The Denver star., 1914-04-04
By N. BARNETT DoDsoN.

macy
| By N. BARNETT DODsON.
| Tuskegee, Ala.-The efforts of DR..
Booker 7. Washington to lay before
| the officials of the various railroads in
the south the, grievance Of the colored
people Of that section Oh account of
the poor accommodations provided on
| the trains of said railroads for mem
bers of the race have been successful.
| The task has required a 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 DIR.
| Washington may be considered as
quite favorable to our cause, as the
| following communications from the Of
ficials of number Of the southern
| roads show:
Not True Of the Georgia Railroads.
Mr.. Charles A. Wickersham, general
! manager of the Georgia railroad, says:
Replying to your letter Of Oct. 13. ad-
dressed to Mr. Thomas X. 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 and are
| given the same service. On practically
| all of our passenger trains separate
tni
women colored passengers; also sepa-
rate smoking rooms.
In other words, the passenger train
accommodations 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.. II. U. Nudge. president of the
| Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific Rail
way company. writes: ~ wish to
thank you for calling my attention to
same and to say that l have read 1t
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
segrcgating Negroes the Negro travel
is such a 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
I 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. it is my opinion that the
segregation law works a hardship not
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:
81 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
NIn Ic nItr
| Birmingham Southern railroad does n
very small passenger service. which is
confined to train run Saturday nights
from Edgewater to Birmingham. 1t is
however. a subsidiary Of the Tennessee
Coal, Iron and Railroad company.
which has n very large number Of Ne
| gro employees. We are trying to give
| the Negro square deal in the Tennes-
| see company and. / think. have made
| some progress in that direction"
Mr.. r. ID. Pusey, general passenger
agent of the Louisville and Nashville
| Railroad company says:
II 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
! patrons. This will be given immediate
! attention and instructions issued to the
! news company that their agents must
| place their wares in the smoking com
| partment assigned to white passengers.
| "The other matters mentioned are be
| ing given serious consideration by this
| company. approaching fully the imDOr-
tHnce and having sincere desire to fur
| niSb satisfactory accommodations to
| our coOred patrons. as well as to the
| whites. On our more important trains
\ all equipment must be vestibuled and
especially constructed for these trnins