The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-26

- VA
York / sought to bring about negro
domination In that state because I an
pointed two colored men OF good char
lacter and standing to responsible posi-
OF them TO a position paying
a salary twice as large as tha paid in
the office nov under consideration; one
OF them as director Of the Bunalo tx
position The comparison Is not a lust
one. In New York's population OF T.
OO0. go the negro Is sach a lone figure
that by no stretch Of the Imagination
Is there n Danger Of his dominating.
The difference between president and
native southern republicans like Sena-
tor Pritchard seems TO be this: They
oppose the appointment of negroes D
ONCE or trust n dignity because the
negroes are manifestly not as 1T to fl
them as educated white men who might
be selected. n because the community
resents a preference which neither ex-
lperience nor conditions Justify; the
president would appoint a negro to a
responsible federal office not because a
superior white man could not be found,
but because he is a negro and the race
should be encouraged. But would Mr..
pable and worthy-though he might ID
an intelligent marvel-to the collector
ship of Boston,"
In view Of the general lack Of infor-
mation at the north concerning the real
relations between the white people and
the negroes Of the south, let us be
thankful that SO influential newspaper
as The Sun is oun taking a position
so nearly in accord with the best pub
lie sentiment Of the south.
II the president be unwilling to accept
the testimony Of the thoughtful, intelli-
gent and withal patriotic element at the
south, then let him do as he did in the
case OF the coal strike-appoint q com
mission" should he appoint a commits
sion made up of the kind of men now
investigating the relations between the
Pennsylvania coal operators and miners
Ito investigate the relations between the
white people and the negroes of the
south, n especially the effect of office
holding on the a%ppointee himself and OF
the negroes of the vicinage and .on the
negroes generally. / have little doubt
Ithat its report would fully sustain the
position taken by Senator Pritchari.
Since the pre- sident is committed to
the policy of keeping open "the door ot
hope-the door of opportuhity'-to the
negro, it is his duty 70 lie sure as ID
which is that door. With the apparent
ly very dim lights now before him he
lis more liable to open a sort of PAN
ldora's box" than the door of either hope
or opportunity. Abstract justice is all
very we'll, but there is a good dea' in
the old saying circumstances alter
The negro's greatest asset today is
1.-THE friendship Of the white man Of the
south. Intelligent, prosperous negroes,
luntainted with the political pOis IN. not
only admit this. but 10 Dix with disap-
proval on my proposal tna1 may lend
TO impair that friendship. ] know this
to be true, and so does every other
southern man. But the average negro
is SO sensitive to criticism by his fell
.ows. SO afraid of being called "a white
mans nigeria term invented ny rhe
idle and thoughtless and often applied
with surprising effect-that it is hIrd
Ito get him to speak out in meetings"
what he really thinks or believes. An
Iother difficulty in the a OF bringing
the president to see the situation a. it
lis arises from the fact that .he negro
who stands for what is best in his COM
munity+the negro who has opened for
himself the door of "'hope and opportu-
nity"-is not the negro who does the
Talking that the president hears. He
hasn't the time to go to Washington.
de doesn't even have time to attend
the religio-political Gf such a phrase be
permissible) gatherings like the one at
Norfolk a fortnight ago. But if the
president should appoint a commission
composed Of sane, Unconditional, justice
loving, understanding men to go
Through the south and find out how best
20 open and keep open 1.-The door Of
aope I'M opportunity" it could, by ad-
Uniting only one witness at a time.
With the assurance that what that
witness might say would be treated
'confidentially," come to the right con-
lclusion through the testimony of ne
lgroes alGle-the testimony of the indus
80 hr;f& l1~,4- nlt1 - a,ra
scented by one or more individuals in al
most every southern community.
The phase of the situation which is
least considered Or understood outside
If the south is very clearly presented in
the following from The New Orleans
rimes-Democrat:
Such appointments are always fol-
owed by a singular manifestation OF
Turbulence on the part of the blacks'
lot always, in the latter case. by the
black ~appointee, but by the black race.
A postoftice is not a lady's drawing
Loom. Each is a place of public bust
less. The m these offices are oc-
:upied by negroes they became a sort
of center of magnetic attraction for ne
lgroeS in the community. The blacks in
stantly begin to imagine that the Gus
lom-hOuse or p~oStoffice in large meas
lure belongs to them. The sense of pro-
Iprietorship carried to delirium animates
the negroes. 1t Is reflected in their
fmanner in public places. in the streets
and wherever persons congregate. 1t
tends to make them even more truculent
lnan they naturally are. 1t disturbs
the peace Of the community, leads to
the violation Of law. and costs the
whites, in the end, not a little money
lnot TO speak of the humiliation they
suffer. 1t retards the progress of both
Traces. It defeats honest purposes. 1t
lspoils well-laid plans. 1t makes the
more difficult and postpones the solu-
zion Of the race problem. Economically
lit is unwise. Ethically it cannot be
Justified"
The editorial from which the forego>
ling has been clipped was r%epublished
lin full in The New York Sun of Satur-
day last, and being a calm, dispassion-
,ate discussion of his question, may g
commended to the president as a means
lof increasing the lights before him. and
ENABLE him to avoid mistakes in his en-
Ijeavors to keep open to n negro the
IiOor of hope and opportunity" In h