The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1914-01-24
SCORES SEGREGATION.
oswald Harrison Willard Grandson William Lloyd Garrison
writes Strong Article for the North American Review
IN Which He Takes President Wilson to Task
for His Administrators Injustice
to Afro-Americans.

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On October 16. 1912, Woodrow Viii.
son, tnen the Democratic nominee for
President, declared that: "Should
become President Of the United
States, they (the colored people) NAV
count upon me for absolute fair deal
Ing and for everything by which /
could assist in advancing the inter.
ests OF their race In the United
States. This utterance gave COM
plete satisfaction to those leaders Of
the colored people and the friends 81
the race who were urging them to
break away from their thraldom q.
the Republican party and to vote for
the Governor Of New Jersey on the
ground that the country would profit
most by the election Of the Democrat.
1c ticket. Qualified observers believe
that many more colored men voted
the Democratic ticket In 1912 than
ever before
rs It was with dismay, therefore. that
early in the Administration Of Mr.
Wilson, whose Cabinet is equally
divided hetWea SOutherners and
Northerners, there became noticeable
In certain quarters distinct hostility
to the colored people. For a long
time no appointments Of Negroes
were made by the President. Then
he nominated Adam e. Patterson of
Oklahoma for the position of Regis.
ter Of the Treasury. q place long held
by colored men. Patterson's nomina-
ton was the signal for outbursts from
the most violent negrophobes in the
Senate; Senators like Hoke Smith of
Georgia, Vardaman of Mississippi,
T1llman Of South Carolina, and others,
declaring that Patterson should not
be confirmed, or any other colored
man, for an Office which would put
him over white women clerks. With
abject cowardice Patterson rushed to
the White House and demanded that
his name be withdrawn. Unwilling
at this time to meet the issue thus
raised, Mr.. Wilson consented, to his
request, unlike Presidents Cleveland
and Roosevelt, who, under similar cir
cumstances, put the responsibility on
the Senate by continuing to nominate
the colored candidates for Office and
by giving them recess appointments
when the Senate was not in session
Instead, Mr.. Wilson appointed a Cher.
okee Indian as Register, + =
When group of citizens holds so
few Federal offices as do the colored
people, each one takes on a signifi-
canoe far beyond any question If tho
salary or powers that NAV he alto oh.
ed to it. This is particularly trne If
the posts of Minister to Havti and
San Domingo. Not one of the stock
Southern objections to Negro appoint-
ments holds here: these minister's are
accredited to colored people where
the bogie of social equality cannot be
raised. Under Mr.. Wilson both of
these posts have gone. temnorarilv
it is said. and doubtless for reasons
satisfactory to Mr.. BRYAN. to white
men. The colored people at large ac-
cepted this as notice from the White
House that the remaining offices here.
tofore given to- colored men were To
be taken from them. Alarming as this
was, on ton 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
lngton. What had not been dreamed
OF under Mr.. Cleveland, though begun
IN one ottlce under Mr.. Taft, was be-
ing attempted under Mr.. Wilson-the
segregation OF Negro clerks, both men
ana women. IT appeared that the Sec
retary OF the treasury had planned
10 put fatterson at the mead OF an ex-
ciuslVely colored division upon the
pte CO., use MT, McAdoo,s own words
It would give the Negroes an
opportunity OF national dimensions, to
prove thelr ntness to run, unaided by
whites, an important bureau of the
department.. Just why this benef
cent undertaking was dropped as soon
as II appeared that an Indian and not
a colored man was to head the divi-
sion mas not appeared; II it had all
the merit claimed for it, the colored
people should not have been deprived
OF the opportunity of collectively DEM
onstratlng their worth, which, in the
1ndlv1dual, has long been known to
all 1amlliar with the Governments
operations.
Careful inquiry by a representative
of the National Association for the
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