The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-11-27
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR
ALL AMERICANS.
Federal Segregation a Subject
Of White House Callers.
RACE PREJUDICE HIT HARD.

Delegation From National Independent
League Asks President to Have Dis.
elimination on Account of Color
Stopped In Government Servioe-New
York Worlds Strong Editorial.
Much has been written and spoken
concerning the recent visit to President
Wilson at the White House Of q dele
cation Of colored citizens from the Ma
donal independent Equal Rights league
led by Mr.. William Monroe Trotter,
editor Of the Guardian at Boston. OF
the many newspaper editorials on the
incident the following from the New
York World of Nov. 13, under the cap
ton "NO Jimcrow Government" In
worthy of the careful consideration of
every American citizen who believes In
equal justice for all the people alike
and not according to race. color or
creed. The World says:
No president ever suffered more
from the foolish indiscretions of mem.
bers Of his cabinet than has Mr.. VIII.
son. He had further illustration Of II
yesterday In his unfortunate interview
with delegation Of Negroes who call
ed at the White House to protest
ernment departments.
The bad manners Of the chairman
Of the delegation. however deplorable,
are no justification of the policy Of
jimcrOw government which certain
members Of the cabinet have estab.
. iished in their departments. and, as
the president well knows, insoient con.
duct is not confined to the members Of
any particular race.
The president should have foreseen
this unfortunate issue when Mr.. Nc.
Adoo and Mr.. Burleson were carry.
ing their color line theories into demo
cratic government. Mr.. Wilson told
the committee that there had been no
discrimination In the comforts and sur
roundings Of the Negro clerks. but ex,
planned that he had been Informed by
officials that the segregation had been
started to avoid friction between the
races and not with the object Of In.
juring the Negroes. The president
failed to explain, nevertheless, why no
such rule had been considered neces
sary until Mr.. Burleson and Mr.. Nc.
Adoo got into the cabinet.
For nearly half a century white
clerks and Negro clerks have worked
side by side in the departments of
Washington under Republican and un.
der Democratic presidents. The World
keeps itself fairly well informed about
Washington affairs, but the first 1t ever
heard of this alleged friction to which
Mr.. Wilson refers was when Mr.. Nc
Adoo began his jlmcrow proceedings In
the treasury department
The president thinks that this Is not
q political question, but he Is wrong.
Anything that is unjust, discriminat-
ing and un-American in government Is
certain to be political question. serv.
ants Of the United States government
are servants Of the United States gov
ernment regardless Of race or color.
For several years q Negro has been
collector of internal revenue In New
York. He never found 1t necessary to
segregate the white employees Of his
department to prevent friction" yet
he would have had quite as much right
to do so as Mr. McAdoo had to segre.
gate the Negro employees Of the treas
ury In Washington While the Demo
Gratis Of the country have been trying
to solve certain great problems Of gov
ernment a few southern members Of
the cabinet have been allowed to ex.
plot their petty local prejudice at the
expense Of the party's reputation for
exact justice.
Whether the president thinks so or
not, the segregation rule was promul.
gated as a deliberate discrimination
against Negro employees. Worse still.
It is a small. mean, petty discrimina-
ton, and Mr.. Wilson ought to have set
his heel upon this presumptuous Jim.
crow government the moment 1t was
established. He ought to set his heel
upon It now. 1t Is a reproach to his
administration and to the great 20.
litical principles which he represents.