The northwestern bulletin., 1923-07-14
TiimeIyTopics
By George w. Holberf

st. Paul one day last week who was
singing the blues because he had
just paid out a hundred dollars for
legal services. asked him who was
the lucky lawyer and named a prom
inent st. Paul attorney, asking was
he the lucky man? He looked at me
in amaZement and said: Do you
think I'm crazy? Amy time I have to
pay that kind of money. / go to a
lawyer. Ioffered him my sympathy
and passed on, but I could not help
but think, did he realize how fully he
had expressed the sentiments of a
great many Of our people in regards
to the services OF our professional
men. We send our young men to
schools and universities, encourage
them to prepare themselves for pro-
fession and then, when they have
graduated, often after the most ad-
verse struggles, during which time
they have made all sorts of sacrifices
and then they come to us, fully equip
ped to practice their chosen profess
sion, We steadfastly refuse to patron
ize them, simply because We haven't
confidence In our own people. Incon-
sistent isn't it, that we, a people who
are Disseminated against more than
any other race in the world, practice
1t most ruthlessly ourselves, against
our own race. In the legal profess
sion We have VIM. r. Morris, w. T.
Francis, j. Louis Erwin, Brown S.
Smith, Gleasner Fowler, Hammond
Turner and Geo. HI. Jackson. No
group of attorneys in this state are
treated with more courtesy and re-
spect by the entire bench and bar
than are these members of our race.
To make the assertion that any Negro
in Minnesota has a business of such
magnitude or legal affairs that are
beyond the knowledge of any is as
ridiculous as it is untrue.
In medicine We have DIR. Turner,
DR.. Redd and DR.. Browns, senior and
and junior. The long years of sue
cessful practice of these men is suffi-
cient proof of their fitness and abil-
ity.
In dentistry we have Drs. Burton,
French, Hill, Weber, Wright and
Judy, all of whom have made good.
In the real estate and rental business
We have Fred d. McCracken, B. Max
ey, McDrew, the Schuck Bros. and
Joseph Young. Our people are buy
ing quite lot of property and rent
ing good deal more. In all prob
ability most of these deals could have
been handled by some of these men
in a proper and efficient manner had
they been given the opportunity
There are numerous other businesses
that are operated by members of the
race in a capable manner that are
deserving of and should have our
united support. There may be 9th
ers than those whom have mention
ed, but have named those whom
know personally and for whose abili-
ty and efficiency 1 need offer no
apology. I'm not one Of those rabid
race promoters who Is always willing
to assert that any Negro either in a
profession or in business ought to
have all the Negro patronage simply
because he's Negro. But l do con-
tend that where the Negro profession
al man measures up in ability and the
business man gives the same service
and value for the money as his white
competitor, then we as Negroes
should IL anything go a little out OF
the way to throw our patronage to
the men of our own race. I doubt
II there is community anywhere
that can present higher type OF
Negro professional and business mer
than can be found in the Twin Cities
Another thing to be considered IL
this: Most of the white professional
people whom we run to don't wan
our trade anyhow. I have known in
stances where white physicians have
told members of the race, "why you
have good doctors of your own, why
don't you go to them" Let's wake
up and have little more race loyalty
Let's keep some of the thousands o.
dollars we are yearly spending anon,
the white folks in the Golfers Of oul
own people and then when we wan
subscriptions and donations to pro
mote worthy things for the better
ment and good OF the race, some O.
us viii have something to give ex
cept advice.
| There is probably no place in tn,
country where conditions are NOR,
favorable than right here to practic'