El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-18


-HE browning infamy Of the tip a.,
ping system in the United States /
i Is that organized system of rob /
berv from the person known as the hat /
and coat check concession. 1t Is a species /
of +bieyerv perpetrated by hired boys /
who have no direct share in the oooty, /
all Of which. over and above legitimate
expenses, goes to the coneesslonalre |
ana the hotel proprietor. This form Oh !
obtaining money under false pretehses
through the tipping system originated
in New York, from whence II mas
Spread to other large cities of the coun-
try. Fortunately il has not yet invaded
the smaller cities. and it is TO be hopeo
that its further spread will be stopped
bv publicity. If anyone thinks that the
word athfevery" is too strong When
used in connection with the hat ana
coat check concession, 1t is only De
cause he does not understand the sys-
TEN. In the first place. 1t is practically
all under the control Of a trust the nat
and coat checking privileges Of nearly
all OF the large hotels and restaurants
OF New York city being leased by the
hat tip trust. The details OF admins
LLdLlOn. QlILeT SllElL4I III Q4AACA OAAN
tells, but substantially they are the
same.
One Big LeasehOId.
In one typical high class New ork
hotel the hat tip trust pays S9OOU
year for the privilege of controlling the
hat and cloak rooms Of the hosiery
The hotel has nothing further 70 40
with the matter 1t takes the $5OOU5
and thereby licenses the cOncessiOnaire
to prey upon its guests The interest OF
the hotel management remains on the
side OF the concessionalre ana agalnsL
It's guests, however and the hoIel may
be depended upon to do everything IN
its power to aid the hat tip trust
The check boys are employed by the
concessiOnaires. They are paid weekly
wage Of Sc, and must wear the uniform
furnished by the concessionatre for
which a charge Of 81 month IS MADE
The boys never at any time under any
circumstances get any part or share Of
any tip, large or small given to any
one Of them. They get their So week,
less 50 a month for their uniforms, and
nothing more
POcketIess Uniforms.
Lest the boys should help themselves
to a portion OF the tips they receive,
the uniforms always are made without
any pockets. Stripes>of gold braid are
put on 50 as to give the effect OF a
pocket, but as a matter OF TACT the
check boys suit IS entirely pOcketless-
At first this was considered to be
/ sufficient protection against the boys
knocking down" anything. But the
/ concessiOnaire found that boy some
/ times would slip a dime down his col
| lar and permit 1t to work down inside
/ his underclothing into his shoe. When
I this was discovered the Uniform was
/ changed 50 as to include knee drawers
| in the underclOthing- That put an end
/ to the dime-down- the-collar racket
I But even at that spoilers" are en-
] plOyed to watch the boys
The boys are hired largely on their
Z physical appearance. No fat boy need
! apply. While the old saying, Nobody
q loves a fat man" may not be true. II IS
] the experience Of experts in the tipping
| system that nobody pities q. fat boy
I The hat tip trust prefers to employ q
I slender youth with pale face and large
eyes whose sad countenance seems to
/ proclaim to the world that he Is the
/ sole support Of a widowed mother and
/ six young children.
The Artful Dodger under the tutelage
I Of Fag.n was not more carefully
/ schooled in the art Of acquiring the
| property Of others than are these sad
( eyed, iX-dollar-a-Week miniOns Of the
I hat tip trust A def stroke OF q Whisk
I broom, a sad smile and a deferential
/ bow is enough to get dime or a quar-
/ ter out of the generous man who sub
/ mlts to the system without resistance
/ or from the ignorant man who actually
/ believes that he is paying the tip to the
] boy who performs the service for him,
( however trifling that service may be.
| But since a great many people have
] learned Of the existence of this organ
! lied system there are many persons
I who resist the hat check boys ad-
! vances. Then fades the sad smile. then
/ disappears the deferential bow, then
| vanishes the Whisk broom. The boy is
/ transformed from a fraudulent beggar
/ into highway rObber. He will do any
/ thing short Of actually assaulting a
| guest with a weapon 10 accomplish his
| purpose
Block Dining Room Entrances.
In hotels where hat check boys for
I merly stood at one side Of dining
! room door they now boldly block the
J entrance and Law violent hands on hats
! and ovsrcOats tightly clasped IN their
I owners arms Once IN a while a par
| ticuiarly brave and unusually strong
man can get by them, only to be met
I BY the head waiter. who smiles depre-
/ catingly and informs the bold and
| courageous guest that it is positively
/ against the rules Of the hotel to bring
a hat or coat into the dining room. The
| guest, defeated. returns to the door,
! yields up his hat and coat while the
| check boy smiles in triumph. There is
/ no way TO beat II.
Why a hotel that charges 81 a day
for a single room and 40 cents por-
ton for fried potatoes should be I'M
/ der the necessity Of cOnspiring to COM
/ pei a guest to pay 20 cents 10 rest
his hat while he eats. passes the COM
| prehension Of any man not schoOled in
the higher mathematics OF greed. II
honest men but had the courage Of their
convictions no one would ever again
give even so much as 2 copper cent 70
any hat or coat boy in the city Of New
York.
Boys Get Poor Pay.
| Sympathy for the boys ought not tC
| operate against such a counter con-
spiracy on the part of the tipping pub
lie, since the very best thing that could
| happen to a hat check boy IS to lose
his job as soon as possible. He IS not
paid high wages and he is being
/ schooled to become a nOnproduCtive
! parasite, a pensiOner on the bounty OF
the too generous. and an embryo con-
fidence man if not an actual tftef In
the hat check outrage IS clearly to be
seen the ultimate fruition Of the tip
ping system It makes snObs Of the
tippers. slaves Of the tippees and
thieves Of the employers-thOse en-
plOyers who are prOprietors Of great
! establishments, men of means, men wht
| call themselves gentlemen.
A few weeks. ago several thousand
| walters paraded the streets of LOndor
in p great demonstration which was
the most spectacular feature of the re-
first part of this week from a severa
| months visit IN Germany.
The Junior league Of the First Meth
odist church viii hold an impromptl
] o. OH a