People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1897 — MORE DISCRIMINATION. [ARTICLE]

MORE DISCRIMINATION.

The Discovery Made by a Man on the Alert for an Affront. There was that about his attire and his manner which showed that, although of African descent, he was fully alive to the respect due him as a citizen of the United States and an equal voter at the polls, says the Washington Star. The salesman in the men’s furnishing store hastened to learn his wishes and ventured to wish him “good morning” in spite of his (haughty glare. “What can we do for you to-day?” “You can’t do nuffin’ much foh me,” was the reply. “I come yuh- ter do somefin’ foh you.” “We—er —we don’t any help.” “I ain’t lookin’ foh wuhk! I come yuh to give you all s+me money. I wants ter trade an’ es anybody grits de bes’ er de bahgain I dqn’t reckon it’s gwinter be me. Only I don’t want no bowin’ an’ scrapin’ like yoh imagined I wus de prince o’ Wales, an’ at de same time I don’t want no sissiness. All 1 desiahs is ter put money on de counter an’ kyah off de goods, es dey suits me." “What do you wish to purchase?” “Er shirt.” “Ah, yea. lam sure we can give you a satisfactory article. Do you want a white shirt or a colored shirt?” “Whut’s dat?” and his hand reached ominously for his hip pocket. “I merely asked you whether you wanted a white shirt or a colored shirt,” the salesman replied as he edged behind a pile of hat boxes. “I s’pected It in de fus place, an’ now I knows it. I’m in de wrong sto’. Whut’s de good er civil rights? I goes to de theayter an’ dey has white seats an’ colored seats. I goes ter de restaurant an’ dey has white vittles an’ colored vittles. But when I comes yub ter get some cotton foh my back an’ yoh stan’s me up an’ tells me dat yoh has white shirts for white folks an’ colored shirts foh colored folks you’s done got pas’ de limit, an’ dar ain’ nuffin lef’ foh me ter do, ’ceppin’ ter hire a lawyer.”