crudest description.
and consisted Of but two-one in which
the items of income were recorded. and
the other in which the disbursements
were placed These books were never
balanced.