290 HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL. 



In compliance with this order, exchanges were established in Hous- 

 ton, Texas ; New Orleans, Louisiana ; Mobile, Alabama ; Charleston, 

 South Carolina ; and Norfolk, Virginia. These institutions, with varying 

 success, are still in existence, and have accomplished great things for 

 the elevation of the colored race. Occupying as these posts do, the 

 greafe centres of the country's commerce, we are not without hope that 

 they will be, in the future as in the past, well supported by the people. 

 Our method in their establishment is this : An assessment of $2.00 is 

 levied upon each male member of the order, within prescribed boun- 

 daries, for the benefit of the exchange within his territory. These small 

 amounts paid by each member become a cash capital for the basis of 

 our business operations. The money may be used to buy a stock of 

 bacon, or to pay off a mortgage, and being at once replaced, is ready 

 the next week for some similar investment. Being thus often turned 

 over, it will, in a year, save many times its value as against the speculator, 

 who always reckons the term of a credit at twelve months, and the rate 

 of interest at fifty to one hundred per cent, though the actual time of 

 such credit may be only from August till September. 



Again, this kind of cash basis is not exhausted nor exhaustible ; fifty 

 or a hundred years hence it may be still present to do the same work 

 it is now doing ; or should the Colored Alliance cease or become extinct, 

 the funds on hand might be turned to the endowment of schools or 

 colleges for colored youths, and so render a perpetual service during all 

 time. 



With the beginning of 1889 the Alliance established a weekly news- 

 paper, called The National Alliance. They designed it for the prac- 

 tical education of their members. It has been reasonably well supported, 

 and is still published weekly, at Houston, Texas, each of its editions 

 reaching many thousand colored families. 



At this writing, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Geor- 

 gia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee have State 

 Colored Alliances, working under State charters. Several other States 

 expect to be chartered at an early day, while organizations of greater 

 or less extent exist in more than twenty States. The total membership 

 is nearly 1,200,000, of whom 300,000 are females, and 150,000 males 

 under twenty-one years of age, leaving 750,000 adult males. 



It is freely admitted by all that the colored people have made great 

 strides forward in intelligence, morals, and financial standing during 

 these years of organization. Thousands of their public free schools 

 have been wonderfully improved in character of teaching, and the dura- 

 tion of their sessions much extended by the combining of the people, 



