The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-31
TRAP FOR NEGROES
OUT OF BUSINESS
Fraud Order Is Issued Against
the Promoter
BAIT FOR THE SIMPLE
j. G. Conley Is the Man Rebiud <p-s
BAIT FOR THE SIMPLE
j. G. Conley Is the Man behind mr.
Scheme to Refrnud Negroes By
Promising Them Something
for Nothing

Washington, July 30-(Special y
Proclaiming itself the lark of the col
ored race" to advocate the lawful
rights of the colored man and his peo-
pie, and incidentally to secure by agl-
tation and faithful prayer congressional
action providing freedmen with pensions
for the labor done by them during the
cruel days of slavery" the Great Ma
tional ex-Slave Congressional, Legisla
tive and Pension association" The
National ex-Slave union, Congressional
and Legislative Association of the
United States" with its officers and
agents such as ]. G.. Conley general
manager, was put under the ban of q
fraud order by the postoffice depart
ment today. 1t is charged that the
concern and It's agents are engaged In
a scheme to obtain money through the
mails by false and fraudulent pretenses
and to mislead and impose upon ignor-
ant and credulous negroes.
The firm operated In this city and
is said to have collected considerable
money from Alabama, Kentucky and
Tennessee negroes. Conley formerly
lived in Nashville
The plan of the concern as outlined
In the memoranda of the assistant at
torney for the postoffice department in
which the fraud order is issued is to
send out state organizers with power
to establish local branches of the union
and collect 81 as initiation fee and
10 cents as monthly dues from the
members. Half the dues collected were
to be retained by the state organiser
and the other half to be sent to Con-
ley.
1t is said that Conley was sending
out circulars broadcast to negroes ask
Ing them to join him in the effort to
educate and elevate the colored race;
to advocate the lawful rights of the
colored man as a citizen of the United
states and secure for him and his peo-
pie a full measure of enjoyment of life.
liberty and the pursuits of happiness
as outlined and contemplated by the
fundamental principles of this govern
ment, and to enlighten the members of
the association upon the provisions and
purposes of the bill now pending in
congress known as the Vaughn ex-
slave pension bill, or the southern tax
payers pension bill, and to urge upon
Congress the necessity of enacting
substantial provisions of said bill into
law"
Conley's circular, 1t Is said, recltes that
Senator Marcus A. Hanna, by request
introduced identically the same bill to
provide pensions for freedmen and 1t
invokes fathers, mothers, descendants
and friends of the old slaves to get to-
gether and make one great and noble
pull. as never before in the history of
our lives, by agitation and through faith
ful prayer to the Lord Almighty in Heav-
en- that we might get public sentiment"
Each ex-slave is urged to do this, that
the Lord may soften The hearts of the
lawmaking powers that they will agree
one to another to give us something for
the past labor that we created in the
cruel days of slavery"
The circular concludes with a bless
ing for all hands.
At the hearing at the department Con-
ley appeared as general manager and
financial secretary; Parker Morton as
president and w. w. Small as treasurer
The assistant attorney of the postoffice
department states that there Is no such
bill pending in Congress, and there is
no possibility Of securing such legisla-
ton. In support, he quotes from an ad-
verse report from the Senate commit
tee on pensions, dated January 16 1900
which states that such bills. II enacted
into law, would take from the treasury
millions upon millions of dollars and adds
THE Introduction of the bills has given
an opportunity for dishonest people to
impose upon ignorant and credulous
freedmen and their children of the south
in a way that will surprise the people
when they know the facts