The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-04-21
WH|TESTAFFFOR
NEWBUILD|NCAT
TUSKECEE,PLAN
Only Laborers, Orderlies, Aides
and Staff Nurses to be
COlOred
HARDING FAvORS COLORED
Commander of American Legion
and Alabama Governor
Want Whites
(In the Norfolk Journal and Guide.)

(In the Norfolk Journal and Guide. }
Washington, D. c., April.-A def
mite plan for the exclusion of colored
people from the medical staff of the
United States Veterans Bureau at
Tuskegee, Ala, has been formulated.
There is already a white superin-
tendent in charge. He is Colonel R..
H. Stanley, native Aalabaman, who
was transferred from the United
States hospital at San Diego, Cal.
Since his appointment he has let it
become known that the personnel of
his medical staff will be entirely
white.
This is in agreement with the orig
! inal plan. However, to appease the
indignation of colored persons who
were interested, plans for an entire
white force were modified by the hir-
ing Of colored laborers and orderlies,
and later amended to include colored
nurses.
The first intimation of the exclu-
sion of colored people from the medi-
cal staff was given in an official COM
munication sent out by the United
States Veterans Bureau, under date
of February 8, 1928, in field letter
No. 78, in which it was stated that
"the medical personnel will be COM
posed of white persons. The chief
nurse, chief aides, chief dietitian, and
their assistants will be white. The
staff nurses, aides, and dietitians will
probably be colored. The medical
officer selected to take charge of this
hospital will be from the Reserve
Corps Of the Public Health Service
of Southern birth. and one who thor
oughly understands the Negro"
Protests Against Colored Staff.
Even this meager recognition of
the professional skill and ability of
colored men brought vigorous pro-
tests from General R. E. Steiner, de-
partment commander of the Ameri-
can Legion and Governor w. w.
Brandon of Alabama.
General Steiner has wired Director
Frank T. Kinds of the Veterans Bu-
feau, and also Edward Clifford, as
sistant secretary of the treasury, pro-
testing against the placing of colored
men on the medical staff.
Governor w. w. Brandon sent an
official telegram, voicing his protest
as governor of Alabama against COL
ored people being put on the medical
Because, every inmate of this hos
pital will be colored, General Steiner
prefers colored nurses and orderlies.
He is opposed to white nurses caring
for colored soldiers of the late World
War. He and Superintendent Stanley
are in accord on this proposition.
Some prominent white Aalabamans
carry their preiudices to a greater
extent and would have an entire
white staff. To obviate white nurses
caring for colored veterans, they
would have the government give each
nurse a colered maid who would per-
form the duties incident to the posi-
tion.
| The final settlement of the whole
matter awaits the return of President
Harding to Washington. It is un-
derstood that he favors a colored per-
sonnel, inasmuch as only colored vet
Grams will be quartered at, this hos
pital. 49,.
Finest Hospital.
This hospital is for colored vet
Grams exclusively and is the finest of
its kind in the world. It was built
by the United States Treasury De-
partment at cost of $2,250, 900, and
covers BIG acres of ground given by
Tuskegee Institute. There are 28
permanent buildings, containing about
500 beds, and approximately 302 tu-
bercular patients and 294 neuropsy-
chiatric patients will be cared for.