The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1900-07-07
TIL. TIPPING HABIT.
Everybody in Washington Has Be-
come Its AFFECT Slave.
A Species of LesaIi1ed Robbery from
Which No Man or Woman Who
Is Fond of Comfort Can
Escape Nowadays.
Especial Washington letter.

.THls might be called story of
i highway robbery, or. better, a
= story of iegalized larceny.
So long as man is robbed, and sys-
tematically mulcted, it makes little
difference TO him what form of opera
tion may be adopted blythe robber.
The purse which contains a dollar may
be taken at night by a burglar, or il
may be taken at midday by bandit,
at the point of a pistol; and the meth
cd makes no difference to the one Who
owns the purse, but is obliged to give
it up.
II am paying So every year in order
to secure ciyility and fair treatment"
said permanent guest AT one of the
leading hotels of this city This after
noon. II hand silver dollar To my
waiter every Saturday night. Because
of that fact the waiter looks out for
me, gets my meals ready for me, an
ticipates nay wants and makes things
pleasant for me in the dining.room. IL
j happen to take a friend to dinner
with me my waiter is promptly on
hand, bowling low and doing his best
TO help me entertain my friend, Other
boarders AT our hotel receive only
such service as the walters are com
PEELED to give them and often they
suffer numerous diScuurtesies, which
are exceedingly disagreeable in the
presence of others"
A dollar every Saturday night is not
much money, but it amounts TO fine
suit of clothes every year, with shoes
and hat thrown in. To the negro
waiter ii amounts to half of his house
rent; and every waiter usually has
| four or five guests who pay about the
same amount for special services, al
| though the hotel proprietors pay from
| $l2 to $50 per month, and board. to
good walters.
| The saloons and hotel bar-rooms in
| this city are closed on Sunday, by law
| but regular patrons of hotel bar-rooms
are always served with liquor. on the
| quiet. and the police department seems
TO be unable or unwilling to seal those
places. On last Sunday afternoon tn,
writer observed two colored highway
men collecting tolls from these drink
| ing men. There is door in a prom.
inent hotel which opens the way to q
small dark room adjoining The bar.
room. On either side of that door
stood a bell boy. in the hotel uniform
When each drinking man approached
pne of the bell boys opened the door
and escorted the visitor to a seat in
! the private room. Then, taking his
order. the bell boy would bring hin
the required drink and a card with the
| price marked upon it. The customer ~
each instance not only paid for his
drink, but gave the bell boy FIVE oi
ten cents for his service. If any mar
should neglect to give up this tip
10 the servant on the following Sun
day he would be told that the la.
could not be opened. or some other dis
courtesy would be shown him.
Now every body viii be disposed tC
say that il serves drinking man right
10 be mulcted that way, for violating
the law as well as for drinking on sun
day, but that is a separate thought al
together. The fact remains that th,
'tip" is required for that kind of serv
fee and it is robbery.
The hotel guest referred 10 above
gave furt her bit of information which
was interesting He said: For some
time l could not get my rooms put il
order early in the day. The chamber
maid on my floor assured me that il
was impossible for her TO get arount
to my apartments earlier than noon;
she had so much work TO do. But wher
| ] began giving her Il two dollar bill
at the end of each month she gave my
rooms earlier attention. so that nov
] am well fixed and comfortably enter