The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-11-20


es, removing as it does all evidences
of restraint, embarrassment and fric-
ton, some members of President Will
sons official family sought to have
the same policy inaugurated in the
government offices at Washington,
where the same conditions prevail
The Inauguration of this system,
done solely to remove restraint, en-
barrassment and friction, is arousing
the same bitter antagonism, the same
furious prejudices that have kept the
sections divided for so long a time.
The following editorial from re-
cent issue of the World will explain
what we mean:
No Jim Grow Government
No president ever suffered more
from the foolish indiscretions of mem
bers of his cabinet than has Mr.. VIII
sen. He had further illustration of
it Yesterday in his unfortunate inter
view with delegation of negroes who
called at the White House to protest
against the segregation of races II
government departments.
"The bad manners OF the chairman
OF the delegation, however deplora5,e,
are no justification of the policy of
Jim Crow government which certain
members of the cabinet have estab-
lished in their departments; and, as
the president well knows, insolent
conduct is not confined to the mem
bers of any particular ace.
"The president should have fore
seen this unfortunate issue when Mr.
McAdoO and Mr.. Burleson were car
rying their color-line theories into
democratic government. Mr. Wilson
told the committee that there had
been no discrimination in the COM
forts and surroundings of the negro
clerks, but explained 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 injuring the ne
groes.' The president failed to ex-
plain, nevertheless, why no such rule
had been considered necessary until
Mr.. Burleson and Mr.. McAdoo 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 I'M
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.. McAdoo began his Jim Crow
in the treasury depart
ment.
The president thinks that this is
not a political question, but he is
wrong. Anything that is unjust, dis
and un-American in gov
is certain to be political
question. Servants of the United
States government are servants OF
the United States government, re
gardless of race or color For sever
al years a negro has been collector
Of internal revenue of New York. lie
never found it necessary to segregate
the white employees of his apartment
to prevent friction yet he would
have had quite as much right TO do
so as Mr.. McAdoo had to segregate
the negro employees of the treasury IN
"While the democrats of the coun-
try have been trying to solve certain
problems of government. few south
arn members of the cabinet have been
allowed to exploit their petty local.
prejudices at the expense of the par
tvs reputation for exact justice.
whether the president thinks so
or not, the segregation rule was pro-
mulgated as a deliberate discrimina-
ton against negro employees.
"Worse still, it is a small, mean
petty discrimination, and Mr.. wilson
ought to have set his heel upon this
Jim Crow government
the moment it was established. lie
ought to set his heel upon 1t now: IL
is a reproach to his administration
and to the great political principles
which he represents.
In the above is outlined the long
standing issue that has divided the
sections in this country into separate
political camps, and can never be set
tied without embarrassment and fric'
ton, except along the lines 1t has un-
dertaken to be settled in the south.
The most philosophic and philan-
thropic minds believe that 1t is the
wisest and most humane way to set
tie it, and in doing so in the govern
mental departments in Washington
and elsewhere we know that the pres
ident and his cabinet will have the
cordial endorsement of the member
ship of Tammany and the furious as
saults of the World and the sectional
breeding and south-hating newspa-
pers of it's class.
The newspapers OF Florida have