The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-06
Mr.. Pages View.

Thomas Nelson Pages article in Col
lier's on the recrudescese Of the race
problem is the first reasonable explana-
President Roosevelt's appointment policy
has caused in the south, though he has
appointed fewer. negroes than any presi-
dent since the war, except, possibly,
Cleveland. According to Mr.. Page it is
not the appointments alone that have
caused the dissatisfaction, but several
unfortunate incidents together with the
the races that formerly existed in the
south, with the passing of the elder gen
Grafton of whites and negroes.
Mr.. Page insists that the younger gen.
Grafton contains many negroes that are
bent upon social equality. TO them Pres
ident Roosevelts entertainment Of Booker
Washington at dinner was an inspiration
Then came the removal from federal Of
flee Of one or two white men who were
interested in organizing a white republican
party. This was taken to mean that the
president intended to do his best to pre-
vent the organization Of such a party.
This to the southerners meant that the
president was in sympathy with negro
political domination. Then came the In
dianola, Miss, incident. It happened there
that the race wrath which led to the de-
mand for the postmaster's resignation,
after several years of faithful service, had
been stirred up by, the advances of a
| negro to white woman, and to the south
the action of the administration seemed
like retaliation in behalf of the negroes,
who were tremendously stirred by the
incident. On top of this came the ap-
pointment Of DR.. Crum, a negro, to the
best federal office in the proudest and
most sensitive city in the south. : :.
The whole south, already stirred, re-
sented it. 1t was taken as Indicating a
policy which 'conceivably might plunge
the south again into horrors which she
recalls with loathing. It was taken as
indicating a want of appreciation Of the
grave dangers that underlie her social
fabric, and above all, as showing, on the
part of one who was half southern, a
want of understanding of and of SYM
pathy with the south.
These dangers cannot be expressed in
| cold print. But they lie at every mans
door, and when they stir they thrill every
heart. TO one who does not feel them
they cannot be explained by reasoning;
but they are felt, and they are felt to be
more Imminent now than for a good while
| past.
The south does not fear social equality
| 1t knows that it cannot be- But it fears
| the consequences of anything looking like
the most remote recognition of it. II
feels, as no one else can, the consequences
of every agitation of this kind. Social
equality and the Sword and torch
terms which none would have ventured
to use five years ago-are beginning to be
openly advocated by candidates for office
at Afro American meetings.
Now whether we agree that the south
had good cause to- be aroused as it has
been by these incidents, Mr.. Page has
done the people of the whole country the
service of explaining what has heretofore
been puzzle, and has generally beer
roughly solved in the north by the con
clusion that it was not negro appoint
ments that annoyed the south so intense.
| ly, since they had been more numerous
in the past, but the high quality of Presi.
dent Roosevelt's appointments. This con-
clusion convicted the south of being op
posed to the negro of education and char.
acter as such, and tended decidedly t,
arouse the indignation of the north. Nov
that far more creditable and satisfac
tory logical explanation has been made
by Mr.. Page it will be possible to con.
slider the question with less feeling ant
j more tolerance.