The Denver star., 1914-12-19
RACE PREJUDICE HIT HARD.

Much has been written and spoken
concerning the recent visit to President
Wilson at the White House of 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. or
the many newspaper editorials on the
incident the following from the New
York World of .ov. 13. under the cap
ton No Jimcrow Government, is
,rorthy 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.. Will
son. He had further illustrate of it
yesterday in his unfortunate interview
with a delegation Of Negroes who call
ed at the White House to protest
against the segregation Of races in gov
eminent departments.
The bad manners of the chairman
of the delegation. however deplorable,
are no justification of the policy Of
WAISu SCAkoih
members Of the cabinet have estab-
lished in their departments. and, as
the president well knows, insolent 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 MIR Nc
Adoo got into the cabinet.
For nearly half 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 it ever
heard of this alleged friction to which
Mr.. Wilson refers was when Mr. Nc
Adoo began his jimcrow proceedings in
the treasury department
The president thinks that this is not
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 a Negro 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" vet
he would have had quite as much right
to do 30 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-
ploit their petty local prejudice at the
expense Of the party's reputation for
exact Justice.
Whether the president thinks 80 or
not, the segregation rule was promni'
gated as 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 It was
established. He ought to set his heel
upon It now. 1t is reproach to his
administra tion and to the great po
litical PRINCIPLES which he represents.