The colored American., 1903-04-04
SUIT AGAINST PULLMAN COM
PANY.
Bishop G. S. Smith Asks if DR.. John
sons Judgment Was a Victory.
PANY.

Johnson against the Pullman Company
as substantial victory. That company
has always been a good friend of the
colored man, and it gives employment
to more of that class than any other
corporation in the world. 1t is not,
and never has been, the policy OF the
Pullman Company to discriminate
against persons by reason of color.
For more than twenty years l have
been one of its regular patrons, and
therefore have had abundant oppor-
tunity to test is real disposition to-
ward colored people.
AS l understand it, the Pullman
Company did not refuse to serve DR.
OhnsOn with food. 1t was not a ques-
tion of absolute refusal to serve him,
but as to the time when they would
serve him. [ can perhaps best illus
trate this by relating a matter of per-
sonal experience. January, 1901, [
went from Philadelphia to New Or
leans on what is called the South
western Limited, a solid train through
from New CYrk to Atlanta. AS we
left Philadelphia at night the dining
car was not put on until we reached
Charlotte, n. c., next morning. l Sc
cured sleeping car Accommodations from
Philadelphia to New Orleans. When
one of the walters came through the
car announcing that breakfast was
ready, I said to him that l wanted
breakfast, but was not particular about
being served until after the rush was
over. His reply was, 1--WE have been
| informed that there was a colored pas
senger aboard and we will see to it
| that you are properly served with
| your breakfast. When we are ready l
will return and let you know
1t is said that discretion is the better
part of ValOr, and it was by reason of
this that l pursued the course that I
| did. l could have insisted upon my
| rights" and gone in with the first
rush. But 1 remembered that l was
travelling through a country where less
than forty years ago l could only have
gone through as a slave; or, if free
man, in charge of some white man as
my reputed master. 1t was a great
change, and that in very brief time,
from cattle car to a Pullman palace
sleeping car.
| l understand that long since the
Pullman Company gave general in
| StructiOnS TO its agents not to diScrim-
mate against persons on account of
their color when they were presenable
in person and dress. Despite this,
some agents persist in making dis
ordinations, if not directly, Indirect
ly. The Pullman Company is not re-
sponsible for the obnoxious law eX-
listing in Georgia, which prevents col
Ored people from purchasing sleeping g
car tickets; neither is it responsible
fer the brutality of the people of Tex
as, who have an unwritten law that no
| colOred person shall travel in a sleep
ing car through that State. The Pull
, man Company at st. Louis will sell a
ticket to a colored person to point
in Texas or beyond, but when that
person reaches the State line of Texas
he or she will be forcibly elected by
the people of that state. Now, who is
morally or even legally responsible
under such conditions, the Pullman
Company or the people of Texas?
We should reSitate long before strik-
ing at our friends. / know that the
Pullman Company is a good friend of
our people. If we prod them to re-
taliation they need but to give a wink
and every Southern state will follow
the example of Georgia, to say nothing
of the probable discharge of their
thousands Of cClored employees. The
company asks that they be Informed
of any incivility or disrespect shown