The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-31
Roads Making Efforts to Abolish
Porter Tipping System.
Milwaukee Road to SuppIant
Negro With White Men.
GIRLS ON OTHER ROADS
Travelling Men Go on Record in
Favor of Fair Sex,
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

| Chicago, July 31.-The National TRAY
| elers' association in convention here
considered urging the Pullman COM
! pany to supplant negro porters with
girls. Wilson A. Sprague enjoys the
| distinction of being the father of thu
Pullman porteress" idea.
Some people travel for pleasure he
said. We travel to earn our salaries.
A trip across a state with about twenty
stops en- route means a loss of sleep for
about half that number of nights. We
travel at night to avoid having to stop
in barn of a hotel in some small
town, and what do we get on the Pull
man?
The porter knows that the average
travelling man, when he boards a Pull
man sleeping car at night. is dead
tired. Unless he is we'll tipped he sees
to it that half the bedding is not in the
berth. You give him his tip, go to the
smoker and while you are away, he
rObs some one else's berth and there
you are.
1T is simply a case of handing some
thing to the porter every time you pass
or you might as we'll ride in a day
coach at night. If he doesn't get any
thing when he holds out his hand he
will undo more than he has done for
you.
1T looks to me that about the best
remedy would be for the railroad COM
panies to employ chambermaids, wo
men, who have worked in hotels ap'l
"
the occupant is likely to enjoy nights
sleep. I have yet to find a Pullman
porter who knows how to fix a berth
properly"
According to the statement of a Chi
cago railroad man the Chicago, Miiwau-
kee & St Paul railway will soon try an
experiment that will determine largely
whether the coIored porter is to be-
come relic of the past, so far as rail
road transportation in the north is con-
cerned.
It is stated. upon the authority of this
man. that the Milwaukee will replace
all of the colored porters in it's employ
with white men, that the tip system
will be entirely abolished as far as Il
is possible for the railroad officials to
abolish this practice, and that the sal
airy of the white employe will be made
sufficient to permit him to live decentIy
without the aid Of tips.
The experiment soon to be tried by
the Milwaukee will be watched by
many other large railroads of the
country. according to the same source
of information. If the plan works out
successfully then the other roads will
probably follow the lead of the Milwau-
kee and replace their colored employees
with white men.
It is stated that railroad officials
have been attempting to solve the pres
emf tipping problem for some time past
The answer is, the railroad officials be-
Iieve to replace the colored employees
with white men ana TO pay IHeSe WHlI0
EMPLOYEES salaries that will enable them
to support themselves.
1t is further stated that all the de-
tails of the plan have been worked out,
and that the Milwaukee will proceed
shortly to put the plan into execution
The Milwaukee was selected by the
other roads. at the meeting of officials. |
to try the experiment
The plan of the Milwaukee also in |
wolves the doing away with cOlOred |
help on the diners of the company. |
The walters will be replaced with white
men. Just as on the sleeping cars.
while the railroad man who gave out |
the story stated that the plan involved
the expenditure of a greater amount OF
money by the railroads, the railroad Of |
aciais are of the opinion that hat in 1.-THE the
Is AT the present time an agitation |
against the tipping system !,-fl This the
officials of the larger railroads clearly
Derceive. They are of the opinion that |
he placing of white men in the work
now done by colored men will decrease
the earnings of the railroads at first,
out that in the end it will pay.