The Washington herald., 1922-05-18
Angry at Insult.

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
am a constant reader of your
paper and particularly the Open
Court. and believing in your fair,
ness to all classes of American cit
liens will appreciate 1t II you will
publish this from me. My humilis-
ton has been great. / am a re-
spectful and law-abiding citizen. !
have never been hailed before the
court for any offense against the
peace and dignity of the common
wealth and l have a clear record of
forty years and feel very deeply
the humiliation imposed upon me
by the young lady at the money
order window OF a branch postoffice
in Washington.
My wife received a money order
from her sister in another city and
with her niece accompanying her
presented the order at the window
for payment. The young lady clerk.
after stamping and marking and
putting initials on the back of the
order. demanded Identification of
my wife. and she had only her let
ter from her sister and the niece
to identify herself, which was re-
fused. That night, on coming from
my work, my wife gave the order
to me and asked me to collect II
for her. 1 put my name on the
back of the order but my wife
didn't think to indorse it. On my
way to work the next morning l
again presented the order. after
first showing my card from a lodge
to the gentleman at the window
to identify me. He said he thought
it was. / presented the order to the
young lady and also the card with
my name on it. She shifted and
said that l would have to get my
wife to indorse it and asked me if
she had told me to collect il, in a
manner that indicated that she
thought ! stole it. l then went
home and got my wife to sign it
and came back. Now, 1 live only
a few blocks from the postoffice
and was already late for work. so
/ lost no time in getting back.
When l returned and presented the
order the third time the young lady
remarked that / certainly had made
a quick trip. plainly indicating that
she believed I had no right to the
order and that she thought me
thief. l was furious but said moth
ing. She then asked me IL l had
an avocation and grinned as If she
thought I would have to ask what
an avocation was. The ignorance
of some people in dealing with COL
ored people is appalling. I told
her l was barber. Then she
asked me my advice and finally
paid me. But what l want to know
Is this the right way to treat the
public. and isn't there some re-
dress for such insults from a public
servant, when we are all taxed to
! pay these people? Because some
of my ancestors built the pyramids
of Egypt and the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon and all the glory of
ancient Egypt and Ethiopia and
because they withstood the raw
ages Of the fierce tropical sun and
the withering sands of the. deserts
and handed down to me a mite of
their coloring that was theirs to
prove to the world their staying
powers, am /. and my family,
! poor representative of these people
who have always shown their 10y
atty to every government under
which they lived. am / to be abused
by people who by the accident of
color get jobs with the government
for which / and my people are
taxed, are we always to be treated
like this? 1t is true that the order
was not properly signed at, first
but Is this any excuse for such con-
duct2 / can get hundreds of rec
have a relative
and friends who are now employed
/ and have been employed at the
White House for fifteen years and
more and numerous friends all over
| Washington. Should a government
/ employe treat a decent citizen as /
4 have bsen treated?
/ Respectfully yours,
JOHN EDWARD WILKINSON.
s34 Twenty-ffth st. N. w.