The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in AmericaScott, William R. (William Rufus)
Philosophy
The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in America
Scott, William R. (William Rufus)
Tipping
"That it shall be unlawful for the owner, proprietor, lessee,
superintendent, manager or agent in any hotel, restaurant,
eating house, barber shop, theatre, store building, office
building, factory, railroad, street railroad, fair ground,
baseball or football ground, hall used for public meetings or
entertainments, or any other building, office, or space which is
a place of public accommodation or public resort, to rent, lease
or permit to be used any part, space or portion thereof, for any
trade, calling or occupation, or for the exercise of any
privilege by any person, company, partnership or corporation for
the purpose of accepting, demanding or receiving, directly or
indirectly, from the customers, patrons or people who frequent
such places of public accommodation or public resort, gratuities
or donations, commonly called tips, in addition to the regular,
ordinary and published rate of charge for work performed,
materials furnished or services rendered, _provided_, that
nothing in this section contained shall be construed to prohibit
any employee or servant from accepting or receiving gratuities
or donations commonly called tips, if such gratuities or
donations are not accounted for, paid over, or delivered,
directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, to any person,
company, partnership or corporation, but are retained by such
employee or servant, as and for his absolute and individual
property.
"Any lease, contract, agreement or understanding entered into in
violation of the provisions of section 1 of this act shall be
absolutely void.
"Any person, company, partnership or corporation or any officer
or agent thereof, violating the provisions of this act shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be
fined in any sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars for each and
every offense, and, in addition thereto such person, officer or
agent, in the discretion of the court, be sentenced to the
county jail not less than three months and not more than one
year."
LEGALIZED ROBBERY
This Illinois law is an instance of an American Commonwealth
specifically and deliberately recognizing tipping as legal and right. It
turns loose the tip-pirates upon the public with full governmental
sanction, but stipulates that in their piracy they shall not organize
into a trust, as they had done in Chicago and in all large cities.
The Illinois law can be commended to the extent that it seeks to break
up the organized traffic in tips, but its recognition of tipping on an
unorganized basis is equivalent to the action of some European
governments in paying out of their treasuries tribute to the Barbary
pirates for the privilege of sailing the high seas. Thomas Jefferson's
democracy rebelled at this and he freed the whole world from the
outrageous custom.
IN MASSACHUSETTS
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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