The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-01-29
AN OFFICIAL OUTRAGE ON A MIS-.
SISSlPPl TOWN.
Charlotte Observer.

Charlotte Observer.
Because the white people of the town
of Indianola, Miss, protested against
the appointment OF /; colored woman
as postmaster, and for the further
reason that she resigned the position
on account of alleged threats against
her, it has been ordered that the
pOstoffice be closed and that the mail
for the town be distributed at Green
vile, % miles distant.
The fact that the place pays 800
a month is proof that the office is OF
some Importance. In fact, it was
pointed out by our Washington cor
respondent that some eight hundred
people were put to the Inconvenience
of going % miles for their mail on
account of the order intended to
punish the lawless element. The al
legged reason for sendiny the mail for
IndianOla to Greenville when there
are numerous offices nearer the town
is that none of them are large enough
to handle the additional matter. OF
course that is an excuse made for the
purpose, for it would take merely a
stroke of the pen toprOvide addition
al facilities at any of the places in
that vicinity. The mail was moved to
Greenville in order to make the pun
ishment of the people of Indianola
more severe.
1t is incOnceivable how a man OF
President Roosevelt's apparent love
of Justice could be so blinded by an
issue as to sanction or permit such a
movement as this There should be
no politics or race prejudice in the
administration of the POstoffice De
partment. One citizen has as much
right to it's privilege as another, I'M
less he has committed a violation that
makes him amenable to a fraud or
der. 1t is the duty of the United
States government to keep a post
office open wherever the people need
such a convenience and there is bust
ness to Justify it. 1t is the right OF
citizens to demand that the mail IA
cilities be extended to them. If the
lawless element made the situation
in the Mississippitown unsafe for the
cOlOred postmaster it was the duty
of the authorities to protect her with
a whole regiment of United States
soldiers if necessary. At the same
time, however. the citizens of the
town-at least those who had made
no demonstration against the woman
official-were entitled to mail service,
and they should be protected in this
right if a section ofthe United States
army had to be kept on duty indefi-
nitely. The argument that the law
less element must be punished has no
place in this feature of the case.
Every citizen guilty of wrong-doing
should be punished if the United
States authorities have it in their
power to bring him to justice. but if
there is one citizen in Indianola who
is innocent of threatening the post
master, he has a right to demand
that his mail be delivered to him. and
there should be some means of en-
forcing his demand
If n village of peaceable and loyal
FilipinOs, for instance, should be set
upon by band of insurgents and
their pOstotfice closed because of dan
ger to the official, would the United
States government order that the
mail be distributed at Manila until
these insurgents were willing to have
the government take charge again?
If not, then how much more are citi-
zens of the United States proper en-
titled to protection against the law
less element.
President Roosevelt is chock full of
surprises and contradictions. and this
postoffice case is one of the most pro-
nounced that he has turned loose
since his accession to the presi-
dencY.