Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-08-25
SOLVING SERVANT PROBLEM.
Commissioner Watson Makes Some
Pertinent Remarks.

commissioner Watson Makes Some
Pertinent Remarks.
Commission Watson SAYS he has
walked up from his dream of solving
the domestic servant problem in this
section, which Is steadily growing
more acute by substituting foreign
white servants for the negroes.
I'm done with the job," said Mr..
Watson with a sigh. There's no use.
will make no more attempts at least
for the present to bring white SER
wants to any part Of the state. Con-
ditions will not warrant further at
tempts along this line. There are
some instances in which the expert
ments have proved successful in which
both sides continue satisfied, but
these are few and far between. The
chief trouble Is the matter of pay.
People in this state are unwilling to
pay the increased price for white help.
They'll start out with thorough un-'
derstanding Of what they are to pay
and begin right away Dragging on the
relief they are getting, and every
thing will work lovely till pay day,
when there is a splitting up and the
Jig is all up"
1t Is not merely an idle dream that
Mr.. Watson has been having for he
has been working with the energy
characteristic of him for several years
trying to bring relief to the long suf-
fering public, but every experiment
he has made has been a disappoint-
ment so far as the general plan he
inaugurated was concerned, and he
has become a gutter only after the
most determined efforts in different
directions and after the most exhaus-
tive study of the situation.
His first attempts failed because of
social conditions, the help he located
leaving after time for the north and
the west, even where it was we'll
treated and amply paid. These were
intelligent people of some education,
whose lives were made miserable. by
the nagging of negro servants in the
same household and who found no
body outside to commingle with. And
the commissioner also soon saw that
it would not do to have young girls
working as servants far away from
their friends and relatives.
The commissioner next devised a
plan Of bringing in the foreigners in
groups of families, and he secured
some high class people in this way.
He found places for the parents on
farms near cities, the sons and daugh-
ters working in the cities. Mr.. Wat
son thought he had gotten on the
right track at last of the solution Of
the vexatious problem not only To-
cally, but throughout the south. Peo-
people who got this help told him and
told their friends how satisfactorily
it was working, and the domestics
wrote home to friends and relatives
to follow their lead. Mr.. Watson
went to work with that boundless en-
thusiasm and buoyant optimism that
has always marked his endeavors.
The situation really warranted him In
entertaining confident hope OF hav-
ing found the key to the situation.
But he has been having some rude
awakenings lately. So steadily have
these jars been coming in that even
the commissioner with all his good
fighting qualities acknowledged de-
feat for the time being.
The coming of the Wittekind peo-
pie had a most salutary effect on the
negroes not only in Charleston and
Columbia, where the quaint visitors
were seen the most, but in nearly ev-
cry town in the state. The negro
women servants, and negro men,
thought they had genuine competi-
ton that would drive them out of
their jobs Lazy, ailing, shiftless and
impertinent cooks, washwomen, nurs-
es and walters took new leases on
life, and became competent, willing,
obliging, and respectful helpers with
such a suddenness as to startle even
themselves. But this beautiful situ-
alton is a thing of the past now. AT
present when a housewife or her
daughter goes out to hunt up a SER
want she is met with the reply on all
sides
You know l doesn't hire out no
more" with an air that indicates
amazement that that white servant
has not learned before this time this
colored lady" has reached that stage
in social life.