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

Continued from 1st Page)
found to be much more than that The
value Of the farm products, such as
corn, wheat, ats, rice, hay, pota
toes, sweet potatoes, cotton, tobacco.
cotton seed, etc. will total six hun.
drcd million dollars per annum.
Virginia is one OF the southern
states which 5cgregatcs the value OF
the property OF its white and colored
citizens. The former had about two
hundred and fifty years start on tho
latter. The value OF the colored peo-
pies property at the close Of the Civil
War was an is usually placed at
zero. In his annual report for 1916 to
His ENcclcncy, II G. Stuart, Cover
nor Of Virginia, Hon. c. Lee Moore,
Auditor Of Public Accounts shows the
| value OF colorcd peoples property real
and personal, to be ($il ,0Sl 400 forty
one million and eighty one thousand,
TOUR 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'ercd population Of Virginia
is tG1l ,0+G) six hundred and seventy
one 40 Island am! ninety SIX These
colorcd people own Il, 1870, $50 one
million, seven hundred and thirty
thousand, nine hundred and eighty
acres OF land an increase in one year
of (5G,l5O fifty six thousand one
hundred and fifty seven acres. The
n
coloIcd people of Virginia as shown
Is tS59.70) fifty nine ollars and seven
ty cents. This does not include the
amount of money on deposits in the
banks of the country.
If the present acreage owned by the
colorcd people were divided up, il
would give each man, woman and
enid two and onehalf acres. 1t seems
then that the wisdom OF your officers,
especially your very able Secretary.
III extending the blessing Of this thrift
movement directly to the colored ucC
PIC Is apparent. AS preliminary
movement l named the following Der
sons to cooperate with me in this
great effort; Major II. r. Motcn, Prcsi
dent OF Tuskcgce Institute. Alabama:
Emmett j. Scott. Secretary of Tus.
kcgce Institute, Alabama: Robert 7.
Owens, Los Angeles. California; DR..
j. w. E. Bowen, Atlanta, Ga, Presiden't
James b. Dudley, Greensboro, N. c..
Judge Robert III. Terrell, Washington
ID. g., w. T.. Graham, ID. d., Philadcl-
phia. Pa. Kelly Miller. a. NJ, Dean
or Howard University, Washington,
ID. c., Joseph l.. Jones, Cincinnati,
Ohio: f. j. Warren. Detroit, Mich,
William II. Lewis, Ex Assistant At.
torney General. Boston, Mass: J,
Rupert jefferson, Parkersburg. w.
Va, Prof. Charles Mitchell. Institute,
w. Va. Charles IT. Stewart, Chicago
ILL.,. DR.. Ernest Lyon, Baltimore, Md,
b. G. Fitzgerald, Atlantic City, N. J.,
Thomas M. Crump, Mrs. Maggie l..
Walker. e. 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
tcrcSt 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 subscriptions aggrcgating
twenty five thousand dollars were an
nounccd after meeting OF about two
hours. Addresses were delivered by
non. oliver j Sands President of the
American National Bank of Rich
mond, and Col. William IT Dabney.
BUSINESS Manager of the Richmond
Chamber Of Commerce
The interest shown by the colored
| people was most gratifying and | 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
spectTc localities. They have solM
them homesteads on long time pay
mcnts and extended the time for set
tlement, when the pressure Of home
expenses became too great. They
nave also encouraged the education of
the colored children in progressive
communities, realizing that no one
thlng, not even the family tie, steadi-
es colorcd man so much as the saw.
ing habit
Tho wealth Of tho colored people
is in the Southland. How to make
him more thrifty citizen,-- how to
reach the thousands Of thriftlcss
"ne'er do wells is the problem. The
song, Every day'll be Sunday by and
BY is too popular among large pro
portion of our people. The song,
"Fhere1l be no sorrow there" Is be-
| ing changed to. "Therell be no work
! ing there" Work should give us a
Zcst 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
mcnt.
To this end, I 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
button or badge, the proceeds there
from to be turned over to the Savings
Bank Section through It's Secretary