The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1914-02-21
SCORE SEGREGATION

N1AAk 49, ~ IL
Oswald Garrison Willard, Grant
Writes Strong Article for
On October 16, 1912, woodrow vii.
son, then the Democratic nominee for
PRESIDENT declared that: "Should I
D - resident OF the United
STATES. tney (the colored people) may
sOunt upon me for absolute fair deal
ing and TOR everything by which /
could assist in advancing the inter-
ests OF their race In the United
states. This utterance gave com
piete satisfaction to those leaders of
tne colored people and the friends Of
the race who were urging them Ia
break away from their thraldom to
me republican party and to vote for
t1e Governor of New Jersey on the
Ground that the country would profit
most Dy the election Of the Democrat.
ic ticket. Qualified observers believe
tnat many more colored men voted
the democratic ticket in 1912 than
ever before. s= $50 'li
Y was with dismay, therefore, that
early In the Administration Of M
Wilson. whose Cabinet is equally
DIVIDED between Southerners and
No1ktnerners, there became noticeable
10 certain quarters distinct hostility
% the colored people. For q long
tame no appointments Of Negroes
were made by the President. Then
he nominated Adam ID. Patterson 81
Oklahoma for the position at Regis.
yer OF the Treasury, q place long held
~ coioreo men. Patterson's nomina.
uon was the signal for outbursts from
the most violent negrophobes in the
senate; Senators like HOke Smith OF
1eorg1a, Vardaman OF Mississippi
i1limaH Of South Carolina, and others
declaring that Patterson should moi
pc confirmed, or any other colored
man. for an Office which would nut
nim over white women clerks. With
AFFECT coWardice Patterson rushed to
the White House and demanded that
MS name be withdrawn. Unwilling
at this time to meet the issue thus
{ raised, Mr.. Wilson consented to his
request, unlike Presidents Cleveland
an Lit roosevelt, who, under similar cir.
cumstances, put the responsibility on
the senate by continuing to nominate
the coiored candidates for Office and
Dy giving them recess appointments
Wnen the Senate was not In session.
instead, Mr.. Wilson appointed q Cher.
okee Indian as Register. .
When q group of citizens holds SO
lew Federal Offices as do the colored
people. each one takes on q signif.
canoe far beyond any question Of the
saiary or powers that may be attach.
ed to 1t. This is particularly true OF
the posts Of Minister to Hayti and
San Domingo. Not one Of the stock
Southern objections to Negro appoint
ments holds here; these ministers are
accredited to colored people where
the bogie Of social equality cannot be
raised. Under Mr.. Wilson both of
these posts have gone, temporarily
1t Is said, and doubtless for reasons
satisfactory to Mr.. Bryan, to white
men. The colored people at large &C
cepted this as notice from the White
House that the remaining offices here.
toIore given to colored men were to
De taken from them. Alarming as this
was, on top of it came the startling
news that for the first time in the
history Of the Federal Government
race prejudice was having full swing
in some Of the Departments at Wash.
ington. What had not been dreamed
OF under Mr.. Cleveland, though begun
IN one office under Mr.. Taft, was be:
ing attempted under Mr.. Wilson-th
segregation of Negro clerks, both men
and women. 1t appeared that the Sec.
rotary OF the Treasury had planned
to put Patterson at the head of an ex
clusively colored division upon the
plea-to use Mr.. McAdOo's own words
that it would give the Negroes an
opportunity Of national dimensions. to
prove their fitness to run, unaided by
whites, an important bureau of the
Department. Just why this benefi.
cent undertaking was dropped as soon
as 1t appeared. that an Indian and not
. colored man was to head the divi
sion has not appeared; IL it had all
the merit claimed for 1t, the colored
people should not have been deprived
OF the opportunity of collectively dem
onstrating their worth, which, in the
Individual, has long been known to
all familiar with the Government
operations.
Careful inquiry by a representative
OF the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, and
by newspaper men of the standing OF
Washington correspondents Of the
New York Evening Post and Boston
Advertiser, has developed the fact
that segregation of colored employees
exists and is increasing, especially in
the Bureau Of Engraving and Print
Ing, In the Post Office Department, and
In the Office of the Auditor for the
Post-OMce, which is part Of the
Treasury Department, and that it has
begun In the Washington city post
ONCE. As yet, segregation has no,
been introduced In the Treasury
Building, where there are two hun
dred and seventy colored employees
IN the corridors and Offices together
with white clerks. It is defended by
Mr.. McAdoo as ian effort to remove
causes OF complaint and friction where
white women have been forced unnec
essarily to sit at desks with colored
men. But there is no statement thai
there have been many such complaints
or that they were heard of under pre-
vtous Admins raj TONS Nor is It ex
planned why colored clerks are taken
out OF rooms In which their sole com
pan1ons are white men, or why, II
there should be segregation because
OF the women, the Government does
not segregate all its women clerks