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138 THE CRISIS

the case noted before, receive only ridicule and contempt. In practically every "Jim Crow" coach in which I travelled the conductor used the coach as a storage room for his large train boxes and often for his clothes. In my ride from Washington to Columbia on the Seaboard, the conductor moved a colored passenger in order to make use of two seats for his boxes and record books. The conductor together with all the other train hands used the coach as a lounging and gossiping center all night long. These officers of the road seem to take delight in annoying the occupants of the "Crow" coach.

The worst nuisance of all is, however, the "butcher," or vendor. This objectionable man - in the South he is always a man, never a boy - does all in his power to add to the unpleasantness of your travel. In the first place he stores all of his wares, over-ripe fruit, candy, tobacco, soft drinks, and books in at least two seats of the car. On the Seaboard train already spoken of the "butcher" ordered a Negro passenger out of the two end seats that he might place his goods upon them. The conductor had already moved another passenger that he might use two other seats for his truck. Thus most of the limited accommodations were seized by these subalterns of the road. 

This storage of his goods by the "butcher" in the "Jim Crow" coach not only monopolizes needed space, but the over-ripe fruit and the candy attracts flies and vermin and thus make the coach unsanitary and unhealthy.

Finally, these "butchers" are insulting to colored passengers, especially to women and girls. In offering their wares they will fawn over them, pluck them by the arm, and often insult them. I have in hand several specific instances of such behavior, but one will serve: In the coach going from Columbia to Sumter, South Carolina, two modest girls in their teens, sisters, were continually approached in a familiar manner by the "butcher," to their evident annoyance and embarrassment. The climax came when he stuck insinuatingly under their noses several indecent books; among them were these two: "How to Kiss," "Married Life." Must unprotected women and innocent girls be subjected to the insults and annoyances of these panderers?

Frankness compels us to complain of another employee of the railroads. He is the colored porter who is given charge of the Negro coach, but who is frequently a sort of pseudo-valet or personal attendant on the conductor. These porters are permitted or seemingly encouraged to make no attempt to keep the colored coach clean and fit for habitation. The coaches are uniformly filthy and many persons carry brushes with them to clean the seats before using them. The writer has seen time and again these porters devoting their time to cleaning the boots and clothes of the conductor, when they should have been giving attention to the coach.

Still another failure to provide proper service for colored passengers and one that is seldom mentioned, is in the neglect to provide an extra step or rest for alighting from the car, a convenience that is always provided for the whites. The distance is usually very great, and it is difficult for a man to step it with comfort; yet ladies and children are compelled to alight from the cars as best they can, always to their discomfort, often to their danger.

These then are the conditions of travel for the Negro on the southern lines. They are conditions supported by irrefutable evidence. They are conditions that the great majority of the race are forced to endure daily. No self-respecting man can submit to them without shame and humiliation, and yet he must see his wife and daughters suffer under them. Is it any wonder then, that the writer found the Negroes of the South earnest and pathetically urgent in their protests against these detestable conditions, and in their hopes that they would remedied soon? I shall not forget soon the eager faces and the loud acclamations of sincere approval when my mission in the South was made known to a Baptist congregation in Sumter, South Carolina. Everywhere was I made to feel that this attempt at righting these conditions by the N.A.A.C.P. was earnestly welcomed by the colored people in every hamlet and city of the South. 


National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

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GOV. CAPPER OF KANSAS, PRES. TOPEKA N.A.A.C.P.

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GOV. F.B. WILLIS OF OHIO

GOVERNORS OF TWO STATES AGAINST PHOTO PLAY LIBEL

PROTESTS against the production of "The Birth of a Nation," from correspondents of the Association in Kansas were referred by the National Office to Governor Capper, whom the Association is honored in having as President of its Topeka Branch. Governor Capper writes as follows:

"Answering your letter of November 23rd, will say that the 'Birth of a Nation' will not show in Kansas. I informed those interested in it that I would not stand for it in this State and the company has announced that they will not come here. I do not believe in promoting any picture show or play that will stir up race prejudice, and as long as I am governor I will do all in my power to stop them."

In Ohio the producers of the play made a skillful attempt to outwit the State authorities, who have taken a vigorous and uncompromising stand against it by offering it as a complimentary feature of the "Buckeye Corn Special Tour," which is an annual excursion "promoted in the interest of education and patriotism." In response to a protest from National Headquarters to Governor Willis the following was received:

"I am in receipt of your letter concerning the attendance on the photo-play, 'The Birth of a Nation,' by the members of the Corn Boys' Special on its Eastern Trip. I am glad to inform you that I believe this situation has been satisfactorily arranged. On the 23rd day of November I learned for the first time that it was proposed that the photo-play in question was a part of the official entertainment provided for the Corn Boys' trip. Upon receipt of this information I immediately called Mr. T. P. Riddle, of Lima, Ohio, manager of the Corn Boys' tour, by 'phone and informed him that in my judgement it was entirely improper that a play which had been barred by the Ohio State Board of Film Censors, as being an improper play to be exhibited in Ohio, should be made a part of the official entertainment on this excursion outside of Ohio. I called his attention to the face that such action on his part would be highly offensive to a large body of our citizens who do not approve of this photo-play, and furthermore it would place the State of Ohio in a most ridiculous position. It would be absurd for the State to say that the photo-play in question could not be exhibited inside of the State but that it would aid in paying the expense of its citizens to go outside of the State to see the same play. Furthermore, I wrote Mr. Riddle promptly and vigorously on this subject. I have before me his letter in which he says that he will arrange to provide a substitute entertainment for the members of the Buckeye Corn Special party. I may add that in my talk with him by 'phone, I informed him also that unless some other official entertainment