The Washington bee., 1912-01-13
THE TIPPING SYSTEM
James c. Waters Comments
on the Methods

Tip giving and tip taking as prac-
ticed today Is "a grossly commonplace
as the terms graft and grating can
express II IN American parlance.
"Stop tipping, and soon the hotel
heln will be placed in a less menIal
position and Pullman pOrters advanc-
ed Stop tipping and make them
eelf-respecting and better respected.
Step tipping, and they viii become
carriers OF adequate wages instead OF
strong arm beggars.
The foregoing words are taken from
: statement made by President p. L.
Dove, Of the Commercial Travellers
National League, whose recent ulti-
fnatum 10 the effect that unless the
hotels eliminate tipping they will give
their patronage TO boarding houses,
has done more than any other force
to bring the tipping evil sharply be
fore the American public and within
haillng distance of eradication. As l
sorused President Doves words N
tke Washington Herald OF the I'd
INST, | felt a tendency 10 grow bit
reminiscent ] was reminded that l
had spent upwards Of ten years as a
hotel funkey and steamboat slave, IN
which positions my emOluments were
almost wholly derived from tips.
Ia 1880. when | went TO work at
- Hotel in Atlantic City, the
bell-boys were working from sixteen
to eighteen hours one day and from
twelve to fourteen hours the next.
When | had been working a few days
II occurred to me that the hours were
too long. I thereupon spoke to the
Chief" about It, and that dIgnltary
immediately indicted me before the
owner Of the hotel on the charge OF
fOmenting unrest among the bell
bows. A day or two later, IN short
conversation with the owner, | was
told | ought TO be glad to stay on
duty all the time The longer you
STAY on" said Mr. Owner, the more
tips YOU get" Evidently my COunte-
nance must have betrayed my true
feelings in the matter, for that even
iRg l was given my walking papers
On July 24th 1 secured employment
at a house right across the street
aBd there | remained for nine years
This time | was waiter. My br1el
service in the first house was SuthCIeni
70 teach me once for all that | was
up against the tipping system, and
resolved t. master the - steui as fal
ss | could, and not let 1t master me
At that time our walters received
S22 90 per month In later years the.
received as high as $500, never NOR
tkan that.
From a diary which I kept IN thos
DAYS, and which I propose to pubhsl
.ene day under the title OF Page
tyom the Diary of a Waiter, | motto
tkat the hardest days work | ha
known in seven years, had netted m
exactly five cents. 1t was one O
tkose days which all hotel men knoN
about | had been washing window
aRd doing many other kinds c
branch work" took up the entir
"aav watch" so that | had not bee
Rermitted to serve a single Ordei
That night when / came on, the yer
"Erst crack out of the box l caugl
a party Of twenty-fOur. This part
ordered all sorts OF things, kept m
Eunning back and forth the entT
evening and when they finally calle
Esr their check, the cafe was abor
empty The check-shall | ever tol
get it?-amountcd to just SIo95. 1
watch the chap who paid the chec
As ne added, subtractcd, calculate
and puzzled his noodle, you WOul
have thought he had at last solved tn
fourth dimension. At length, how
xver. he satisfied himself all was [
K, and called out. Here you ar
George he handed me a twenty
dollar bill. adding, pOmpously, "IC
may keep the change and buy you
self an automobile" OF course tn;
cheap guy never told anybody VIII
the bill really was. and to yhIs day
suppose his companions oft that ever
INC think of how royal he treated Il
waiter.
T oftimes smile as I recall some
the people who used to come into Il
cafe and aboard the Fall Riven Lii
steamers \ steamboat crowd
hardly the best for consideration
snch an article as TINS. For 1t is ma'
nm of people who are travelling &
pleasure and those who are on bu'
pe-s A cafe crowd is better suite
though the best crowd tor my pu
noses Is the motley bunch to be fou
dav after day. and night after mg.
IN the cafes and dining rooms ot t
aIl-the-year-round houses I'D the C
les of the country.
The average crowd IN a hotel ca
or dining room Is composed of
sn-fuking of good people. TO u
the veruacular of wajterdom, che
skates" "foaters.' iour-dusher
Snakes" and the common herd
general To this iast-namcd class. t
common herd in general, belong t
men for whom President Do7
speaks. They are the boys who p,
u0 thick nickeIs and thin dimes and
vothing. Very rarely, however.
fbev give nothing; usually they gi
ZEN cents, and to be quite frank abe
il the Commercial Travellers are
backbone of the tipping system
What are known as railroad house
for they are frequent patrons OF su
houses and can be counted on to ha
ever this small stipend three times
dav. Z do not blame these men