The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-11
WAS BODILY FIRED
ALABAMA's REVENUE COLLECTOR
MADE A VICTIM.
THIS is STRANGE POLICY
AND SOUTHERN LILY WHITE RE-
PUBLICANS ARE PUZZLED.

President Takes Drastic and Sudden
Action I'm Seeming Contradiction
TO His Recent Views on the Subject
OF the Republican Party In the
SOuth-Postmaster General Payne
Issues Statement Defining the
Reasons which Actuated the Pres
ident I'm Making the Change.
Washington, Nov. 10.-Julian H.
Bingham, collector of internal revenue
for Alabama, was to-day made VIC
tim of President Roosevelt's strange
policy towards the Lily White Repup-
licans in the South. At the 3ugges-
ton of Postmaster General Payne and
and fireman of the administration ma.
chine, Bingham was removed AID Jo-
seph II. A. Thompson, brother of Con-
gresham Thompson, has been elect
ed to fill the vacancy. Binghams
activity in striving TO carry out what
he conceived to be the desire OF the
President-the establishment of a
white Republican party in Alabama
is the cause of his removal, according
to the official statement given out by
Postmaster General Payne. While de-
claring that not one word can be said
against the official conduct or per-
sonal integrity of Collector Bingham,
the Postmaster General says his re-
moval was necessary TO emphasize
the fact that the President doed not
intend to entirely ignore the colored
Republicans of the South.
The Alabama and the South Carolina
white Republicans are being served to
the same dose of political physic that
was administered to Senator Pritchard
and his Lily White followers in North
Carolina. Pritchard, after conference
with the President, gave out a state
ment to the effect that the President
was not favorably impressed with the
type of colored Republican politicians
coming to him from the North state,
and intimated that he would cheerful1y
encourage the building UP of respec=
table white Republican organization in
the South. Pritchard hurried home
and went to work, but before he had
progressed far. he was overhauled by
a semi official declaration in behalf of
the coloTed,, Republicans of the South,
by John s. Garrison, who is credited
with being successful manipulation of
| colored Republicans in the South
The Lily White movement was thus
| hlighted in North Carolina, South Car
olina Lily Whites next felt the chilly
hand of the CIarkson blight, and now
Alabama is told that colored RepubIi-
cans are as good as white Republicans.
So complicated is the President
stern policy that the so-called leaders
of the Republican forces in the South
land are wondering what Will happen
next.
Postmaster General Payne visited
the White House to-day and as he left
the executive offices made public the
following statement defining the rea-
sons for the change:
1.-THE change in the office of collector
of internal revenue for the district of
Alabama In nowise reflects upon the
integrity Of Mr.. Bingham. the incum-
bent of the Office. 1t is one of those
things which occasionally happens in
politics. The position taken by the Re-
publicans of Alabama at their recent
state convention, as understood by the
Republicans of the North is looked
upon as a perversion of the fundamen-
tai principles of the Republican party,
and Mr.. Bingham is. in a measure, held
responsible for that action; hence the
change.
Neither the administration nor the
Republican party of the North will
stand for the exclusion of any section
of our people by reason of their race
or color, when, In other respects, such
persons have complied with the laws
and are eligible under the law to full
and free participation in political ac-
ton. and are of high standard of per-
sonal character. In other words there
are a few hundred colored men in Ala
bama who come up to the requirements
of the recently adopted state constitu-
ton and are eligible for participation
In political affairs. and the action of
the Republican state convention refer
red to in arbitrarily excluding them, is
not approved; no more than such ac-
ton would be approved II II were taken
in Ohio or Indiana
The President has appointed John S.
Webb postmaster at Tuskegee, Ala,
vice Joseph o. Thompson, appointed
collector of internal revenue OF Ala
bama.