The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-03-31
THE SCOTIA ND NECK POST
OFFICE.

THE SCOTLAN ND NECK POST
OFFICE.
The following clipping from New
York paper which recently fell into orr
hands, may be of interest to our coun-
ty readers:
RALEIGH, n. c., March Z.
Collin Anthony, negro whlskey sell
Ter, was recently appointed post master
at Scotland Neck, Halifax County N.
c., town where cotton manufacturing
and other business enterprises are locatr
ed, and where there are probably as
many of the acknowledging "old fam
lilies" as at any place of its size in the
South. As the ex-slaves and their des.
cendants are in majority, they have
succeeded in electing one of their race
to Congress every two years since the
war. At present George H. White, the
only negro in Congress, 10 the Congress
man from that (the second) district,
and President Mckinley and the Post
master-G General have allowed him to fill
most OF the postmastershrps with negro
men and women, several of the latter
holding office in several counties.
Anthony has not yet taken charge Of
the Office, owing to some legal hitch OF
other delay, but he is expected to do so
in few days. Recently the report be-
came current that he intended to run
the post-office business in the same
building in which his barroom is To-
Gated, or in its immediate neighbor-
hood. This report caused much indlg-
nation among the more respectable ele-
ment of the community, especially the
women who have to do business with
the post Office, and upon some of An
thongs friends telling him that he had
better dispose of the objection by get
ting from the bar, he promptly trans
ferred the whiskey business to another
party.
Especial Dispatch to The Evening Post]
Washington, March 1O.-Represent-
alive White, OF North Carolina, when
questioned about the case of the negro
postmaster at Scotland Neck n. c., de-
clared that there was no ground for the
reflections on Anthony's charcter or on
his own race prejudice. Ninety five
per cent. of my constituents" said he,
"are colored ; yet have recommended
white men for halt the presidential
postoffices III my district, and as to the
tourth-class offices. great many of
them have gone to white persons. The
reason for the delay about Anthony's
appointment was that he held the office
of county commissioner, which he
feared would be incompatible with his
holding the postmastership but If he
resigned as Commissioner, the election
machinery OF the county would be LA
BILE to fall Into the bands OF the enemy.
So at first he tried to have his wife
made postmaster In his place, so that
he could retain his ommlsslonership.
That seemed to be out of the question.
The necessity for holding fast to his
commissionershlp is now past, and he
will be all right as postmaster. His
father-in-law owned liquor establish
ment, and Anthony, when he married,
ran the place for him sometimes. That
is all there Is to that story"
At the postofice department it was
stated that no charge had been filed
against Anthony ON the score of bar
keeping. If any postmaster should at
tempt to keepa postotfice IN bar-room,
he would be promptly dismissed. First
Assistant Postmaster General Heath
has been very strict in this regard about
postoffice premises, over which he has
general jurisdiction, and as to the &C.
equations of presidential postmasters,
which come directly under him. Not
long ago he had case presented to
him where an employee of a postoffice
in the West, who performed his duties
faithfully, inteIligently, and politely,
but out of Office hours helped friend
run a tap-room, stood behind the
bar Tor little while IN the morning
and again in the evening. Mr.. Heath
ruled that this would not do; the man
must give up his bar work or his post
office work. He is wedding out cases
like this every week, and trying to es-
tablish general policy which will per-
nit no employee of the postal service
to plead ignorance.