The Twin City star., 1915-10-02
PROHIBITIONS EFFECT ON
WALTERS.
Prominent Hotel Keeper Presents
Logical Views.

Dear sir:-No class of citizens in
Minneapolis is more directly con-
cerned in the outcome of the elec-
tion set for Oct. 4 than the colored
people, large element of whom are
employees of hotels, cafes and rail-
roads, greatly affected by the tran
sient and tourist trade. The colored
waiter is very much in favor in Min
neapolis and is growing in favor. Four
of the larger hotels, the West, Nicol-
let, the National, and the Andrews,
of which am manager, have settled
upon the colored waiter as the most
efficient and satisfactory type.
The colored waiter of this genera
tion is educated, skilled in his profess
sion, and commands respect that
takes him out of the servant class.
He constitutes as important factor
as any in making hotel a success
his efficiency, willingness and polite
ness can make and keep friends for
hotel or restaurant, and the value
of good waiter is as much appre-
ciated by hotel manager, or should
be, as that of good clerk or any
other employee.
What I mean by saying that the
colored people should be especially in
terested in seeing prohibition voted
down in Minneapolis is just this: The
present sentiment against saloons is
owing to moral conditions surround
ing them, and the abuse rather than
the use of liquor. I believe prohibi-
ton to be impracticable and wrong
in principle, and while I do not think
il is going to triumph, or will last,
should it triumph, I do believe that
the agitation is going to very largely
change the drinking habit of the ma
ton. think that the American bar
up to which men stand for the purpose
of drinking only will ultimately dis
appear and with it will 60 the high
proof liquors, the whiskeys, brandies
and gins which they drink for con-
viviality's sake. In its place will come
the serving of beverages of a lower
percentage of alcohol, light beer and
wines, and they will be served at
tables, in restaurants or in resorts
where people will drink while eating.
The popularity of music and cabaret
entertainments in restaurants points
to this, also the introduction of dane
ing. "
There will be fewer evils from the
abuse of liquor than now, people will
learn to drink as they should drink. |
adding zest to their enjoyment of
food. Nearly every hotel in the Twin
Cities is making its cafe sociability, a !
leading feature. The two largest
hotels do not have bars at all. In
consequence, with the growing pop
ularity of restaurants and indications
that cafe life may be developed
along lines similar to France, Ger
many and Austria, notably, where
people drink with their meals in parks
and on boulevards, as we'll as in
beautifully appointed places of amuse-
ment and music; there will be an in
creasing demand for more walters and
for better service, creating more
places for those who follow such oc-
cupations.
Let prohibition prevail, taking the
joy out of life, curtailing the pleas
ures of the table, diminishing the
travelling of tourists and pleasure
seekers, and the cafe and restaurant
business will be demoralized and
hotels will become only rooming
houses, whereas they are becoming
more and more the homes and clubs
OF the well-to-do who can afford and
are willing to pay for luxuries and
good service.
Any colored man who votes for
prohibition will be throwing his in
fluence against the employment of
many of his race and against the de-
velopment of occupations that are
more open to them than those of other
walks of life. The other arguments
that prohibition will deprive the city
OF revenue needed for public improve
ments, will raise taxes, and have a
generally depressing effect on busi.
ness applies to the colored citizen
equally with the white. Read of the
history of prohibition in Maine, Kan
sas, and the other states, particular
ly in the south, that have experiments
ed with prohibition, and I am GER
tain that you will find that it has
brought disaster instead of prosperity,
and made moral conditions worse by
Substitutinp Hind o;oe Co. ~. ,:.: