The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-28
STATUS OF NEGRO
The President Tells Two Southern
g. Correspondents Where He
Stands in the Matter.
To Close the Door of Opportunity
Upon Race Would be Funda-
q mentally Wrong.

q Washington, Nov. 2s.-The president
= has sent the following communication to
prominent citizen Of Charleston. S. c.:
Personal: White House, Washington,
= Nov. 26, 19O2.-My Dear Sir: l am in re-
ceipt 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 Spe-
cific charges against Mr.. Crum tending to
show his unfitness in several respects for
the office sought. These charges are en-
titled to the utmost consideration from
me and I shall go over them carefully
before taking any action. After making
these charges You add, further rea-
son for opposition to him. that he is a
colored man, and after reciting the mis-
deeds that followed carpetbagging rule
and negro DONNA ton in South Carolina,
you say that We 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 to protest
unanimously against this insult to the
white bloods.' and you add that you I'M
derstood me to say that I would never
force a negro on such a community as
yours.
Mr.. puts the objection of color
first, saying that, first, he is a colored
man. and that Of itself ought to bar him
from the offce. In view Of these last
statements, l think I ought to make clear
to you why I am concerned and panied
by your making them and what my atti-
3 tude is regards all such appointments.
"How any one could have gained the
idea that I had said I would not appoint
reputable and upright colored men to
office, when objection was made to them
solely on account Of their color, 1 confess
l am wholly unable to understand. At the
nf icit to In, III To-
l had made and since that time have
made a number of such appointments
from several states in which there Is q
considerable colored population.
For example. made one such appoint
ment In Mississippi and another in Ala
bama, shortly before my visit to Charles
ton. L had at that time appointed two
colored men judicial magistrates in
the District Of Columbia. I have recent
~ announced another such appointment
for New Orleans and have just made one
from Pennsylvania.
The great majority Of my appoint
ments in every state have been of white
men. North and south alike, it has been
my sedulous endeavor to appoint only men
or nigh character and good capa citv
whether white or black. But it has been
my consistent policy in every state where
their numbers warranted it, to recognize
colored men Of good repute and standing
IN making appointments to office
These appointments of colored men have
IN no state made more than a small pro-
portion Of the total number of appoint-
ments. I am unable to see how T can
leglt1matelN be asked to make an excep-
ton for South Carolina In South Caro-
INA. to the four most important posi-
tons in the state. I have appointed three
men and continued in office a fourth. all
or them white men---three of them orig
lnally gold democrats-two Of them. as
1 am informed. the sons Of confeder "a to
soldiers I have been informed by the
citizens Of Charleston whom l have met
that these four men reDresant , ,;uh
grade Of public SERVICE
do not intend to appoint anv Unfit mon
TO office. So far as I legtinately can
l shall always endeavor to paw resa rd
TO the wishes and feelings of the pcoD1e
OF each locality; but cannot consent to
take the position that the door of hone
the door CT opportunity-is to be shut
upon any man. no matter how worthy
purely upon the ground Of race or color
Such an attitude would according to
my convictions. be Fundamentally wrong,
II. as you hold, the great bulk Of the
colored people are not vet fit in point
OF character and influence to hold such
positions. it seems to ME that it Is worth
while putting a premium upon the effort
among them to achieve the character and
''ttiiNiIS lllcll Will III them,
The question Of NEGRO domination,
does not enter into the matter at all r.
might as we'll be asserted that when T wa
governor OF New York sought to bring
about negro domination in that state be-
cause I appointed two colored men Of
good character and standing to RESPONSE
Die posltlons-one of them to a position
, paying salary twice as large as the
pay in the office now under consideration
One Of them 80
exposition. The question raised bv Mr.
. ---- in the statements to which I refer
is simply whether it Is to be declared
that under no circumstances shall anv
man OF color no matter how upright and
honest, no matter how good a citizen, no
matter now fair in his dealings with his
fellows be permitted to hold any office
under our government.
l certainly cannot assume such an at
tltude and you must permit me to saw
that in my view it is an attitude no man
should assume, whether it. is from the
standpoint Of the true interest of the
White man of the south Or of the colored
man or the south-not to speak Of any
other section of the union 1t seems to
me that it is good thing from everv
standpoint to let the colored man know
that II he shows in marked degree the
qualities of good citizenship, the qualities
In white man we feel are entitled to re-
ward, then he Will not be cut off from all
hope Of similar reward.
Without any regard as to what NV de-
clslon may be on the merits of this par
t1cular application for this particular
place, feel that ought to let YOU know
+ clearly my attitude on the far broader
question raised by you and Mr.. -, an
attitude from which 7 have not varied
during my term of office. Faithfully
yours,
Theodore Roosevelt.
Hon. --, Charleston, 8. c.