Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-12
At THE WHITE 1HOUSE
A Negro Assistant q. s. At
torney for Boston.
MUST RATIFY TREATY
MDs BABeoGK,s, STATEMENT TO
THE PRESIDENT.
Proposition to Concentrate Historical
DEMONSTRATION to Classify
Laborers in Departments.

President Roosevelt has decided to ap-
point colored man as assistant United
States attorney at Boston, The man who
has been selected is William H. Lewis. a
graduate of Harvard and a celebrated CEN
ter rush Of the foot ball team of that in
stitutior. Lewis will be assistant to Henry
P. Moulton, the United States attorney
of the Boston district. The position is not
one literally within the power of the Presi-
dent to fill, but he can direct the United
States attorney to make the appointment,
and 1t will be done.
Lewis, in addition to being4wel educated
is said to be so light in color.that his negro
ancestry is seldom known outside of his
Intimate friends. He went through Har-
ward without any particular manifestation
of hostility on the part OF white students.
Since the negro question has been so
prominently discussed recently on account
of several appointments made by the Presi-
dent in the south, and on account of the
Indianola incident, many suggestions have
been made that the President show his
friendship for the negro. by making some
appoint ments of men of that color in the
north. This is the first step in that direc-
ton, and Boston, the heart. of the country
where the Presidents official acts in con-
nection with the negro are approved, is Sc
fntimatiOn is conveyed that the President
will make similar appointments elsewhere
in the north, bestowing upon the negro po-
sitions somewhat in propnrttonnumer
to his population in state.
In discussing this matter ecently the
President mentioned thes fact that the
negro population of Massachusetts, is COM
paratively small and becausesof that the
proportion of offices going to the race in
that state would be exceedingly small
should the question Of appointments be
looked at solely from the standpoint of a
division Of appointments according to rela--
tive population. In South Carolina the
President suggested that he had appointed
one negro to good position, yet more
than half the population of the state was
composed of negroes.
1t is not understood that the President
proposes to establish a rule or think Of
DONG So giving to the negro appointments
according to his population in a state, but
he does propose to. be. as. fair with the
negro in the north as In thersouth, it is
said. Negroes all over the country have
greater recognition Of their race Not
long ago the President was waited upon
by delegation from Virginia which asked
that number of minor places in the fed
eral service In that state be given the
race. The position of deputy collector at
Norfolk was one of the positions sought
The President has taken this matter un-
DER consideration, as he has similar ap-
peals from different states of the country.
The Treaty Must Be Ratified.
Representa- tive Babcock Is back from a
trip OF several weeks to Cuba and Florida.
He has been fishing In Florida waters, and
looks as brown as berry. He called on
the President today to make some observa-
tions as to Cuba, which he considers to be
in splendid condition financially and making
progress II every direction.
i found the business and financial affairs
IN cuba greatly improved over a year ago."
SAID Mr.. Bahcock, "and there Is every inds-
cation of prosperity and contentment in the
island and among the people There is a
surplus In the Cuban treasury, and the price
of sugar has advances SO much in the last
year as to give good profit to the sugar
growers. l told the President that | do not
any longer think that it is matter of senti-
ment as to helping Cuba by ratification O.
the Cuban treaty. l believe that It is the
United states that now needs that treaty
ratified. We need the trade Of Cuba and
the only way we are going to get 1t is
through this treaty Without such a treaty
we Will lose millions of good business in
the island For hundreds Of years the Span
ism and German business people of the is
lana nave bought their goods elsewhere,
and will continue to do soEuniess there are
advantages in securing foads from this
country as will be the case when the treaty
is ratified In my judgm&nt, it is cold
oiooueu puS-HeSS proposition with THIS COun-
try now as to the ratica tfon of the treaty,
and that big mistake will be made unless
We do so. We need not any longer place
the ratification of the treaty upon the plane
o. doing something for Cuba because of
some imaginery responsibility The uues-
ton is now one of especially good business
for this country to ral.fy the treaty and try
to secure the trade of Cuba which is going
to grow right along
To Group Historical Documents.
Suggestions have been made to the Pres-i
dent that the dispersion of valuable histor-
ical documents of the. government through
out the various departments ought to be
remedied by their concentration at one
point, probably the Congressional Library,
where they could be awaited. of by those in
search of such things. ThetPresident sent
for Assistant Secretary Hill and Andrew H.
Allen of the State Department and Libra
rian Putnam of the CONGRESSIONAL Library
to obtain their views on the: suggestion.
The matter is wholly tentative at this time,
and 1t is not known thatsanything will be
done toward the accumuIationsof these val
liable papers at one central point. The pa
pers that it Is proposed to thus centralize
are not of an administrative nature and re-.
late to historical natteras In the State De-
partment, for instance; are the, correspond
ence and writings of the fRthers of the re-
public, and in other departments and in the
Congressional Library sftselfs are similar
documents. The Suggestion issmade that II
these documents could bezgathered from all
departments and bureaussand. placed in the
Congressional Library they would not only
prove of great value to searohers for his
torical matter. but would probably be bet
ter cared for than in the 4epanments.
The TransportsEervice.
Representative Hull of Iowass chairman of
the House committee on military affairs.
had conference today with the President
On the proposition to abandon the govern
ment transport service on the Pacific and
turn the business over to private steamship
concerns. Mr.. Hull is opposed to this being
done, and gave his views to the President.
1T would be bad business for us to re-
liquish our own transport service said Mr..
Hull, 'and l shall oppose any effort to do
so. We have the best transport service In
the world. and it is much cheaper than any
similar service by commercial Lines would
be- The fact is that we onght to hold on
to- these transports and kee, them In good
repair- We haven't too many yessels and
never know when We may need many
more
Representative Dayton OF West Virginia.
Of the House committee af naval affairs,
discusseu with the Presidents some OF 4tha
features Of the naval hill, especially as to