The Appeal., 1914-04-25
SCORES SEGREGATION
Oswald Garrison Vlard Grandson William Lloyd Garrison
Writes Strong Article for the North American Review

oswald Garrlson Willard, Grand
Writes a Strong Article for
On October 16, 1912, Woodrow Will
son, then the Democratic nominee for.
President, declared that Should i
become President of the United
States, they (the colored people) NAV
count upon me for absolute fair. deal
ing and for everything by which 81
could assist in advancing the inter.
ests of their race in the United
States" This utterance gave COM
plete satisfaction to those leaders of
the colored people and the friends of
the race who were urging them to-
break away from their thraldom to
the Republican party and to vote for
the Governor of New Jersey on the
ground that the country would profit
most by the election of the Democrat
&c ticket. Qualified observers believe
that many more colored men voted
the Democratic ticket in 1912 than
ever before
1t was with dismay, therefore, that
early in the Administration of Mr..
Wilson, whose Cabinet is equally
divided between Southerners and
Northerners, there became noticeable
IN certain quarters a distinct hostility
to the colored people. For a long
time no appointments of Negroes
were made by the President. Then
ne nominated Adam E. Patterson Of
Oklahoma for the position of Regis
ter of the Treasury, a place long held
by cOlOred men. Patterson's nomina-
ton was the signal for outbursts from
the most violent negrophobes in the
Senate; Senators like Hoke Smith of
georgia, Vardaman of Mississippi,
I1llman Of South Carolina, and others,
declaring that Patterson should not
be confirmed, or any, other colored
man, for an Office which would put
him over white women clerks. With
abject cowardice Patterson rushed to
the White House and demanded that
his name be withdrawn. Unwilling
at this time to meet the issue thus
raised, Mr.. Wilson consented to his
request, unlike Presidents Cleveland
and Roosevelt, who, under similar cir
cumstances, put the responsibility on
the Senate by continuing to nominate
the colored candidates for Office and
Dy giving them recess appointments
when the Senate was not in session.
Instead, Mr.. Wilson appointed Cher
okee Indian as Register. -
When a group of citizens holds so
few Federal Offices as do the colored
people, each one takes on a signifi-
canoe far beyond any question of the
salary or powers that may be attach
ed to it. This is particularly true of
the posts of Minister to Hayti and
San Domingo. Not one of the stock
Southern objections to Negro appoint
ments holds here; these ministers are
accredited to colored people where
the bogie of social equality cannot be
raised. Under Mr.. Wilson both of:
these posts have gone, temporarily.
it is said, and doubtless for reasons
satisfactory to Mr. Bryan, to white
men. The colored people at large ac-
cepted this as notice from the White
House that the remaining offices here.
tofore given to colored men were to
be taken from them. Alarming as this
was, on top of it came the startling
news that for the first time in the
history of the Federal Government
race prejudice was having full swing
in some of the Departments at Wash
lngton. What had not been dreamed
of under Mr.. Cleveland, though begun
in one office under Mr.. Taft, was be-
ing attempted under Mr.. Wilson-the
segregation of Negro clerks, both men
and women. 1t appeared that the Sec
retary OF the Treasury had planned
to put Patterson at the head Of an ex-
cluslVely -cOlored division upon the
plea-to use. Mr.. McAdoos own words
THAT it would give the Negroes an
opportunity Of national dimensions, to
prove, their fitness to run, unaided by
whites, an important bureau of the
Department" Just why this benefi-
cent undertaking was dropped as soon
as it appeared that an Indian and not
a colored man was to head the divi-
sion has not appeared; il it had all
the merit claimed for it, the colored
people should not have been deprived
OF the opportunity of collectively dem
onstrating their worth, which, in the
individual, has long been known to
all familiar with the Governments
operations. e.. Is:
Careful inquiry by representative
OF the National Association for the
Advancement Of Colored People, and
by newspaper men of the standing of
Washington correspondents of the
New York Evening Post and Boston
Advertiser, has developed the fact
that segregation of colored employees
exists and is increasing, especially in
the Bureau Of Engraving and Print
Ing, in the Post Office Department, and
in the Office Of the Auditor for the
Post Office, which is part Of the
Treasury Department, and that it has
begun in the Washington city post
Office. AS yet, segregation has not
been introduced in the Treasury
Building, where there are two hun
dred and seventy colored employees
In the corridors and Offices together
with white clerks. It is defended by
Mr.. McAdoo as ian effort to remove
causes OF complaint and friction where
white women have been forced unnec-
essarily to sit at desks with colored
men," But there is no statement that
there have been many such complaints
or that they were heard of under pre-
vious Administrations. Nor is it .ex-
planned why colored clerks are taken
out OF rooms in which their sole com
pan1ons are white men, or why, if
there should be segregation because
OF the women, the Government does
not segregate all its women clerks.
Nor does Mr.. McAdoo record the fact
that In many instances the white
clerks, without respect to sex, have
gone to their colored associates and
expressed their complete dissent from
the Governments caste undertaking.
He Indignantly denies that poorer
quarters have hpen given to the Segre-