The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-11-14
An Open Letter TO
The Negro Bus.
mess League
BY Charles A. starke.

the National Negro Business League
means a great national body of Negro
business men leagued together, mind
you, to promote the general order of
business among Negroes. This is dou-
bly, true in local organizations, as the
national affairs are fraught with the
convention spirit, it is to our local
league that we must look for an eff
fective work toward uplifting bust
ness standards and the promotion of
trade among ourselves. To do this
we will find it necessary to follow
the well established rules of COM
! merce which has always for its basis
honesty, full value for the money and
fair dealing. Other peculiarities
should be dali with with strong and
unusual methods of race loyalty and
common sense.
The business outlook for the negro
is great. To the wide wake the light
of truth sheds its rays over the hori-
zon of the business world and opens
to him possibilities never discovered
before, but across this favorable sky
emblazoned in bold and stern read
ing is this one commandments.
Unless you invest your money in a
business of some kind and work and
feel the hopes and setbacks, follow
the daiyy routine with added vigor,
improve and wrestle with the thou
sand phases that bob up for consid-
GRAFTON, you can not lay claim to real
membership in the local league if that
league means business. Then the
Negro Business League is for bust
ness people, and business people
should only be admitted to the ranks
in order that nothing but business
might be transacted or promoted. If
you wanted to organize a carpenters
union you would not go to bricklay-
ers, iron workers or common laborers
to secure members, would you? No.
But you would naturally go to car
penters, an dc%arpenters only.
Here we have quite a contrast
from this. We have the business
league going to churches, women's
clubs and to every place but to the
highways of business life to get tim
Der for its use, so that today we have
upon the books of the organization
a list of names that really mean moth
ing and stand for nothing in the bust
ness community. What the Negro
ton of a roomful Of vociferous per-
Business League wants now is us
toners and patrons of the business
the individual members and ~associa-
sons arguing points of order, berat-
ing each other about their knowledge
of parliamentary usages" and debat-
ing whether preachers shall be ad-
mitted with special honor, and that
gratis.
Resolve" said Booker T. Washing
ton, rolling up his sleeves in imita-
ton of the mysterious individual
whose activity consists in making
resolutions that reach no farther than
the door of the meeting place. Let
us get out of this habit of resolving
and do a little active work in bring
ing about better conditions among our
people and institute a sounder bust
ness policy among business people.
The Way.
There are some $4,000 Negroes in
Greater Kansas City to be fed, clothed
and housed. Abstractly, this means
much, how to feed, clothe and house
these people through Negro enter
prises and with capital controlled by
Negroes is the practical problem of
our business men. We have had great
orations in abundance telling us how
far the Negro has come, but little or
nothing about how to really solve the
eternal row" problems which are
confronting the business person of
the hour. We believe that the Busi.
ness League started wrong, and there.
fore can not end right.
The thing to do is to halt and cor,
rect ourselves and put this organiza,
ton which really has a latent pow,
er for great good upon a better work.
ing basis. To do this we are giving
what appears in our opinion) some
practical suggestions to advance the
cause of business.
zFirst-Cleaner and better appointed
business places, neat and attractive,
polite and prompt service, not a mere
sign. hanging on the wall, but a real
active and sincere effort to please and
satisfy. Satisfaction they say makes
regular customers.
Second = Honest advertisements
with persistency, not the hating OF
sporific kind, but steady, practical ad
vertising that brings business and
keeps alive business consciousness o.
the people who would otherwise for
get. Back up everything we say and
pay for advertising as sc~rupulouslS
as we do Jul gas bills.
Advertising is a science. If you dc
not know the game secure the serv
ices of an expert and pay him fol
his labor. Advertising is what keeps
the wheel of industry "a going" "Sc
the people may know" is a good slo
gan in advertising.
Fourth-We speak for cleaner ant
better places. Remember it does MOI
cost as much to keep a place clear
as it does dirty.
Cleanliness is economy-dirt II
wastefulness. Order invites business
and trade. Disorder repulses both.
F1fth-Let the league get out
merit sign" for window display anC
general efficiency to be given onl!
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