The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1889-09-06
The Atlanta Demonstration.


The Atlanta Demonstration.
The bourbon residents of the city of
Atlanta, Ga, are much and
ably torn up owe the appointment of q
colored man to u clerkship in their post
office by the new Republican post
master, and have expressed their in
dignation by burning in ettigy General
Lewis, the postmaster, and Colonel
Buck. the Chairman of the State Re-
publican Executive Committee. The
latter was insulted in this public man
ner only because he had secured the
appointment of the postmaster. At
least no other charge is made against
him. Probably his Republicanism
alone was sufficient cause for the out
rage. Mr.. Lewis, however, was the
victim of this demonstration for obey
ing the regulations of the civil service.
He had but two positions to fill, one in
the money order and the other in the
registry department, andapplied to the
local board for the IN of applicants
who We're eligible. They gave him but
two, one a white mar named Sturgess,
and the other o black man named
Penny, who was a graduate of the
Atlanta university and a superior pen
man and accountant. In his public
statement General Lewis explains how
he came to make these assignments
He says:
then considered the character OF the
two positions to be filed. That in the
mnnnv-nripr Ip martin nt Wnnll nnrpSsDrit
throw the clerk in contact with the patron;
of the Office. while that in the registry de-
partmcnt is entirely different. the clerk
occupying a desk out in the large mailing
room away from the public. Realizing the
tendency of public opinion. 1 thought it
would be best 10 give Penny the place in
the registry department. where. as l saw.
he would not como in contact with the
that in the money-order departmental
have given to S%turgess. Under the civil
service law these two men are the only
men whom l could possibly appoint to
those two positions. l think l did the best
thing possible under the circumstances.
Gen. Lewis has strictly followed the
lines of the civil service. Penny had
passed the examination and was clearly
eligible. The appointment, however
| did not suit a young woman who was
employed in the registry department
and who would have come into bust
ness contact with Penny, and sh,
thereupon resigned. Her resignation
was the signal for the public "indigna
ton" which resulted as we have de
scribed. Mr.. Lewis, however, propose:
to stand by his action, and Mr.. Bucl
sustains him. 1t goes without saying
that the Postotfice Department vii
also indorse his conduct, as he actet
clearly within the requirements of thu
law. It is a difficult thing to make Mr.
Grady's New South understand that {
black man has the same right to carr
q living that a white a has, and, al
other things being equal, that he i:
entitled to the political privilege:
which are so persistently denied hin
in that section. The argument of the
young and her friends hat the
appointment was an attempt to set ur
the social equality of the races is alb.
surd, as she was not obliged to have
anything but business relations with
Penny. The objection was made be,
cuuse he was black, and, as a Southern
contemporary remarked the other day
because the negroes have no business
to exercise the suffrage or to hold Of
fees. The same objection would have
been made had he been appointed tc
any other position. No charge is made
against Mr.. Penny's character; on the
| other hand, it is conceded to be exem-
plary. Would any scrutiny have been
made into the character of a white
man had he been appointed?
The truth of the matter is this
This cutlery has been made because OF
race prejudice and the determination
Of the Southern people to resist as fa1
as they can the appointment Of any
colored man to Office. It is more con-
spicuous in this case because the
country has been led to believe that
Atlanta was a liberal, progressive
South" which Major Grady described
so eloquently in his New England din.
ner speech, when he took pains te
notify the North how affectionatel,
the South regarded the negro and how
determined the South was to stand by
and protect him and watch over his in
terests; and yet at the first opportu
nifty we find Atlanta reviving the ole
prejudices against the negro, and dis.
playing all the bitterness and hatred
of slavery times. Such a manifesto
ton of feeling might have been expect
ed in negro-chasing and negro-murder
ing Mississippi, and it would probabl,
have been emphasized with bludgeon'
and shotguns; but we had expecte'
better things of Atlanta, and we al
particularly astonished at the policy o
so able and usually so fair a paper as tn
Atlanta Constitution which has in
duced it to support and encourage a
unreasonable mob in this demonstra
ton instead of courageously defendin
the law and the equal rights which i
guarantees. Chicago Tribune.