The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-01-08
THE INDIANOLA SITUATION.

about 600 inhabitants. situated in the
Mississippi delta. 1t has had for
several years negro postmistress. A
few days ago she sent in her resigna-.
tion. All the facts concerning her
resignation we have not yet been able
to secure.
1t seems, however, that she stated
in her letter to the postal authorities
at Washington that she desired to give
up the Office because tho white people
of the town objected to her on account
of her color. but that there was no
complaint of i'll treatment or intimi-
dation whatever. On the other hand,
it appears that she spoke of these peo-
pie in kindly terms, declared that
they were her friends, and that she
did not wish to remain in a position
that gave them offense. The only
testimony that the department had to
the contrary was a message from Ger
tain interested parties that the woman
was being forced to resign by the hood
lums and lawless elements of the
place.
Postmaster General Payne held a
conference with President Roosevelt
on the case and they decided not to
accept the resignation. On the con-
t1ary, they decided to close the office
at Indianola entirely until such time
as the people of that devoted town
were willing to virtually acknowledge
that the negroes are sas good as the
whites. In the meantime, all the
mail of Indianola has been ordered
sent to Greenville, twenty five miles
away, although there ale many post
offices within a very short distance of
the prescribed town.
The effect is to practically shut out
Indianola from the outside world and
to paralyZe the business of the place
entirely. So far as the record which
Roosevelt had before him goes, the
woman resignation is purely vol
untary. The message to the contrary
are purely ex parte.
More high handed usurpation of
power, more reckless disregard of pub
lie interests, more outrageous insult
to the white people of Indianola and
of the whole south, could hardly be
conceived. To suspend the writ Of
habeas corpus and to declare martial
law in time of peace could not be
more despotic or indefensible 1t
amounts to nothing less than the dia-
bolical determination to isolate good
town and destroy it's business because,
forsooth, its people have peaceably
objected to having the postoffice ad-
ministered by negress 1t is equiva-
lent to saying that it is a heinous
crime to oppose negro equality, or
domination. In other words, it is
equivalent to deliberately slapping
the white people of the south in the
face and splitting with contempt upon
the views which they almost unani-
mously hold on the negro question as
a matter of absolute self preservation.
And yet, in the face of all this, the
Commercial Appeal, which poses as
the exponent of public opinion in this
section, has this to say in regard to
the affair:
"Colored people should not be APP
pointed to public positions in COM
munities where race prejudice exists.
1t produces unnecessary irration.
But this seems to be an exceptional
case, and it is not easy to see what
course is left the president other than
the one he has taken. He has al
ready declared himself ON the cues
ton and he need mot be expected to
change -
Gould anything be more contempt
IDLY obsequious ? Ready to crawl be-
fore Roosevelt and turn it's back on
the white people who have made it
and who support it! Since when has
it learned to sheer at opposition to
negro equality as race prejudice %
mo other course left Roosevelt
than to thrust on white community
q negress who does not herself want
the office? No other course Left
than to recklessly place in state Of
seige and destroy the prosperity of a.
town merely to glut trucnlent desire
to place black heels on white necks
The only justification urged by the
Commercial Appeal is that the woman
is Of good character and has been post
mistress for six years. In other
words, q negro is as much entitled to
an Office as white person, and the
people have no right to object after
suffering from an outrage for six years.
Here is not only all admission, but
D justif ication of the Roosevelt idea
thks rate sn6um cut no figure in dial !,