The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1914-11-21
SEGREGATION DENOUNCED.
Leading Daily Newspapers of the Country Reue the President
condonlng the Jim Grow Policy of the Southern Members
His Cabinet.
NO JlM-cRoW GOVERNMENT.
(From the New York WORLDLY

his
NO JIM-cRoW GOVERNMENT.
(From the New York WORLDLY
No President ever suffered more
from the foolish indiscretions of men,
Ders of his Cabinet than has Mr.. VIII.
son. He had further illustration of
1t yesterday in his unfortunate inter.
view with delegation Of colored men
who called at the White House to pro-
test against the segregation of races
IN Government departments.
The President should have foreseen
this unfortunate issue when Mr.. Nc
Adoo and Mr.. Burleson were carrying
their color-line theories into demo
cratic government Mr.. Wilson told
the committee that there had been no
discrimination in the comforts and
surroundings of the colored clerks. but
explained that "he had been informed
oy officials that the segregation had
been started to avoid friction between
the races, and not with the object Of
lnJuring the colored men," The Presi.
dent failed to explain, nevertheless,
why no such rule had been considered
necessary until Mr.. Burleson and Mr..
McAdoo got into the Cabinet.
For narly half a century white
! clerks and colored clerks have worked
SIDE by side in the departments of
washington, under republican and
under democratic presidents. The
World keeps itself fairly we'll informed
about Washington affairs, but the first
1t ever heard of this alleged friction
to which Mr.. Wilson refers was when
Mr.. McAdoo began his Jim-Crow pro-
ceedlngs in the Treasury Department.
The president thinks that this is
not a political question, but he is
wrong. Anything that is unjust, dis.
eliminating, and un-American in gov
eminent is certain to be a political
question Servants of the United
states Government, regardless of race
or color. For several years a colored
man has been Collector of Internal
revenue in New York. He never
found it necessary to segregate the
white employees of his department to
prevent "friction"; yet he would have
mad quite as much right to do so as
MI. McAdoo had to segregate the col.
ored employees of the Treasury in
Washington.
While the Democrats of the coun-
try have been trying to solve certain
great problems of government, a few
southern members of the Cabinet
have been allowed to exploit their
petty local prejudice at the expense of
the partys reputation for exact JUS
tice.
Whether the President thinks so or
not, the segregation rule was promul.
gated as deliberate discrimination
against colored employees.
Worse still, it is a small. mean.
petty discrimination, and Mr.. Wilson
ought to have set his heel upon this
presumptuous Jim-Crow government
the moment it was established. He
ought to set his heel upon it now. It
Is reproach to his administration
and to the great political principles
Which he represents.
Again, Mr.. Wilson is reported to
have resented Mr.. Trotter's statement
that IT this discrimination were not
ended, the AfrO-Americans who voted
for him would vote the Republican
ticket, and to have declared that this
was political blackmail" But this
IS the time-honored American way of
showing disapproval of an elective
of11clals conduct. When Mr.. Wilson
was candidate for President in 1912,
ne declared: Should I become Presi.
dent of the United States, they (the
colored people, may count upon me
for absolute fair dealing and for every.
thing by which l could assist in ad.
vanc1ng the interest of their race in
the United States. On the strength
OF this many colored people and their
white friends advocated Mr.. Wilson's
cause, who would rather have cut off
their hands than have aided Mr.. viii.
son If they had known that he was
intending to draw the color line in the
departments upon the excuse that
there is certain point in the rela-
lions of the races where friction must
occur. To them that is neither abso-
lutte fair dealing nor advancing their
cause, but putting it back because it
sets the stamp of governmental ap-
prevail upon color prejudice. To ex-
pect after this that the problem can
be kept out Of politics., as Mr.. Wilson
is quoted as urging, is to expect the
impossible.
With Mr.. Wilson's feelings as to
the ultimate solution of the race prob.
lem, we are not today concerned. He
may or may not have a constructive
programme to suggest. The issue is
simply whether hateful East Indian
caste shall be established in Washing.
ton or not. We had supposed, after
the Investigations Of last winter, that
the vicious policy had been checked;
we understood that it was to be aban.
doned gradually. In numerous in
stances the Jim-Crowing had, we know,
been stopped. The more discouraging
Is 1t to find the President apparently
UNFOLDING what the World justly calls
the foolish indiscretions of members
of his Cabinet" There was no gen.
uine complaint as to the conditions
in Washington. Colored and white
employees had worked side by side
for fifty years. Some OF them had
been appointed by Grover Cleveland
one of his appointees to high place be.
Ing the father of Mr.. Trotter, a veter.
an Of the Fifty-fifth Massachusetts.
But the Wilson Administration went
out OF Its way to create the issue it
now deplores, and cannot see it's way
clear2to admitting its mistake and re.
verting to the only defensible position
OF absolute equality in the Govern.
ment service.
The way to deal with race preju-
dice In such matters is not to enhance
It by yielding, but resolutely to con.
front it with refusal to give in. It
Is surprising how often prejudice fades
away In given situation when it finds
itself wholly blocked II is even mora