The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-28
REPUBLICANS
DRAW THE LINE
Effort to Prevent Negroes From
Getting Office.
PROTEST TO The PRESIDENT
CREPLY OF LATTER TO SOUTH
CAROLINA LILY WHITES.
PROTEST TO The PRESIDENT
az AsHINGTON, Nov. 27.-The pres

VIZ ASHINGTON, Nov. 27.-The pres
w ident has sent the following
communication to a prominent
citizen Of Charleston. s. c.:
white House. Washington, Nov 90
Ny Dear Sir: l am in receipt of your
letter of Nov. 10, and of one from Mr..
- under date of Nov, II, in
reference to the appointment of Dr.
Crum as collector of the port Of
Charleston.
In your letter you make certain spe-
cific charges against Dr. Crum tend
ing to show his unfitness in several re-
spects for the office sought. The charges
are entitled to the utmost considera-
ton from me and / shall go over
them carefully before taking any ac-
ton. After making these charges you
add, as further reason for opposition
to him, that he is a cOlored man, and
after reeiting the misdeeds that fol-
lowed carpetbag rule and negro dOmi-
nation in South Carolina, you say that
we have sworn never again to sub
NIT to the rule of the African and
such an appointment as that of pr.
Crum to any such Office forces us TO
protest. unanimously against this in
suit to the white blood and you add
that you understood me to say that
would never force a negro on such
community as yours. Mr.. - puts
the objection of color first saying that,
first. ne is a coiOred man. and that of
itself ought to bar him from the Of
fee.
Negro Not Barred.
"In view of these last statements,
think 1 ought to make it clear TO you
why l am concerned and panied by
your making them, and what my atti-
fc t.Ie =
ments. How any one could have
gained the idea that had said 1 would
not appoint reputable and upright col
ored men to Office, when objection was
made to them solely on account of
their color, l confess / am unable to
understand At the time of my visit
to Charleston last spring 1 had made,
and since that time / have made, a
number of such appointments from
several states in which there is a con-
siderable cOlOred population. For eX-
ample, 1 made one such appointment
IN Mississippi and another in Alabama
shortly before my visit to Charleston.
/ had at that time appointed two col
ored men as judicial magistrates in
the District of Columbia. l have re-
Gently announced another such ap-
pointment for New Orleans and have
just made one from Pennsylvania The
every state have been of white men.
North and south alike. it has been my
sedulous endeavor to appoint only men
of high character and good capacity.
whether white or black
But it is. and should be, my con-
sistent policy in every state where
their numbers warranted it, to recoS-
nize colored men of good repute and
standing in making appointments to Of
q
men have in no state made more than
a small PROPORTION of the total num-
Der of appointments. I am unable to
see how 1 can leEitimately 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 a fourth, all of them
white men, three of them originally
gold Democrats; two of them, 1 am in
formed, the sons of confederate sol
| diers. have been informed by the
Ddtizens OF Charleston whom I have
met that these four men represent a
high grade of public service.
Il do not intend to appoint any unfit
men to Office. So far as I legitimately
can. / shall always endeavor to pay
regard to the wishes and feelings OF
the people of each locality, but I can
not consent to take the position thai
the door of hope. the door of opDOrta-
nifty, is to be shut upon any good man
no matter how worthy purely upon the
grounds Of race or color. Such an at
titude would. according to my cOnvic.
tons. be fundamentally wrong. IL. as
you hold the great bulk &c the ccloreC
people are not yet fit in point of char
acter and influence TO hold such posi-
tons, il seems to me that it IS worth
while putting premium upon the effOrt
among them to achieve the character
and standing which viii nt them.
Negro Domination.
THE question of negGo dominat ior
does not enter into the matter at all
il might as well be asserIed that V her
I was governor of New York | sough
TO bring about negro domination in tina
state because / appointed two coloreC
men of good character and standing tC
responsible positions. one o: them 10
position paying a salary twice as larg,
as that paid in the Office under consid.
Grafton; one of them as a director @
the BuHaio exposition. The .Iuest iOI
raised by YOU and Mr. - in The state
ments to which l refer is simply wheth
err il is to be declared that under n,
circumstances shall any man of color
no matter how upright and honest. ~
matter how good a citizen. no matte
how fair in his dealings With all hi
under our government. certainly can
not assume such an attitude, and yol
must permit me TO say that in my vleV
! it is an attitude no man should assum
whether he looks at Il from The stand
point of the true int crest of the Witt
man of the south or the colored MAJ
from the south. not To speak of an
other section of the Union. IT seems {,
me that il is a good thing from ever,
standpoint to let :he cOlore1 man know
that II be shows in a marked degree ID
qualities of good citizensh.p -the quail
ties which in man we feel are entitle,
to reward-then he viii not be ext %
from all hope of similar reward
without any regard as TO what "a,
decision may be on the merits " TIN
particular applicant Tor this particuia
place, l feel that I ought TO let No,
know clearly my attitude on the IL
broader question ra,se1 by YOU an
Mr.. -, an attitude from whi2h hay
not varied during my term Of onice
Faithfully yours.
THEODORE Roosevelt
CAN GET GOLD OR BONDS.
London. Nov 27.-J. Pierpent Nor