The Twin City star., 1914-04-03
LETTERS FROM
RAILROAD men
Review Of Existing Conditions
on Common Carriers.
MORE HOPEFUL SITUATION.
Wealth Of information Contained In
Communication From offieials In Re-
gard to Service Accorded Afro. Amer
leans on Southern Railways-piplo-
macy Of Booker r. Washington.
BY N. BARNETT DoDsoN.

BY N. BARNETT DoDSON.
Tuskegee, Ala.-The efforts of DR..
Booker T. Washington to lay before
the officials Of the various railroads In
the south the grievance Of the colored
people Of that section on account Of
the poor accommodations provided on
the trains Of said railroads for men,
bers Of the race have been successful.
The task has required q deal Of time,
energy and thought and Is easily the
most original piece Of individual work
for racial betterment in public travel
during the first quarter Of 1914.
The attitude Of the railroad mana
gers and the manner in which they re.
gard the matter as presented by DR..
Washington may be considered as
quite favorable to our cause, as the
following communications from the Of
fcials of a number Of the southern
roads show:
Not True Of the Georgia Railroads.
manager Of the Georgia railroad, says:
Replying to your letter Of Oct. 13, ad-
dressed to Mr.. Thomas K. Scott. beg
leave to advise that the Georgia rail-
road provides separate waiting rooms
at stations for both white and colored
passengers, and they are both furnish
ed with equal Accommodations ana are
given the same service. On practically
all Of our passenger trains separate
toilets are provided for both men and
women colored passengers; also sepa-
rate smoking rooms.
I'm other words, the passenger train
accommodation for whites are sub
stantially the same. In fact, at the
present time the majority Of the cars
assigned to the colOred travel consist
of our newest equipment On most of
our trains the news agents carry their
supplies in the compartments set aside
for the whites, but on some trains.
where the color travel is light and the
white travel is heavy, the supplies are
stored in the colored compartment"
Segregation Rule Works a Hardship.
Mr.. H. U. Nudge, president of the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Rail-
way company, writes: II wish to
thank you for calling my attention to
same and to say that I have read it
with great interest. The Rock Island
company does not operate very largely
in the southern states, and in most Of
the territory where they have laws
segregating Negroes, the Negro travel
is such very small proportion that 1t
seems impossible to furnish them with
as good facilities as are furnished for
the white travel, which Is the great
bulk Of travel. Notwithstanding, we
try to do the best we can.
II do not believe the conditions are
quite as bad on Rock Island trains in
the south as you state are generally
true in that territory. but am taking
the matter up with our operating vice
president with the view Of doing the
very best we can to give the colored
people in that territory equal facilities
In several of the states through which
we operate-viz. Texas, Oklahoma and
Arkansas. 1t is my opinion that the
segregation law works a hardship not
only upon railways, but upon the col
ored people,"
Trying to Give the Race Square Deal.
Mr.. George g. Crawford, president Of
Of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail
road company. replied as follows:
II wish to acknowledge receipt Of
your letter Of recent date addressed to
me as president Of the Birmingham
Southern railroad. regarding improve
ments In the accommodations extended
the Negro race on the railroads. Our
Birmingham Southern railroad does
very small passenger service. which Is
confined to a train run Saturday nights
from Edgewater to Birmingham. 1t Is.
however. a subsidiary of the Tennessee
Coal, Iron and Railroad company.
which has very large number of Ne
gro employees. We are trying to give
the Negro q square deal In the Tennes
see company and, I think. have made
some progress in that direction"
Mr.. r. d. Pusey. general passenger
agent Of the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad company, says:
81 want to thank you for calling my
attention to the matter Of space occu-
pied by news agents in cars assigned
for the accommodation Of our colored