The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-03-04
ROOSEVELT STANDS PAT.
He Defends His appointment Of
Negroes 10 Office.
DOES NOT RELISH GEHSURE
But will Have no Eject in Making
Him SWerve From Course Which
He Has Marked Out.

Atlanta, Ca, March Following
are extracts from letter from Presi-
dent Roosevelt to Clark Howell, edi-
tor of The Constitution, in reply to
request for an expression concerning
recent letter from Harry Stillwell
Edwards of Macon, with reference to
the matter of federal appointments in
the South.
In making appointments I have
sought to consider the feelings of the
people of each locality so far as I could
consistently do so without sacrificing
principle. The prime tests [ have ap-
piled have been those of character, fit
ness and ability, and when have been
dissatisfied with what has been offered
within my own party lines [ have
without hesitation gone to the oppo
site party-and you are Of course aware
that l have repeatedly done this in
your own State Of Georgia. l certainly
cannot treat mere color permanent
bar to holding Office any more than l
could so treat creed or birthplace-al-
ways provided that in other respects
the applicant or incumbent is worthy
and well behaved American citizen.
Just as little will I treat it as confer
ring right to hold Office.
81 ask you to Judge not by what I
say but by what during the last II
months I have actually done. In
South Carolina I have appointed
white postmaster to succeed colored
postmaster. Again, in South Carolina
I have nominated colored man to I'll
vacancy in the position of 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 fit
men. Why the appointment of one
should cause any more excitement than
the appointment Of the other l am
wholly at asIoss to imagine. AS am
writing to a man of keen and trained
intelligence [ need hardly say that to.
connect either Of these appointments,
or any or ali my other appointments,
or my actions in upholding the law at
Indianola with such questions as So
cial equality and negro domination
is as absurd as to connect them with
the nebular hypothesis of the theory
of atoms.
81 have consulted freely with your
own senators and congressman as to
the character and capacity of any
appointee in Georgia concerning whom
there was question. My party advis-
ers in the State have been Major Han
som of Macon, Mr.. Walter johnson OF
Atlanta-both of them ex-Confederate
soldiers-andsMr. Harry Stillwell Ed
wards, also of Macon. Am / not right
in saving that the federal ofhceholders
whom I have appointed throughout
your State are as body men and
women of high order of efficiency and
integrity? incidentally | may mention
that a large percentage of the incum-
bents of federal Offices in Georgia
under me are, as I understand 1t, OF
your own political faith.
.sThis is true of your own State,
and by applying to Mr.. Thomas Nelson
Page of Virginia, to Gen. Basil Duke
of Kentucky, to Mr.. George Crawford
of Tennessee, to Mr.. John Mcllhenny
of Louisiana, to Judge Jones of Ala
bama, and Mr.. Edgar S. Wilson OF
Mississippi, all of them Democrats
anl all of them men of the highest
standing in their respective communl-
ties, you will find that what | have
done in Georgia stands not as the ex-
ception, but as the rule for what !
have done throughout the south. /
may add that tie proportion OF color
ed men among the new appointees IS
only about one in a hundred.
'fIn view of all these facts l have
been surprised and somewhat panied at
what seems to me the incomprehensi-
BILE outcry in the south about my
actions-an outcry apparently started
in New York for reasons wholly un-
connected with the question nominal
lv at issue. l am concerned at the at
titude thus taken by so many of the
southern people; but | am not in the
least angry !; and still less will this
attitude have the effect of making me
swerve one hairs breadth, to one side
or the other from the course have
consistently followed in the past and
shall consistently follow in the future.
with regard,
Sincerely yours,
Theodore Roosevelt. "