The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1914-03-28
SCORES SEGREGATION
oswald Garrison Willard Grandson Of william Ilovd t
Writes Strong Article for the North American Review

OsWa1u harrison Willard, Grand
Writes a Strong Article for
On October l6. 1912, Woodrow vii.
son. then the Democratic nominee for
PRESIDENT, declared that: "Should !
become President of the United
STATES, tney (the colored people) NAV
count upon me for absolute fair deal.
ing and for everything by which !
coulo assist In advancing the inter.
ests OF their race in the United
otates This utterance gave com.
R!ete satisfaction to those leaders nj
t9e colored people and the friends ot
tne race who were urging them to
break away from their thraldom ~
.ue republican party and to vote for
.ne governor of New Jersey on the
srouna tnat the country would profit
most Dy the election of the Democrat.
- tlcket. Qualified observers believe
mat many more colored men voted
the Democratic ticket in 1912 than
ever before. ''''
was with dismay, therefore. that
early In the Administration of M
Mnson, whose Cabinet is equally
olv1aed between Southerners and
!Voltnerners, there became noticeable
IN certain quarters distinct thostilitv
20 the colored people. For long
tlme no appointments of Negroes
were made by the President. Then
~ nominated Adam e. Patterson of
Okianoma for the position of Regis.
ser OF the treasury, a place long held
ny colored men. Patterson's nomina.
t1on was the signal for outbursts from
the most violent negrophobes in the
senate; Senators like Hoke Smith of
Geors1a, Vardaman of Mississippi.
truman OF South Carolina, and others.
declaring that Patterson should not
pc confirmed, or any other colored
man, for an Office, which would MT
MIN over white women clerks. With
aDJect coWardice Patterson rushed to
the White House and demanded that
MS name be withdrawn. Unwilling
at tnls time to meet the issue thus
raised, Mr. Wilson consented to his
request, unlike Presidents Cleveland
ana Roosevelt, who, under similar cir
cumstances, put the responsibility on
tae senate by continuing to nominate
the colored candidates for office and
oy giving them recess appointments
When the Senate was not in session
instead, Mr.. Wilson appointed a Cher
okee indian as Register. i
When a group of citizens holds so
lew 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
cd to 1t. 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.
Is said, and doubtless for reasons
satisfactory to Mr.. Bryan, to white
men. The colOred people at large &C.
cepted this as notice from the White
House that the remaining Offices here
tofore given to colored men were to
De 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.. Wilsbn-the
segregation of Negro clerks, both men
and women. 1t appeared that the Sec
rotary of the Treasury had planned
to put Patterson at the head of an ex-
clusively colored division unon the
plea-to use Mr.. McAdoo's own words
1t 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 1t appeared that an Indian and not
colored man was to head the divi-
sion has not appeared; If it had all
the merit claimed for it, the colored
people should not have been deprived
OF the opportunity of collectively dem
onstrat1ng their worth, which, in the
individual, has long been known to
oil familiar with the Governments
operations.
Careful inquiry by q 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
me Bureau Of Engraving and Print |
ng, In the Post.O Office Department, ana
u the Office of the Auditor for the |
Post-O Office, which is part of the
Treasury Department, and that it has
begun In the Washington city post
omce. AS yet, segregation has not !
been introduced in the Treasury
Building, where there are two hun
1red and seventy colored employees
u the corridors and Offices together
With white clerks. It is defended by
Mr.. McAd0o as ian effort to remove
causes of complaint and friction where
white women have been forced unnec-
essar1ly to sit at desks with colored
men. But there is no statement that |
here have been many such complaints
'r that they were heard of under pre-
71ous Administrations. Nor is it ex-
blamed why colored clerks are taken
,ut OF rooms in which their sole com
9an1ons are white men, or why, if
here should be segregation because
It the women, the Government does
lot segregate all its women clerks.
Nor does Mr.. McAdoo record the fact
hat In many instances the white
clerks, without respect to sex, have
zone to their cOlOred associates and
oppressed their complete dissent from
he Governments caste undertaking.
7e Indignantly denies that poorer