The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1902-12-03

White House,
Washington, Nov. rs. 1902.
Ny Dear Sir: Fam in receipt of your
letter of Nov. 10 and of one from Mr.,
-, under date of Nov. IL, in
reference to the appointment Of DR..
Crum as collector Of the port OF
Charleston. In your letter you make
certain specific charges against DR..
Crum, tending to show his unftness
in several respects for the office
sought. These charges are entitled
to the utmost consideration from me
and | shall go over them carefully be-
fore taking any action. After making
these charges you add as further
reason for opposition to him that he
is a colored man, and after reciting
the misdeeds that followed carpet
bag rule and negro domination in
South Carolina. you say that I'VE
| have sworn never again to submit to
the rule of the African, and such an
appointment as that Of DR.. Crum to
any such office forces us to protest
| unanimously against this insult to the
| white blood" and you add that you
| understood me- to say that l would
| never force negro on such a COM
muDity as yours. Mr.. puts
the objection of color first, saying:
Concerned and Panied.
First, he is colored man, and that
Of itself ought to bar him from the
Office In view Of these last state
ments | think | ought to make clear
to you why am concerned and pain
| ed by your making them and what
my attitude Is as regards all such
| appointments: How any one could
have gained the idea that ! had said
would not appoint reputable and up
right colored men to Office when OBJ
lection was made wholly to them on
account of their color ] confess | am
wholly unable to understand. At the
time of my visit to Charleston last
spring had made and since that time
| have made a number of such ap-
pointments from several states in
which there is considerable colored
such appointment in Mississippi and
another in Alabama, shortly before
my visit to Charleston. l had at that
time appointed two colored men as
| judicial magistrates in the District Of
Columbia. have recently announced
another such appointment for New
Orleans and have just made one from
Pennsylvania. The great majority OF
my appointments In every state have
been of white men. North and south
alike it has been my sedulcus en-
deavor to appoint only men Of high
| character and good capacity, whether
white or black. But II has been my
consistent policy in every state where
| their numbers warranted 1t to recog-
nize colored men of good repute and
| standing in making appointments to
Office. These appointments of colored
men have In no state made more than
small proportion Of the total num-
| Der of appointments. l am unable to
see how l can legitimately be asked
! to make an exception for South Caro-
| lima. In South Carolina, to the four
NEST important positions in the state,
have appointed three men and con-
! tinued in Office fourth. all OF them
white men-three of them originally
gold Democrats---two Of them. as
am informed. the sons of Confederate
soldiers. | have been informed by
| the citizens of Charleston whom
have met that these four men repre-
sent high grade Of public service.
win Not Appoint Unfit Men.
do not intend to appoint any unfit
man to office. So far as legitimately
can shall always endeavor to pay
regard to the wishes and feelings Of
the people Of each locality, but can
not consent to take the position that
the door of hope-the door of oppor-
tunity-is to be shut upon any man,
no matter how worthy, purely upon
the grounds Of race or color. Such
an attitude would, according to my
convictions, be fundamentally wrong.
If, as you hold, the great bulk of the
| colored people are not yet fit in point
Of character and influence to hold
such positions, 1t seems to me that
1t is worth while putting a premium
upon the effort among them to
achieve the character and standing
which win fit them.
The question of negro DONNA
ton" does not enter into the matter
at ALL 1t might as we'll be answered
that when | was governor Of New
York sought to bring about negro
domination in that state because l ap-
pointed two colored men Of good
character and standing to responsible
positions-one of them to a position
paving salary twice as large as that
paid in the office now under consid-
eratlon-One o. them as director OF
the Buffalo exposition. The question
raised by you and Mr.. in the
statements which refer is simply
whether 1t is to be declared that I'M
der no circumstances shall any man
of color, no matter how upright and
honest, no matter how good citizen,
no matter how fair in his dealings
with all his fellows. be permitted to
hold any office under our government.
certainly cannot assume such an at.
titude, and you must permit me to
say that In my view 1t Is an attitude
no man should assume, whether he
looks at 1t from the standpoint OF the
true interest Of the white man OF the
south or of the colored men Of the
south, not to speak Of any other sec
ton Of the Union. 1t seems to me
that 1t is a good thing from every
standpoint to let the colored man
know that II he shows In marked de-
gree the qualities OF good citizenship
1.-The qualities which IN white man