Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-06-24

200 cOlOred girls are Employed IN thhI
bureau. says the Washington Post.
The number OF negroes holding gov
ernmen, jobs in Washington in lS92
was 1897. In 1907 Their were 2.'A'
OF them. That is an increase OF just
about 10 IL per cent In tn" SANE
period the Increase in the number OF
white employees in Washington was
only about = per cent.
Tn number of negroes taking the
civil service examinations Is constant
" Increasing. Comparatively well ed
uratrd negroes are willing, indeed.
glad, 10 take minor cl"rkShips under
the government, placrS which do not
appeal to white men of ability tor the
Simpl" reason tina: the white man can
dc better.
The consequence is that the most
CapahIe Of IN. negroes compete with
whites of at best only mediocre 1biiI-
ty. Naturally the COlored man often
comes out ahead in the examinations.
and when that happens there is moth
in gtu prevent his getting the appoint
ment In Washington one govern
m.nt employs in every nine is color
ed. And the proportion is constantly
growing larger.
The negroes have one very sufficient
answer to any grnmhling comments
on their success in securing appoint
mentS. They say: We don't owe any
bsdv any thanks. We take the sam"
examinations that the white folks do.
II they don't want us to get the jobs
lat fhny,, In hat sbnuInu
the examination
All of which is perfectly true. The
trouble lies in the condition already
pointed out-that the best brains OF
the Colored people are contented with
what the best brains If the whites
don't want. AS more and mere negroes
are educated the numb r that will
turn to government employment as
the one field where they are on an
absolute industrial equality with
white workers IS bound to go on in
CT ssine.
Most of the negro employees at the
Capital fill minor places. They are
labOrers or messengers. watChmen,
ELEVATOR men. and so on. Seventy-nve
pr cent of them receive less than
$500 each year.
292 Get Good Salaries.
But there are 292 OF them in the
District receiving more than $1,000 a
year. and some of them get a good
deal more than that. Ralph W. Tyler.
auditor for the navy. at salary OF
$4,000. is a cOFred man. So are VIII
liam T. Vernon. register of the treas
ury. at $4,000; Cyrus F. Adams. assist
ant register. at $500. and John c.
Dancy. recorder of deeds for the Dis
trict of Columbia, at $4,000 year.
This Office OF recorder of de DIS has
been regarded for years as perani-
site. TO be presented to negro poll
tiCian. but ii is no longer tn" fat plum
it once vas. In 1892, WHEN the recor-
der was paid in fees. ne scOOped in an
nual emOlumentS to the tune of $1S.-
0OG. At the same time he had on his
roll nineteen colored clerks getting in
fees from $40 to 500 month. The
places have been made salaried ones
since then.
Among government employees out
side the District of Columbia the pr"
portion of negroes is not SO pronOUnc
ed. Yet there are 1861 OF them on
Uncle Sans pay rolls. Eighteen q
them receive annual salaries of $2.500
or over Twelve hundred Of them are
getting salaries of more than 81 900 a
year.
Outside To. District the increase in
colOred employees is chiefly in tn \
pOstOfice department. Throughout
the South more negroes are taking the
examinations for clerks and carriers.
And. of course. the administration has
be generous when il cam" TO APP
poiEtmentS in the uncIassifed service.
OficiaIS do not have much to say In
regard to the increasing number OF
coiored employees i'm the d. partments.
In enc way Their is nothing TO he said.
The negroes take the examinations 1T
open competition and win. That's all
there is to H. Nobody is supposed TO
know. when the examination paper of
John Smith comes TO hand. whethr
said John Smith is iasck or white.
The papers are marked. the averages
listed. and the notifications sent ont
TO those VIII" head the list.
4 typical case came under the writ
ers notice not long ago. An elevator
"y WIS 'di uf"S o." uV"'U w 81"
apartment honsc. He was An inteli!
gent negro about twenty-one. No
white man Of that age. no matter what
his .ducation o. ability. would hav"
been contented for week with 50
poorly paid job.
Prospect Of Race Question.
But the negr" took il because h"
hadn't much choice ANYWAY and he
cauSe he wouldn't take the alternative
OF getting out and tackling real hard
iabcr. FCr all his clevern"Ss and hts
education. N fact largely became OF
them. he preferred his neat and easy
job al $50. rathsr than 20 Earn two or
three times rs much al some unpleas
ant work outside.
In the meantime no did az the resi-
Of the Young negroes were doing took