Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-10-13
THRIFT COMMITTEE

!. THRIFT COMMITTEE
| Continued from 1st Page)
found to be much more than that. The
value Of the farm products, such as
corn, wheat. ats,~rye, rice, hay, pota
toes, sweet potatoes, cotton, tobacco,
cotton seed, etc. will total six hun.
dred million dollars per annum.
| Virginia is one of the southern
states which segregates the value OF
the property of its white and colored
citizens. The former had about two
hundred and fifty years start OH tho
latter. The value Of the colored PEG.
pies property at the close OF the Civil
war was an Is usually placed at
zero. In his annual report for 1916 to
His Excellcncy, II. G. Stuart, Cover
nor of Virginia, Hon. c. Lee Moore,
Auditor Of Public Accounts shows tho
| value of colored peoples property real
and personal, to be ($41 ,OS1 ,46O) forty
enc million and eighty one thousand,
-FOUR hundred and sixty dollars, an in
crease of ($3,232,4S7) three million,
two hundred and thirty two thousand,
four hundred and eighty seven dollars
TWO hur"""d and thirty two thousand
over the year of 1915.
The co'ored population Of Virginia
is (671,0%6) six hundred and seventy
one lao lsand ana ninety SIN These
colored people own q, 730, $50 one
million, seven hundred and thirty
thousand, nine hundred and eighty
acres OF land an increase in one. year
or (56,15O fifty six thousand !. one
hundred and fifty seven acres. The
per capita value Of the, wealth of The
coloIed people OF Virginia as shown
Is ($597O) fifty nine ollars and seven
ty cents. This does not include the
amount OF money on deposits In tho
banks of the country.
II the present acreage ownod by the
colored people were divided up, 1t
would give each man, woman and
enid TWO and onelhalf acres. 1t seems
then that the wisdom Of your officers.
especially your very able Secretary
IN extending the blessing Of this thrift
movement directly to tho colored pet,
pie is apparent. As preliminary
movement named the following per
sons to cooperate with me in this
great effort; Major r. II. Moten, Presi
dent Of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama:
Emmett j. Scott, Secretary Of Tus-
kegee Institute, Alabama; Robert 7.
, Owens, Los Angeles, California;; DR..
j. w. %. Bowen, Atlanta Ga, President
James B. Dudley, Greensboro, N. c.,
Judge Robert III. Terrell, Washington
ID. g., w. Il. Graham, d. D., Philadel-
phia, Pa, Kelly Miller, A. NJ, Dean
or Howard University, Washington.
ID. c., Joseph l.. Jones, Cincinnati.
Ohio; e. J. Warren, Detroit, Mich.
william II. Lewis, FIX Assistant At
torney General, Boston, Mass; j..
Rupert Jefferson. Parkersburg, w.
Va, Prof. Charles Mitchell, Institute.
w. Va, Charles Fl. Stewart, Chicago,
HI, DR.. Ernest Lyon, Baltimore, Nd,
b. G. Fitzgerald, Atlantic City, N. J.,
Thomas M. Crump, Mrs. Maggie l..
Walker q. r. Jefferson, M D., of Rich
mond, Va, William Mcdonald, Fort
Worth, Texas; Charles Banks, Mound
Bayou, Miss; II. L. Price Palestine,
Texas.
Meetings have been held and an in
terest awakened, to the end that mil
lions Of dollars are being saved
through the savings departments of
banking institutions, and through the
medium of Christmas Savings Clubs.
In the Liberty Loan rally held in
richmond subscript ions aggregating
. twenty five thousand dollars were an
nounced after meeting Of about two
hours. Addresses were delivered by
ZION. oliver J. Sands President of the
American National Bank of Rich
mond' and Col. William # Dabney,
business Manager OF the Richmond
Chamber Of Commerce
The interest shown by the colored
people was most gratifying and I was
glad TO preside over tho meeting.
| southern white people have for many
years encouraged the saving habit
among the colored people in their re
apectlFe localities. They have solH
them homesteads on long time pay
ments and extended the time for set
Element, when the pressure Of home
expenses became too great. They
have also encouraged tho education of
, the colored children in progressive
, communities, realizing that no one
thing, not even the family tic, steadi-
, es a colored man so much as the saw
| ing habit.
The wealth Of the colored people
| Is in the Southland. How to make
| him a more thrifty Citizen how to
reach the thousands of thriftless
"ne'er do wells" is the problem. The
song, Every day'll be Sunday by and
| by" Is too popular among a large pro
portion of our people. The song,
| "There'll BIO no sorrow there" Is be-
| ing changed to, "There'll be no work
ing There" Work should give us a
zest for recreation and vice versa. The
greatest handicap to this movement
! among our people has been the lack
of funds to promote the plans as out
lined by the promoters of the move
ment.
To this end, have deemed 1t wise
| to secure the authority to issue and
sell for a nominal sum, say five or ten
cents, an authorized thrift campaign