future. The business
movement among the colored people has not as yet attained great
volume, but its foundations have been laid broad and deep. The number
of persons engaged in business is quite large, and the classes already
invaded by individuals of the colored race cover almost every class of
business in which persons of the white race are engaged.

THE CAPITAL OWNED BY NEGROES.

The colored people are rapidly acquiring property. This is a matter of
common, every-day observation. The value of property owned by them is
no less than five hundred millions of dollars. In Georgia alone, where
separate records are kept, their assessed valuation exceeds fifteen
millions, one million of which was added in the past year. The
assessed valuation is only about forty per cent of the actual value.
From all over the country equally encouraging reports are sent out of
the steady progress of this people in the acquisition of landed
property. Although tens of thousands are shiftless, thousands are
saving money. It is being stored up slowly but surely for future use.
Much of it is already invested in business. A larger part of this
property and money will be turned into business channels as fast as
the race, by its patronage and support, evidences its desire to
advance this business movement.

THE EXTENT OF THE BUSINESS MOVEMENT AMONG THE NEGROES.

In order to obtain reliable data for a study of the progress of the
colored people in the skilled trades, in business, in getting homes
and in building churches and other institutions, the United States
Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900 sent out the writer in
February of that year as an expert agent to visit the chief industrial
centers of the South and secure the data for the purpose of making the
facts collected, a feature of the Negro exhibit. In every city or town
visited the colored people took great pride in showing their
successful business establishments; and they all had some to show. In
every place a beginning had been made. The writer personally visited,
inspected and collected data from one hundred and forty-three business
establishments of considerable importance owned and conducted by
colored men and women. They range from a grocery store, with stock and
fixtures of the value of five hundred dollars, to a bank, which, on
the day of my visit, had a cash balance in its vault of $82,000. Only
the best business places were visited. There were hundreds of small
sho