The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-18

deny 1t. Nothing but its impulsiveness
was characteristic. But even In yield
Ing to his impulses. often hasty, and fire.
| quentiy prompting him to iii-judged vigor
| gard law and justice. The closing OF the
Indianbla postofi1ce was certainly an
| act of gross injustice to those citizens Of
lndianola who have taken no part IN per-
scouting the negro postmistrcss IT was
! not the statutory procedure Indicated IN
| such cases, and we cannot resist the con-
viction that IL was highly smpolltic act.
Throughout the Southern States the APP
pointment of colorcd postmasters 10 re-
scented as a social affront 4 Is Offensive
to white sentiment, and the whites. II
must be remembered, are the persons
who have most to do with postofiices and
postmasters. The President cannot over
come that sentiment by closing post
tested. Even II he were to be President
for a century. he could not make coiored
Federal ONCE holders acceptable In the
South. Southern communities and South
ern States long age disposed OF the qaes-
ton Of negro supremacy. They have car
ried the question of negro equality far
toward a settlement In which practically
the whole country has aoquiesced. There
was no other possible settlement. The at
tempt to reach any other would have
continued state Of strife and violence
TO which an end could have been put only
by the destruction Of one or the other
of the parties to the controversy. The
appointment of a negro postmaster by q
Republican President can be construed
only as refusal to accept the settlement,
as an attempt, SO far as 1t goes, to re-
verse the recorded decision. 1t may be
said that party policy requires such APP
pointments. The Republican party, when
under the sway OF passions engendercd
by the Civil War, gave the right OF SUI
frage to the negro. That was a mistake.
1t seems to be held that consistency re-
auires the party to persist In the mis-
take. Ii Is insisted, too. that as the two
races are politically equal before the
law. the President must not In his APP
pointments discriminate against the
black race. The answer is that Presidents
that the attempt to distribute Federal
patronage in the South without discrim-
fnation would demand for Its success the
maintenance of a force of Federal troops
In every Southern community. That Is
to say, the party policy which is respon-
sibie for the appointment of coiored men
can be logically and consistently followed
only at the cost OF destroying or driving
out the white men OF the South. No
President would dream Of such thing
for an instant. Accordingly. every negro
appointment is to be construed not as an
attempt to pursue q policy, but as an
act performed with a view to political
effect. II the coiored vote is to be kept
solldly Republican, the colored race must
be recognized. Every recognition Of 1t
by political appointment in the South
stirs up feeling OF anger and resentment
such as those which have found express
sion In Indiano1a.
The appointment OF William ID. Crum,
colored man, to be collector of Gus
toms at Charleston was announced by
the President yesterday. He has heard
the protests Of the citizens of Charles
ton. but does not heed them. In point OF
character and ability MFR. Crum Is auall-
fled for the ONCE, but in no higher de-
gree than huildreds Of other men whose
| appointment would have provoked no ILL
feeling That the appointment IL benefl-
citl to the colored race cannot be truth
| fully asserted. Every such appointment
| tends to KEEP the whites and blacks wide
| apart politically, while many of the most
| intelligent friends Of the blacks believe
| that nothing can be so beneficial to them
as the effacement Of the color line to the
| end that some might be Democrats and
| some Republicans. Were this division ef-
4 fected, the blacks would cease to be OBJ
/ jects of political persecution. Their votes
| would be sought, not suppressed.