Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-06-15

The QUESTION OF THE CoLORRD PRINrBR
DouGLAss.-Weil, the National Typographical
Union has taken action upon the case Of the
colored printer Douglass employed at the
Government Printing Once. They have de-
clared that ''the wanton attempt of the Con-
gressisnal Printer to force upon Columbia
typographical Union No. 1Ol, l. II, Douglass
an avowed s'rat'' meets our unqualified con-
domination, and that we deem It the duty of
Columbia typographical Union to resist the
attempted outrage. aud shall firmly sustain
them In so DOING
The National Union, 10 will be seen, d oes no.
put it upon the question OF color, but on the
grOunG tina: Douglass worked in a s'rat office"
in Denver. As we have already pointed out,
the real issue is the question of color, though
the Printers Con ven ton did not seem inclined
to take the cOlored bull by the horns, and
rejected a resolution offered as a substitute
declaring that s'the National Typographical
Union objects to the admission of any negro
into Union under its jurisdiction" That the
~rat" issue had no validity is shown by the
letter (prIn'ed ia the STAR June Ist) of the
Secretary of the Denver Union, John E
Watkins, dated May 81, 1869. In this letter
Mr.. Watkins says:
'NT. Douglass is not considered a "rat'' here,
from the fact that ne was not Union nepbsr
when ne worked on the Gazette, and this Union
was man OF good repHts while residing among
US, and was hel6 in high esteem by his colored
brethren. After leaving the Gazette he taught
a coloIed school, and was considered an up
night and efficient teacher know no reason
sIcCpt race and cctOr-that should d, .orive him
of becoming a member of a typographical
Union. and the fact of his being a negro Will,
10 doubt, be considered by your Union q suffi-
Gent reason to refuse him membership
However, the National typographical Union,
powerful, intelligent and influential body,
have taken positive ground against the admis-
sion CT Douglass. They go further; they severe
ly censure the Superintendent of Government
Printing for his course, and declare that they
will sustain the Washington Union in resist.
ing IL. Here, then, seems TO be the commence.
ment of a contest that will agtate the whole
country, and involve very important conse.
quences. Will Superintendent Clapp shack
dowpl" Some think he will. Not much. we
believe. And Were he so disposed, Congress
would not let him. II Is safe to say from the tenn
Per ofletters written here by members of Con-
gress, that Mr.. Clapp would not keep his place
an hour after the next meeting of the Senate
should he discharge the colored printer Doug.
lass. There are those who argue that members
of CONGRESS. with care for their political future
will avoid contest with the powerful Trades
Union OF tie country, but IL must be remem-
bered that large proportion of the Congress
men come from agricultural constituencies
having NO interest in common with the Unions,
and, indeed, hostile to them on the whole. In
many city constituencies too, it is probable that
the feeling in behalf of the right of the colored
man to seek employment in the workshop
would override any other. On the whole, the
suppositon that Congress will fail to enforce
equal rights for the colored man in the Govern.
ment Printing Office, as well as IN the other
departments of Government, is branch that
won't bear. Various modes Of whipping the
venerable Nicholas around the stump have
been proposed as, for instance, to allow Doug
lass TO work without admission to the Union.
or 70 divorce the Government Printing Office
from the Union, but there are so many obstacles
in the way Of all the modes Of dealing with the
question thus far suggested, that they seem
pretty sure TO fail.