The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-03
ROOSEVELT Ess rss9@ss
 NOT DISTURBED
NO EFFORT IS BEING MADE TO
 BUY WHITE FAVOR
Plan of Making Appointments Will Not Be Changed-The Best Men to Be Selected
 for Offices, --stE

The special correspondent of The Bos- ton Transcript at the National Capital writes to that paper as follows in regard to the Roosevelt-Washington dinner in' c3dent.
 The incident has conspicuously com teal side: its only annoying feature to the President is the stupidity of some of his censors in talking about his hay ing with one stroke undone all that he had thus sar accomplished in winning over the South by appointing Democrats to office. This Is an impudent assump- ton that he had made such appointments for the purpose of buying Southera white favor-a theory as unjust to- the sPfesi- dent as to the Southern gentlemen who are represented as purchasable by policy was distinctly stated in this cor rcspondence before the first of the ap- pointments was made, and 1t has not undergone any change. If white Repub- hcans of high character. obvious fitness enjoying the respect of their neighbors, regardless of party and color. could be found, they would be preferred for office on the general principle of party su- premacy at the ballot-box: if not, Dem- ocrats would be chosen. The main thing was to get the men; the party question could take care. of itself in a secondary place. On that basis his recent appoint ments in the South were made; on the same unquestionably he will continue to pick out his appointees. He would have scorned to offer place to man like Sx-G0VeEnOT Jones, TOT example, with any notion that he was bribing him to support the administration. or currying favor with the friends and admirers of the new judge.
 ment in the South to say whether that whole section Is to see its chance for re- construction go by unimproved. because Mir. Roosevelt has exercised the same surrounding his own table. 1t would be big price to pay for the qualification of provincial, last-century prejudice Mir. Roosevelt did not, by his course h low suit. If no white person in the South is able to bring himself to Be, the difference between man of MT Washington's type and those people white and black, whom all reputable per sons aim to exclude from too close con tact. that is not the Presidents concern For himself. he must be the judge. H. would be just as proud of Mir. Washiht ton, as a product of American free f.. stitutions. If he were white, or coppr colored or yellow. Mir. Roosevelt, |: private citizen. was always glad to cla hands with him in the grand work l greatest pleasures Mir. Roosevelt. Il, President, takes in his high office is tn, chance 1t gives him to testify his sp preciation of that work in an unmistak-
 Probably there vii be commentators on the recent incident who will try to read in 1t an indictment of Mir. Washington good faith and good taste. They. will { assume that he sought the hospitality of the White House. and took care to spread the news of 1t, for the sake Of It's effect in breaking. the ice" as 1t were, for. the negro socially. Nothing is further from the truth. MT. Washing ton, in spite of much urging in the other direction by self-appointed advisers has observed the line of distinction between equality of citizenship and social equal aty. Ills tact has been exhibited at tho expense of what some ag1tators have seen fit to call his self respect Tn, writer knows of an occasion when a group of philanthropic gentlemen were visiting Tuskegee Institute, where MT. Washington was the only person WI
 could entertain them at dinner. The found the board well supplied and daint- fly spread; but no persuasion on tn
 bart of the guests without race preju- dices could induce MT. Washington ol any member of his household to sit a their table. The hosts excuses were ingenious as any ever forged by ali ac' complished deniZen of the great world but behind these was discernable tha niceness of what he owed his cause Abstention from anything which could offend the pre1udtces of the white peo- pie of the section in which he lived and fabored
 So in the present case The Tran script correspondent happens to know what perhaps is unknown to the Presi- dent himself-that MT. Washington, hay ing received an invitation to dine at th' White House and spend the evening witt its distinguished tenant, went out of tho way to try to prevent any publication of the fact, even that he was to be in Washington. This was a point of deli. cacy with him, realizing, as he could bet Ger than any one else to what sort of attacks the President was exposing him. self by extending such a courtesy to a member of despised race.