Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-06-04
HERE and
THERE
By w. N. Smith

church at Grant and Fourth ave-
nue. in Minneapolis, / was working
at night. l rode past the structure
each day after the wOrkmen had
quit for the day and hack again
in the early morning before they
began again. Thus l saw the build
ing rise stone upon stone but never
did l see human hand engaged in
its construction. 1t was almost I'M
eanny.
The experience was comparable
to many we all have had of things
done and developments made but
with no conscious knowledge of
how it all came about. But sud-
denly we awake to a realization
that certain things have been done
and certain developments have
reached their present status, for
good or i'll, and we wonder, as we
look back over the years, how
these things could have come
about.
Thus recall that years ago all
hotels in this city were manned by
eOlOred help and with something of
a shock / am reminded that only
one of the many still employs its
eOlOred workers in large numbers.
How did this thing occur?
l know full well there was moth
ing mysterious or supernatural
about the building of that church.
Human agency was responsible.
Had 1 taken the trouble / could
have found at work the men who
day by day finally completed the
structure. So, if we care to look
facts in the face we shall find the
human actions that contributed to
the present unfortunate economic
situation of the men who follow ho-
tel employment.
Many years ago, long before the
present situation arose, Minneap-
oils had a large number of men
who followed hOteling for a liveli-
hood. Most of them were young
and unmarried. Times were good,
money was plentiful, wages much
higher than today, and the public
much more generous.
For those reasons those young
fellows earned lots of money. With
never a thought for the future they
tossed most of it into the sea of
pleasure, confident that there was
more where it came from and no
question as to it's source ever dry
ing up. For the most incense
quent reason or for no reason at
all they quit work at one hostelry
to take up the same line at an
other. Often up all night, late to
work the next day, sleepy or care
less, frequently giving poor serv-
ice.
And because the travelling pub
lie was accustomed to and liked the
idea of cOlOred servitOrs, the men
whose money was invested there,
dependent upon a pleased patron
age, stood for the inefficiencies and
the undependableness of these col
Ored boys, until patience ceased to
be a virtue. During all this time
white walters were employed in
most of the better restaurants.
So when hotel owners realized
the need for change in employ
ment personnel they did not have
far to go for competent help.
The change was not made all at
once for white labor was uniOnized
and hotel managers knew they
would not be satisfied with many of
the unsatisfactory and often unfair
treatment given to cOlOred work
ers. White unions realized, too,
the big disadvantage of a large
group of potential strike breakers
and made an earnest effort to
unionize the eOlOred men. And
here, we can now see, the cOlOred
boys made a very costly decision
when they elected not to accept
intellectually these Overtures-
a colgred nhion was formed-in
ITSELF, a mistake, for they should
have Joined the. white. mems union
as they eonid have done then. For
a number Of reasons this union was
not supported and gradually died.
In the course of years white wom-
en- walters gradually supplanted
both white and colored men in the
majority of places.
The good book says, "FOr lack
of vision a people perish" This
was surely true in the days when
eOIOred workers lost the hotels.
Lack of vision of the men; lack Of
vision on the part of those who
should have advised them.
We may learn from this page Of
history: That some were wise
enough not to lose their heads in