Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-03-02
Defines His Position in a Letter to
Clark Howell,
No BAR TO APPOINTMENT.
Surprised aud Panied AT tncompre-
hensibIe Outcry In south About
Him, one started in New York.

Atlunldt hh't MdlNi l. Nv 'N''N'
ing letter is from President Roosevelt
to the editor Of the Constitution, IN re-
ply for an expression concerning the re-
cent letter from Mr.. Harry stllwell
Edwards of Macon, in which MI Ed
wards made a statement Of the presl-
dents position In the matter Of federal
appointments in the south, holding that
the president had been misunderstood
President Roosevelt writes
white House. Washington, Feb "a,
1903 Hon Clark Howell, Editor of the
Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.!-Dear Mr..
Howell.-As to the federal appoint
ments in the south. Frankly, 1t seems
to me that my appointments speak for
themselves and that my policy Is self
explanatory. SO far from feeling that
they need the slightest apology or JUS
tihcauon, my position is that on the
strength of what l have done, | have
the right to claim the support of all
good citizens who wish not only hlgh
standard of federal service, but tair
and equitable dealing to the south as
well as to the north, and policy oil
consistent justice and good Will to"
wards all men.
IN making appointments | have
sought to consider the feeling OF the
people OF each locality so far as
could consistently do so without sac
rihcing principle, The prime tests
have applied have been those of charac-
ter. fitness and ability, and when !
have been dissatisfied with what has
been offered within my own party lines,
/ have without hesitation gone to the
opposite party and you are, of course,
aware that ! have repeatedly done this
in your own state Of Georgia.
II certainly will not treat mere col
or as a permanent bar to holding office,
any more than | could so treat creed or
blrthplace-always privided that, In
other respects the applicant or incum-
bent Is a worthy ana well-behayed
American citizen. Just as little VIII |
treat 1t Is comforting a right to hold
office. | have scant sympathy with the
man Of mere theory who refuses to face
facts; but do you not think that In the
long run, it is safer for everybody If we
act on the motto, AN men up rather
than on that Of Some men down.?
81 ask you to Judge not by what |
say, but by what, during the last II
months, have actually done. In your
own state Of Georgia you are compe-
tent 20 Judge from your own experience.
In the great bulk Of the cases have
reappointed President McKinley's APP
pointees. The changes ! have made
We're as think you will agree, changes
for the better and not for the worse.
1t happens | have appointed white
man 20 succeed a colored man az post
master at Athens and as surveyor at
Atlanta. In South Carolina | have sim
ilarly appointed white postmaster TO
succeed colored postmaster Again,
in South Carolina have nominated a
colored postmaster TO fill vacancy IN
the position of the collector OF the port
of Charleston, just as IN Georgia | have
reappointed the colored man who Is
now serving as collector of the port OF
Savannah, Both are tit men. Why
the appointment OF one should cause
any more excitement than the appoint |
ment of the other, / am wholly at a
loss to imagine. ] need hardly say that |
10 connect either OF these appointments, |
or any or all OF my appointments, or |
my actions in unfolding the law at In |
dlanola, with such questions as social |
equality and negro domination is |
as absurd as 20 connect them with the |
nebular hypothesis or the theory Of |
atoms,
II have consulted freely with your |
own senators and congressman as to
the character and capacity OF any APP
iFag Ia .sflg,
there was any question. My party ad- |
visers In the state have been Mai Han
son Of Macon Mr.. Walter johnson IF |
Atlanta-both OF them ex-Confederatc
scldiers-and Mr.. Harry Stlllwell Ed,
wards Of Macon. | believe you viii |
agree with me that In no state would Il
be possible TO find gentlemen abler aud |
more upright or better qualified to mn |
the positions they have filled. With ref
erence 10 me In every instance where
these gentlemen have united IN making |
a recommendation | have been able TO
follow their advice. Am / not right
I'm saying that the federal oflicehold-
ers whom | have appointed through
cut your state, as a body, men and
women are Of a high order OF eff
cheney and integrity2 II you know OF |
gily federal ofllceh0lder In Georgia |
cf whom this Is not true, pray let me |
know at once | win welcome testi-
mony from you or from any other re-
put1ble citizen which viii tend 20 show |
that given public officer IS unworthy: |
and, most emphatically short viii be
the shift Of any one whose lack OF
wcrth IL proven. incidentally. / may
mention that a large percentage OF the
incumhents OF federal officers On Geor-
gia under me are as ] understand IL.
Of your own political faith But they
ere supported by me IN every way as
long as they continue TO render good
and faithful service to the public.
This is true OF your own state, and
by applying 10 Mr. Thomas Nelson
Page OF Virginia. 10 Gen. Basil Duke Of
X Kentucky. TO Mr.. George Crawford Of
Tennessee TO Mr. John McMenry OF
ouisiana. TO Judge Jones OF Alabama
and Mr.. Edgar $. Wilson Of Mississippi.
all Of them Democrats and an OF them
men Of the highest standing In the re-
spective communities, you will find
that what | have done In Georgia
sts nds not as the exception, but as the
rule for what | have done throughout !
the south ] have good reason 90 be.
l'eve that my appointees In the differ
tNi states UltUllpNtNt anu Us AN' sum |
OF the parts Is the whole necessarily. in
the south at large represent not mere
ly an Improvement upon those whose
places they took. but upon the whole
p higher standard Of federal service
than has hitherto been attained In the
CO mmunities In question. ! may add
that the proportion Of colored men
among these new appointees is only
about one IN 100
But in view OF all these facts
Lave been surprised and somewhat
pained. at what seems 10 me the incom-
prehensble outcry In the south about
my actlons-an outcry apparently |
started IN New York for reasons wholly |
upconnected with the question nomin-
ally at issue. am concerned at the
attitude thus taken by 50 many OF the
routhern people; but I am not IN tho
least angry: and stlll less will this at
titudc have the effect Of making me
swerve one hairs breadth 10 one side
NJ the other from the course ! have
out--the course ] have con-