The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-18
in October. this petition. signed by fifty
three citizens. was returned. another mass
meeting being held in the courthouse.
MRS. COX'S RESIGNATION.

three citizens, was returned. another mass
meeting being held in the courthouse.
MRS. COX'S RESIGNATION.
Wayne Cox, husband of Minnie Cox, on
the evening OF Of the second meeting called
at my Office" says p. c. Chapman. land
said he desired to have me state to the
mass meeting that night that he had dis
covered that the citizens of Indianola did
not wish his wife 10 act as postmaster any
longer and he would, therefore, request
that read to the mass meeting his wife's
resignation. signed by her. which he handed
to me. Minnie Cox was willing to resign
at once, but her husband asked that time
enough be given for them to settle affairs
with Washington. This resignation was
accepted by the meeting as satisfactory.
and Mrs. Cox was given until January
for the resignation to take effect.
'I can state of my own personal knowl-
edge that no threats or intimidations were
made by any person at either of these
meetings, and 1 have not heard of any
such threats being made by any citizen of
Indianola or of Sunfiower county against
the postmaster. Minnie Cox, being an intel
ligent negress. saw that she was not wanted
longer in the Office. and resigned. The
President did not accept her resignation,
but instead suspended our postoffice."
No one can be found in Indianola who de-
MES Mrs. Coxs efficiency. she made
model postmaster" is the general state
ment Mrs. Cox was educated at Fiske
University in Nashville, and holds state
teachers certificate of the first grade.
Wayne Cox also holds a first-grade certifi-
cate. He is a graduate of Alcorn College,
the Mississippi school for negroes. He is
mulatto. His wife is black.
Mrs. Cox has steadfastly refused to dis
cuss the matter, but her husband talks for
her. I'VE were not threatened" he said,
in his handsome home on the outskirts OF
Indianola, but have lived in Mississippi
all my life. and / know that II she had not
resigned we would not have been allowed
to remain in this town.
"As to the negroes being in any danger"
said r. p. Miller, that is all rot. 1t is
made out of the abundance of ignorance
regarding this part of the South. Some
hotheads who know nothing may talk about
discriminating the negroes, but here in this
great cotton-raising delta we not only do
not want to get rid of the negroes we have.
but we want more negroes.
NEGRO is NECESSARY.
1--WE can't do without negroes. We are
bringing families of them in here every
day from the hills and other parts of the
State. to work on our plantations. We
must raise cotton to get along. and In or
der to raise cotton we must have negro Ia
Dor. Our plantation negroes are the happi-
est people in the world. They make enough
to do them. We treat them well. When
-
is doctored properly. The negro we regard
as child. He has never developed and he
never will. We must look after him, and
we are doing 1t. We give him the means
| of earning his living. 1 have negroes that
have been with me for twenty years, ever
since / became a planter. Ask them what
they think of me. Ask any negro laborer
in this delta what he thinks Of his en-
ployer. They will say that he treats them
well. We are the natural protectors OF
these negroes, and we all get along we'll to-
/ gether. When we have plenty of negroes
we have plenty of cotton; plenty of cotton,
! plenty of prosperity.
| Mrs Lena Halstead, a popular young
woman, is the unofficial postmaster of In
dianola for the present. She presides over
the mail matter in the Subscription post
| Office in the courthouse.
Postmaster General Payne ordered the
Indianola mail sent to Greenville. which is
| twenty-seven miles west. Citizens subscrib.
ing to the independent postofhce fund have
ordered the Greenville postmaster to for
ward their mail to Heathman, four miles
west of Indianola. where there is a post
Office in a plantation store kept by j. G
| Crawford, a planter. Postmaster Craw
ford is instructed by the subscribers to de.
liver their mail to a messenger employed
by the independents, who makes two trip:
| daily to Heathman with wagon to carry
| the mail. Individuals pay 81 and firms S
a month for the present for this service.
For few days after the postoffice wa!
suspended postage stamps were scarce. Of
fers as high as % cents were made for 2
cent stamp. and none was to be had, wher
a man had an important letter that III
wished to mail on a train passing through
Now there are several stamp emporiums IL
Indianola where postage may be had a
United States rates.