The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-12
THE AUTocRAEs OF TIE SPRINGS.
Saratoga Walters and their Fees-A
Splendid System.

A correspondent Of the Detroit Tribune,
writing from Saratoga, describes the CO.
operation system which he asserts prevails
among the hotel walters at that famous
watering place:
There is less red tape OF = Saratoga hotel
than ct any other hostelry in America. But
there are more negroes. You will have no
trouble with anybody if you make 1t right with
the blacks. This year they have it all their
own way, and have reduced their system to
the most perfect working order. II is the old
and tlme-honored system of gratuities, but it
is put upon new and singularly exact
basis of cooperation. There Is nominal sum
charged at all the first class hotels, say five
dollars a 7, for board, but this is a mere
baeate]le: the real expense is the gratuities.
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 the three months.
Saratoga campaign to keep Eim all the rest OF
the year in afiuence, and he generally man
ACES it. He extors money from his victims at
the rate of twenty-five cents an hour. 1t is q
worse tyranny than the trades Unions. The
black HYDRA cannot be reached-you are COM
pletely at his mercy. His fundamental theory
is that the average American would rather be
swlpdled out of his eye teeth than thought
poor or parslmoniOus. 1t is in the dining
rooms that he has the American completely at
q disadvantage. Fail to give him hfty cents
at YOUR first meal, ard when you come again
your chair ia turned over, and he waves you
on with a lordly gesture. That gesture isco1-
temptous and Geographic. So far as you are
concerutd II means: You caa't come to this
table, old boy; The seats are engaged. 80 iar
as the O her negroes are concerned, II means:
IIook oul for that fellow, he doesn't pay" They
ttcn will rrarl their tables from you scrupu-
lously untll YOU get to the bottom OF the room,
70 place reserved tor dellnquents and cele-
brated for the corrugated cDaracter OF It's
steaks and The bl!iiard-ha!l consistency OF its
biscuits. The only way to escape from this
purgalory is to kn 3el at once 70 the first waiter
70 can tind, acknowledge you error and pay
Inn dollar. lhls done the fact will be tee-
sraphed to every black in the room, and you
will be allowed TO be endui ed found nothing
new IN tins but The admirable system OF 1t,
which, is another evidence of the influence Oh
trade co-operai;on.
Last season a .hrewd New York fellow con-
cieyed the idea OF paying these fenows Oh III
tnelr oyn CON, and came provided Wlth sup.
ply OF counterfeit amps. HIS hSeraiity nkeu
TO have killed him the first day, Ior ne over
rated t:mseif and could not move ioot VIII
o,,t having relay of negIoes on to him with
broom brIlshe-. On tie third day matters
changed. HIS chair was turned over, his bed
Was hard. his boots were spoiled, his coat got
y secrst mark from some nIsger's broom brush,
no was doomed man; he saw that he WAS the
sutiect of sneers and ilbes. aud al the black
arts Of tie trlbe. Finally, iu despair he went
down to the Iodine spring With the suicidal
intent of drinNlng himself into idiocy, when
TWO dark fellows III whWe aprons poluted hIrn
out 10 constable. Oats him sanln and he
was arrested for u tering counterfeit money.
he is i terrible example OF trying to resist thls
invlncible battalion Of dark rascals.