Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1920-06-12


ize or amalgamize three million colored men
OF this country, all of which made Col Bill
Inglis look mighty small in my mind, and
l said to myself cold man, if you ever
get to Congress-. you will remember that
was 'agin' you''
Bitter complaint comes to me of the
brutality Of the police, who were ordered
to clean up the district in and about Twelfth
and Jackson, toward all colored persons,
not only living in that district, but who
happen to pass through it. One officer
wearing No. Is, so said young lad, used
him rOugly and informed him that he was
there to make you black bastards respect
white men. Other cases Of brute force are
also reported, all Of which are being in
vestigated. Years ago such brutality was
common among the policemen of this city
toward colored folk but under Bannick,
Griffith and Warren the rough stuff was to
an extent cut out, but it seems to have
taken on new lease of life. For the past
year the police force seems to have been
honeycombed with thieves and law-brakers
in general and l am Of the opinion that
persons living in glass houses should hest
tate to begin throwing stones. A policeman
said to me some two weeks ago, 'the col
ored boys in Seattle are in for hell of a
hard drubbing under this cleanup ORDER
The white men will be told to lay low
while the order is to knock low every COL
ored man that tries to talk back'' How
much Of the above story be true know not,
but do know that the stories that are COM
ing to me Of the abuse colored men are be-
ing subjected to by the policemen tally
with my informer's story. Morally I favor
a complete house cleaning in Seattle but
there is no excuse for singing colored men
and women out for police persecution and
because it is no longer possible to get the
money from them, which, if reports be true
has been done by scores Of blue coats. II
colored men are to be forced to Prospect
white men," then for the good Gods sake
let it be white men and not policemen and
especially those white Of skin, but damn
black Of heart.
Nothing that may be said to the contrary
will have but little or any effect upon the
determination Of the mayor and the city
council to raise the fare on the street cars,
yet the proposition hardly seems Just and
equitable to the small wage Garner, such as
the great majority Of the citizens of this
city are. The difference between the five
cent and the seven cent fare could and
should be saddled upon general taxation.
In the long run, however, we realize the con-
sumner will have to pay it, for the great tax
payers IN FACT never pay cents taxation,
but they simply pass the buck on to the
consumer in the shape of increased cost. It
however, makes one feel better to pay a
five instead Of a seven cent fare and in that
instance we desire to see their feelings
commodated. There is but little lost or
gained to our economic system in either
permitting the fare to remain as it is or in
raising it, for whichever way it is the man
behind the gun pays the price.
Under the auspices of the Seattle Branch
Of the National Association for the Advance
ment Of Colored People we would like to
see sem-state gathering of the colored
ltizens in some convenient park near Sc
att'e for an outing, to first listen to a well
arranged program and then those, who so
desired, close the whole with an exhilerat-
ing dance. The Branch has decided to do