Arkansas survey., 1924-09-20
COOLIDGE CAN DO IT!

ury department, according 10
the Presidents recent accep-
tance speech, is now under the
ablest financial genius since the
days of Alexander Hamilton.
1t is to be remembered that the
great Hamilton came from the
West Indies, and in that long
sweep of history that the Presi-
dent traversed are the mighty
Salmon P. Chase, secretary OF
the treasury in Lincoln's cabi-
net, who, in a national extremity
such as this country has never
known, devised the national
banking system which financed
the Civil War; and Ohio's mas
ter financier, John Sherman.
These men never knew what
segregation was!
The present head of the de-
partment of internal revenue,
MIR. Blair from North Carolina,
has not appointed a colored
clerk since his incumbency.
While his predecessor, Mr..
Daniel Roper, a Democrat from
Texas, appointed and promoted
several of them. Since the in
come tax legislation and the
numberless new taxes that the
recent war necessitated, this is
by far the largest department
of the treasury, employing
several thousand clerks. Yet
Negroes are so scarce there that
they can't be noticed. There is
the same general complaint here
among our clerks and other em-
ployees as there is in the other
branches of the government
failure to recognize their eff
cheney when promotions are due,
ability to go so far and no
farther. asaa
The various forms of segrega-
ton exist here as well as else
where-the restaurants closed
or divided along color lines, and
special toilets, locker rooms, rest
rooms. ETC., set off for colored.
The toilets for the colored are
few in such a large structure.
Hence, the segregated clerks are
forced to endure physical incon-
venience at times, and are fore
ed to travel long distances when
they desire the use of them. The
department maintains a huge,
magnificent cafeteria, in the
splendid sweep of woodland
along our national driveway,
where white people of every
class can come to rest, dine, and
socialize of afternoons and even
ings at minimum costs. The
white press of the city is con
stantly telling of the thousands
who take advantage of this de
lightful retreat" and the festive
scene that their presence creates
II seats two thousand diners
with space to spare; but not one
Negro! His only share is in
the taxes he is forced to pay for
this luxury for another group!
The registership of the treas
ury, which Republican Presi-
dents have given the Negro
since Garfield appointed Blanch
X. Bruce, is now filled by a
white man, and the colored peo-
pie are congregated in a seperate
room which is publicly proclaim.
ed as "a colored division"
When it is discovered that
Negro clerks are working as
white" in other divisions they
are promptly transferred to this
"colored division" Our people
fear that protest against this
segregation would result in the
abolition of the di7ision alto
gether; sa they remain in a
dilemma, fearing to act. Our
clerks must accept segregation
or elimination and being poor,
with no other opportunities in
this southern atmosphere, must
take the former. They are de-
pressed at the wrong, but econo-
mic stress compels endurance
of it.
BY a single stroke of his pen,
President Calvin Coolidge can
stop every bit of this damnable
segregation, just as he can
condemn that lawless organiza-
tion the Ku Klux Klan. If he
wants the votes, in November,
of loyal Afro-Americans, male
and female, thruout the length