The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1939-03-24
Washingson Bureau, Associated
Negro Press

about the town, excepting Of course,
those who live here and those along
the Eastern seaboard who make TINS
a stop in their annual vacation trips.
According to one report, the pop
ulatian Of this city has reached the
impressive figure Of ST. ,o00---conl-
nared to little more than 100000
q decade or so ago. And OF the en-
tire number, at least one-thlrd Is
colored. This estimate gives Wash
ington a Negro population compar-
able to that Of the greater netropo-
lises, New York and Chicago.
However, among these Negroes,
there is d property ownership esti-
mated at close to $l0s 0s000,o00, on
which these non-yoting citizens pay
neat tax.
Being border town. that u
neither Northern nor Southern, the
city has adopted the worst character
istics Of both. For instance, Ne
proes are permitted to ride on the
street cars without fear of segrega-
ton or being asked to move IN order
to permit white person TO ST. But
there the freedom ends Segregation
of the vilest sort is practised every
where else.
No topnotch theatre downtown
thinks of Negroes attending 4 show.
And fovorite pastime Of the very
lightskinned Negroes is TO go to
these very theatres and see pictures
which will be months later coming
uptown! They laughingly boast OF
it.
In governmental departments
large groups Of Negroes working u
department are usually segregated
to themselves not permitted to en-
ioy the usual facilities furnished fol
other workers and usually dare no
attempt to eat their lunches IN tn
general cafeterias found in thes
huge buildings.
Many 81 the buildings have ser
arate dining facilities for Negroes
The same conditions exists IN Oh
matter of layatoriea separate ~
whites and Negroes. However, th
latter are permitted to use the iron
door and the elevators.
In the Negro section Of Washing
ton, especially along i street 2
10th and II, there Is nlagnificer
building. originally belonging to "
Masons subsequently, as usual, lo'
by the Masons-n now housing Il
Railroad Retirement, board. A fe
blocks higher on the same street
the huge new building housing
branch of the Social Security boar
Negroes are employed IN these bull'
ings as attendants and messengers
Down at the House Office buildin
two colored visitors seeking inform
ton as to the direction to follow
find certain representative Off
were advised by a rosy-cheeke
lazy -lolling white son of Alabam
Deed, All don't know. All il
been hyah three days. And tbs
tell me these elevator jobs former
were handled by Negroes. The |:
didn't have d uniformhe hadI
been there long enough and it W
apparent that his intelligence did1
rate job any more important th!
the one he held.
Throughout the town there is
lusty overtone of the fair Isl
South. Even one telephone CO..
pany's employees speak with th
drawl usually associated with t
deep South. Yep, as sure as VI
are reading this, the more convinc
the writer is that this is not a be
der town at ALT belongs entire
to the South, and to that porti
which prides itself in being call
the Rebel South.
There is no gainsaying the fs
that the lack of voting power /
much to do with power in their har
should some, shall we say unthir
ing, congress vote to give the re
dents Of the district the right
vote! The problem there, hoWev
is how many would exercise u
right?
Focusing attention on the Negrt
of the capital-one finds several
teresting items. In the city, th,
are more educated Negroes than
any other section Of the count
They hold degrees from local scho
and from other institutions as w,
And many of them do not ey
bother to practice their professio
You can scarcely turn without bun
ing into lawyer who is now wo
ing as messenger in one of the
partments Or a physician who j
refuses to give up his secure If !
lucrative government job for !
uncertainties of an income as a b
fsssional man. Yet, there are p
fessional men who are making n
incomes at their professions.
Retired government workers,
cure that they will be provided ,
fha haIaa,ca nf THAR Iiues taEa