Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-20
MANY NEGRO PROBLEMS
JUDGE TERRELL SPEAKS AT MA
TIoNAL LEAGUE CONVENTION.

At the annual convention OF the National
Negro Business League. Just concluded at
New York. there were present many Wash
ingtonians and much local interest was
manifested In the proceedings During the
first days session the Servant girl prob
lem" was discussed and paper was read
by Mr.. o. G. Willard. editor of the New
York Evening Post. Mr.. Wizards Views
were enthusiastically received. Justice of
the Peace r. II. Terrell of this city took
the floor and responded In behalf OF the
convention. Judge Terrell said in part:
Il think that II no other paper had been
read at this meeting that this business
mems conference would have been a sue
cess after listening to the splendid paper
which has been read by Mr.. Willard. / say
this because 1 have come in contact with
this servant problem. not only indirectly
but directly 1 went into the hotel to work
as boy struggling for an education at the
age OF eleven years. I stayed there until
rose to the dignity OF a head waiter (and
an you know what pompous dignity that
Isl. In my experience as head waiter /
found 1t a most difficult problem to deal
with the walters under my care and to
keep them from asserting an air OF excess
sive independence. The men would say
wnen they did not do their work properly
and had to be censured for IL that L am
not married to this job; 1 can get a place
somewhere else And 1 have been anxious
to attend she meetings Of the Head Wait
ers' Association In order that I might urge
upon them the necessity Of preaching at
all times the doctrine to the men under
them that they must do their work we'll II
they want to maintain these jobs, that all
men are struggling for. including the Irish
the German the italian and the French.
Servant Girl Problem.
Day after day I have dealt with this
servant problem. Colored girls and colored
young men are constantly coming before
tiers. and when the matter is brought to
trial it is found that in three cases ont OF
five the servant is at fault The evidence
clearly goes 10 show that the servant fire.
quentIy goes out and stays all night-goes
OH IN the summer time to picnics, neglects
her work, and IN many cases the employer
mas TO go 10 work without his breakfast
And yet that same servant comes into
court and claims wages for a whole month
aha says that she has been dismissed
without cause
when l was boy In Washington there
was no such thing as white butler or a
coachman. and those who are here from
Washington can tell you that under tbe
present regime the buffers and walters and
servants of Washington are mostly white
And why? Because the people who have
money to pay for services of this kind will
pay 1t to people who are going to do IT
best; and we need not say that the Same
argument should obtain in the case when
white girl is found to be inefficient for
mat does not justify the shortcomings of
our servants. We have this condition IA
race: There are 10000 colored people In the
city OF Washington: indeed, the police CEN
sus says $4,000. And of this number 7 am
sorry to say there are 25,O00 who don't
work and won't work Now that 70 ono
slde or It, On the other hand, we know
that there are cases, of course where en-
ployers are often unfair to their servants.
wnere they treat their servants meaDly oc-
cas1onally; where they don't give the girls
n wi iah 70
they don't treat them well. But that is no
reason why our girls should not do their
whole duty
Negro Can't Employ Negro.
Now here is a most serious phase, and
L am satisfied almost every man in this
mousse VIII agree with me when / say that
the most serious phase of this servant
question is the fact that it Is almost i'm
possible to get colored men and colored
women to work for members of their
own race. I am sorry to be compelled To
say this in the presence of white men
because 1t is the deepest indication of a
lack or self-respect. The idea is sad
one TO contemplate, that colored men and
colored women who desire and have the
means to pay for help are not able to get
IT from their own people. I know a fam
ny In Washington almost white in com
pleXlon who are identified with our race
and who employed a servant Thu, serv-
ant thought that the woman with whom
she mad made arrangements for EMPLOY
ment was white, and this colored servant
worked for them very well until one day
a black gentleman, accompanying the
head OF the house, came into town and
when the colored waitress walked into
| the dining room and who her en-
ployers really were she dropped the tray
breaking it and all the dishes She walk
ed out of that house, did not even ask for
her pay, and never came back. / knew of
another case where a colored family
wanted to hire wash woman. They in
serted an advertisement in the newspaper
to that effect. When a colored woman
came in answer thereto she asked, Are
you Mrs. So and So-are you the lady of
the house? And when informed that she
was the Mrs. So and So who wanted a
wash woman the applicant promptly re-
piled. Lady, / can't wash for you; I am
In society myself
Il thereupon call upon all of our co1ored
preachers-the men who have the most
potent influence over our people-and |
would urge them to tell these girls and to
tell the boys of our race that they must
do their work well or they will be driven
out Of employment. I would urge them
to tell these boys and girls that no kind
of honest labor is disgrace. neither Is 1T
a reproach or shame to work for their
own people"