Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-07
THE COLOR LINE.
How the Negro is Deberred From
the Philadelphia Bars and
Restaurants.
PHILADELPHIA Times.

Philadelphia Times.
| The color line is pretty nearly as well de-
| fined to-day as it was twenty-five years ago,
| although the effect of the constitutional
| amendment has been to give admittance to
| the colored people to street and railroad
| cars, and to places of amusement more freely
than ever before. Still the Discrimination Of
the whites to anything like social intercourse
! with the blacks is as marked as it ever was,
and it is doubtful if any legislation, however
strict, viii be able to wipe it out. 1t is a
| singular fact, too that the distaste for asso-
citation with blacks has its greatest
strength among the lower classes of whites.
There can be no doubt, though, that negro
rights have been conceded more literally in
Philadelphia than in New York. Here col
ored men who drink are barred out of CONS
paratively few saloons, and in many they are
welcomed as cheerfully as the whites. There
is growing conviction among the liquor
dealers that dime or a nickel is equally
good whether passed across the bar by q
white or q black hand, and, acting on this
| conviction, most saloon keepers serve the
blacks cheerfully for cash consideration.
The day was when the sight OF negro in the
gulse Of q paying customer at bar would
have robbed it of its white patronage, but
| now there is not such fastidiousness. Still,
while whites and blacks may drink from the
same bottle it is noticeable that there is no
feeling or conlraderie among them and that
each does his drinking with comrades of his
own color
WHAT AM TO HECUBA?
"Who is Tom Green. that he should sit
himself up against the constitution of the
United Stater' asked the handsome Chestnut
street restaurant proprietor when questioned
as to colored customers. 81 don't care for
their trade, my dear sir, but if they offer it
I see no way in which / can refuse it. They
come to my restaurant nearly every day, and
know their presence offends many of my
white customers, but what can do? There
is the law, that says the negro is just as good
as the white man and can't get around it.
All 1 can do is to put my dusky customers as
much by themselves and out Of sight of
others as possible, and this always do. I'M
less they insist, as many of them do, in tax
ing the most conspicuous places in the dining
room. Ny white customers seldom COM
plain, for they know what the law is and
that must abide by it, but can easily see
that they are greatly annoyed. Well, well,
colored people who can afford topay my
prices and that guards me from any over
whelming Eruption of black guests. Still,
[ get them every few days, and while fill
their orders Just as / do those of white peo-
pie, am free to confess that l am not over
whelmingly polite in my attentions and dc
not express any desire to have them cali
again. But what's the use of talking. The
IaHy 7
sitleration of color or previous condition of
servitude,' and if the dark people choose to
come to ne without welcome can only
DO my duty under the law. That it injuries
my business more or less know, but then
my white customers are reasoning creatures
and must make all due allowances"
BOUND TO COME.
At the Continental restaurant the manager
saws that he entertains from seven to ten col
cred guests per aunuIn. Some of them take
seats nlodestly in the rear, but others, seem
ingly anxious to attract public attention
(which, it is needless to say, they do), choose
places as much in sight of passers-by on tbs
street as possible "What can don' he con-
tinued ''as long as they behave themselves
lecently and pay for what they gets The law
protects them; but, all the same, my business
Is suffering. My prices are ON the bill of fare
and would not scare them away with big
bills l can't discriminate against them IN
Ter the law. ] think the plan pursued in
Richmond Just after the war was the best l
have heard of. At that period, when freedom
was novelty, the negroes aspired to all So
cial privileges and became . general nuisance,
especially m bar rooms.
THE RICHMOND PLAN.
''The Richmond whites would not counten-
ance the presence Of negroes in the resorts
where they did their drinking, and yet the
poor liquor dealers were in mortal dread Of
the law if they refused to serve them. To get
over this difficulty they devised very clever
plan. In day or two placards appeared in
all saloons: Drinks s.. ID EACH If drinks
were purchased by whites there was a rebate
Of 50, but if any unfortunate black sought to
auench his thirst the announcement of the
price was before him, and if he drank he
paid. This soon rid these places Of their Off
color patrons, and Isnever heard that courts
were appealed to to abolish the system The
last young buck that honored us had two
colored girls with him and dined at an ex-
pense OF 3. so. When he had gone there was
vast deal of fun among our walters, who, it
seems. all knew him, and one OF them told
me. Why. boss, dot dab man lie Arms 10
nore'n $lS munf. How's he goin' to stan
SIGH dinnsrs!"
AT THE HOTELS.
At the Lafayette hotel the chief clerk said
they had never received any colored guests.
Their prices were too high. they supposed,
and berred out the majority of them. The
clerk had served in New York hotel where
Senator Bruce was q constant guest, but
neither he nor his family attracted any IN
usual attention A hotel clerk. he said, |
nearly always had it in his power to make
the house disagreeabie to an unwelcoane
guest He could give him a garnet room for !
a double price and in other ways make it
hot for him, 50 that he would be perfect !
salamander if he stood it more than one day.
It would be easy enough 20 overcharge any
colored aspirant for the houors of guesthood. |
In 1915 Mr. Davis proprietor Of the Bing
ham house, refused accommodation to |
colored man and was sued. In spite of an |
shle defense LIE was tined s50e, ami this pre-