Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-03-05
Committee of Black Race
Hold Conference With
High Officials.
DEMANDS ARE MADE
Railroads Say Light I'raf-
fic Makes Accommoda-
tions Impossible.

, Six high railroad passenger traffic
officials, representing several of the
most important railroads operating in
the state of oklahoma. met in con-
ference with Il representative body Of
negroes OF eastern portions of the
state IN n" Tulsa Commercial club
assembly hall Yesterday afternoon for
an informal discussion of the Jim
crow" law
The meeting was called by ~. Dear
man of Tulsa. The other negroes
present were Rev. j. L. Kersh oi
Tulsa, Attorney II \, Guess Of Tulsa.
Dr l.. W. Bryant of Tulsa and Rev.
-. ". rCleHdun of Musk gee. Thos"
men freely discussed their ideas and
'fCred their complaints and Sugges.
tons for remedy 10 the railroad Of
ilc:als. tn" railroad men who cam"
To listen t. the complaint of the above
named committee were ". ). ST
G"orS" of -. Louis. general passcn-
ger agent of the NJ, Is. N r.: tieorgc
IL. Lee" II 50. Louis, general passenger
agent Of the Rock Island: j. \. Cor
natzar at Memphis. general passenger
agent "f the Frisco: Fay Thompson
"f Oklahoma city, district passenger
agent Of the Rock Island: j. 4. En-
tIick Of Oklahoma city, travelling pas
senger agon: of the Rock Island and
! q. ~. Jackson of oklahoma City, dis
trict passenger agent of the Frisco.
Negroes SET Up Claims.
The negroes maintained that they
were Disseminated against in not be-
Inc furnished equal accommodation
and comfort as the white travellers,
and stated that they thought IL was
because e their COlor They declared
that they did not care To miugle with
the whit" peopl" on the trains, but
wanted their rights rs prescribed by
law, namely. that they should be given
equal benefits in return FOX their fare,
which was the same AS Was charged
the white people
The railroad men showed that the
discrimination was dollar and cent
ITToposition altogether, explaining that
sleeping anl dining car service was
always provided for the negroes IN
such localities as the business proved
profitable, and that the corporations
could not maintain s1ch service al Il
loss Of money where the demand was
insufficient to warrant II. elm relative
proportion To the population, the ac-
commodation Is the same" II was eX.
planned. II was further brought out
that ticket agents and conductors who
were impolite tO the negro customers
We're also diScoutteouS to the whites,
and that there was no color discrim-
iration.
Dcarman suggested that the rail-
roads demonstrate To the public that
they could not operate their lines in
strict compliance with law without
going bankrupt. thereby showing that
the law was coniiscatory and dispense
with the whole enactment. Then, he
cCntended, 'the bars of Jim Crowlsm
could be laid down to the betterment
of both the negroes and the railroads"
All the negroes present readily ac-
Enowledged. however. that tearing
down the jim CROW distinction was
impractical IN this rart of the coun-
try in this az, and only asked that the
negro quarters of the trains ana sta.
tions be made equally inviting and
sanitary to the portion assigned to the
white race.
Negroes Organize.
Hoth sets of men stated that they