The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-09
WHY NOT APPOINT ONE IN PENN
SYLVANIA

The Philadelphia Press delights in find
ing something in Southern newspapers
which gives it an excuse for saying I'M
pleasant things about the South and the
Southern people. In a recent issue, in an
article entitled What makes Dem
ocrat" it quotes the Greensboro, Ala.
Record as asking, What in thunder does
1t take to make a man a Democrat?'
and gives the answer of the Mobile Reg
ister as follows: 1.-THE spectacle of Pres
ident Mckinley appointing a negro to a
rural postmastership in Mississippi"
On this answer the Press comments as
follows:
THE sole cause for being, then, that the
Democratic party has in Alabama is that
rural postmastership is now and then
given to dolored man. It does not mat
ter that the colored man is often as cap
able man as can be found for the place.
That does not count. The simple test is
that he is a colored man and his APP
pointment to Office is the sole reason that
makes a man a Democrat in Alabama and
probably in other Southern states Some
parties have had a pretty narrow basis
90 build on. such as the Anti-Masonic
party and the Know Nothing party. But
the Mobile Register outlines the smell
est basis any political party ever had
when IL says that men are Democrats
because President Mckinley appoints a
negro to rural postmastership in Mis-
sissippi.'
1t seems to make the Press EXCEED
ingly bitter because the Southern people
object to colored postmasters. particularly
in the rural districts. But IL that paper
is so anxious that colored men shall have
postmasterships why does 1t not advocate
their appointment in Pennsylvania? IT
is the very general understanding that
the real editor of the Press is Postmaster
General Smith. There ought therefore to
be no difficulty in getting a few colored
postmasters appointed in the Keystone
state. both in rural districts and in the
cities. But for some reason or other they
are not appointed. And why? Is it be-
cause no colored men can be found who
win accept postmasterships in that state
There are plenty of colored men there.
and some of them are fully as capable
as many OF the white men who are APP
pointed. Has the Press advocated the ap-
pointment of colored men? Have the peo-
pie of Pennsylvania asked for the APP
pointment of colored men? II so we have
not seen any reference to such a request.
Is it not fact that Postmaster General
Smith dares not appoint a colored post
master In any of the rural districts OF
Pennsylvania? If he were to make such
an appointment would he not likely lose
some of his popularity in the state from
which he registers? Would not the Re-
publican party. in fact, lose ground in
Pennsylvania IL the administration should
adopt the policy of appointing colored
men TO be postmasters in the rural dis
tricts? The Press knows it would. and
yet ID sneers at the answer of the Mo
bile Register.
Or. Parkhurst. in his sermon on the
Sunday following his recent visit to the
South. said that the difference between
the Southern and Northern man in ref
erence 90 the negro was that the Southern
man did not like the negro and said so
while the Northern man did not like the
negro and lied about 1t. The Southern
man was sincere while the Northern man
was a demagogue. The Press appears TO
be typical Northern paper.