The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-08-10

FEES TO SARATOGA WAIrERs.-There is
less red tape at a Saratoga hotel than at any
other hostelry in America. But there are
more negroes. You will have no trouble
with anybody if you make it right with the
blacks. This year they have it all their own
way, and have reduced their system to the
most perfect working order. 1t is the old and
time-honored system of gratuities, but it is
put upon new and singularly exact basis of
cooperation. There is nominal sum charg-
ed at all the first-clsss hotels, say S. day for
board, but this is a mere bagatelle; the real
expense is the eratuities. Fill one of these
hotels as full as you can get it with guests,
and then there will still be three negroes to
every one of them. Every negro expects to
make enough in three months Saratoga cam
paign to keep him all the rest of the year in
afiluence, and he generally manages it. He
extorts money from his victims at the rate of
twenty-five cents an hour. 1t is worse ty-
ranny than the trades unions. The black hy-
ORA cannot be reached-yOu are completely at
his mercy. His fundamental theory is that
the average American would rather be SWIM
died out of his eye-teeth than thought poor or
parsimonious. 1t is in the dining rooms that
he has an American completely at disadvan-
tage. Fail to give him fifty cents at your first
meal, and when you come again your chair
VIII be turned over, and he waves you on with
lordly gesture. That gesture is contemptu.
Gus and Geographic. SO far as you are con-
cerned it means: "You can't come to this ia
BILE, old boy, the seats are engaged" So far as
the other negroes are concerned, it means:
look out for that fellow, he doesn't pay"
They will then guard their tables from you
scrupulously until you get to the bottom of
the room, to place reserved for delinquents,
and celebrated tor the corrugated character of
its steaks and the billiard-ball consistency of
its biscuit. The only way to escape from this
purgatory is to knee at once to the first wait
er you can find, acknowledge your error and
pay him dollar. This done the fact will be
telegraphed to every black in the room, and
you Will be allowed to endure. found moth
ing new in this but the admirable system of
1t, which is another evidence of the influence
OF trade cooperation. Last season shrewd
New York fellow conceived the idea of paying
these fellows off in their own coin, and came
provided with supply OF counterfeit stamps.
dis llberality liked to have killed him the first
day, tor he overrated himself, and could not
move step without having relay of negroes
on to him with broom brushes. On the third
Gay matters changed. His chair was turned
over, his bed was hard, his boots were spoiled,
MS coat got secret mark from some niooer's
broom brush, he was doomed man he saw
that he was the subject of sneers and jibes.
and all the black arts of The tribe. Finally, i'm
despair he went down to the Iodine spring
with the suicidal intent of drinking himself
INTO idlocy, when two dark fellows in white
aprons pointed him out to constable. "Dat's
MIN, sab !" and he was arrested for uttering
Counterfeit money. He is a terrible example
OF trying to resist this invncible battalion of
dark rascals.-Letter to Detroit Tribune.