Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-08-22

Separation of the white and the COZ
ored or African races in the stree,
cars--city, urban and interurban-and
in the government departments locat-
ed In the District If Columbia, IS pro-
vided in a bill introduced in the house
of representatives by Representative
Joe B. Thompson Of Oklahoma. The
preamble asserts 1t is ito promote the
comfort Of passengers and to provide
for the separation Of the races on
street cars, suburban and interul ban
cars, and in the various departments
of the government in the District Of
Columbia, and for other purposes.
Penalties are provided for all viola
tons Of the law, and in the case
where the violation occurs in the gov.
eminent departments, not only is
punishment provided by court, but 1t
Is also made cause for dismissal
from the service. Relating to the
use Of street cars by the different
races, the bill provides that on the
street cars separate compartments
equal in all points Of comfort and
convenience" shall be provided for
the white and colored races; and that
board or marker. placed in a con-
spicuous place, bearing appropriate
words in plain letters indicating the
race for which it is set apart, shah
be sufficient as separate compart.
ment within the meaning of this act"
Provision for punishment Is made for
any passenger who refuses to obey
the rules and for any company which
refuses to enforce them. Further
than this, 1t Is set forth that should
any passenger refuse to occupy the
compartment to which he or she is
assigned by the officer of such COM
pany, said officer shall have the
power to refuse to carry such passen-
ger" Taking up the matter Of the
separation of races in the depart
ments, the bill provides for separate
compartments in every department OF
the government where both white
and colored are employed.
The fiftieth anniversary edition of
the Negro Year Book was issued by
Monroe N. Work. superintendent OF
records and research at Tuskegee
Normal and Industrial institute, and
forms one of the most complete en-
cyclopedias of the race ever published.
The book contains more than 400
pages of indexed information regard.
ing the colored race, its history. it's
great men, its schools, charitable in
situations, ministers and its aims and
past victories. The progress that
these 100000 negroes have made
since their emancipation says the
compiler Of the Year Book, may be
summarized under three heads-name-
ly, educational, economic and religious.
No other people have given larger
percentage Of their earnings for re.
ligious work. Over 80 per cent of the
total wealth of the negro is in church
property. Today they own church
property worth $57,O0O,0oO." The book
contains a complete history of the
negro in America up to 1918, as well
as treatise on the legislation enact
ed in the United States on behalf or
against the race. In the chapter on
agriculture it is told that the increase
in the number of negro farmers in
the country was 1876 per cent from
1900 to 1910. According to statistics
contained in the Year Book, Georgia
has the largest colored population in
the Unionx while Washington, D. c.,
leads tr2 cities with 94,446 and New
York second with 91,7O9. Contained
also in the annual is the official proc
lamation of Booker T. Washington
regarding the fiftieth anniversary Gel
ebratipn of emancipation, which will
be held from October 10 to rs.