The Tupelo journal., 1903-01-09

resignation of a negro woman Of
her place as postmaster at indiana
la, a delta town in this state of
about six hundred inhabitants, is
creating wide spread interest in all
parts OF the country and bids fair
to become a very serious question.
The woman was appointed post
master six years ago by President
Harrison and has held the Office
since. Her administration of its
affairs has been correct and she
has sustained the reputation of be-
Ing a decent and we'll behaved me-
gress. The people of the village
have been FESTIVE under the insult
which they have had to bear and
have at all times manifested
their displeasure over her occupa-
ton of the position, but have
never offered her any violence or
personal i'll treatment. They have
p%ersistently urged her to resign
the place and she has known all
the time that her holding it was
obnoxious to the feelings and
sense of propriety of the people.
The matter has been a sore one for
both her and the citizens of the
village ever since her appointment
and installation into the office but
it has not been so pressed by the
white people as to demand serious
attention by the authorities at
Washington. There has been no
positive move made by any of the
part les involved until last week
when the negress forwarded her
resignation to the postmaster.
general. When this was received al
the department the attention OF
Roosevelt was called to it and he
at once called a meeting of his
cabinet to consider the situation.
He evidently considered it a mat.
ter of Importance and perhaps
thought it presented to him an OPP
portunity to give the southern PEG.
pie a slap in the face and to ad
minister to the "lily white' con
tingent of the republican party g
positive rebuke and exhibit his
contempt for both. If this was
his intention he certainly succeed.
ed, for his conduct was such as to
admit of no other construction OF
his motives and intent.
The result of this cabinet meet,
ing was the declination to accept
the resignation of the negress and
the discontinnance of the Office a
Indlanola In this decision Roost
welt and each member of his cabi
net agreed. In such a compile,
decision there seems to us to be /
remarkable situation left. The
failure to accept the resignation
leaves the negress still in her off
clal position while the abolition 0
the postOfice at Indianola leaves
her with her commission and un
der bond to perform duties which
the president, by his act, renders
it impossible for her to perform
We are not lawyer enough an6
not we'll enough posted upon thu
postal laws of the country to un
ravel the tangle which seems to III
to have been created by these pecu'
liar conditions.
To us the act of the president
and his cabinet savors largely O.
venom against the Sonth and the
desire to mortify and humiliatt
her people. None of them care i
fig for the negro, except as an in
strument in helping along the re,
publican party. The occurrence OF
this incident in the stare OF Mis-.
sissippi afforded the opportunity
for retaliation OH his part because
of the failure of our people tt
SLAYER over him when he came
down here to hunt bear in the bit
tom. Or it may be that he thought
he would make it hot for this por-
ton of the south because of the
chilly reception given HIM al
Memphis when Luke Wright came
all the way from the Philippines
to be b%anquetted and feted by the
republicans of that city.
there has been QUE thing de-
welcomed IN tLis case which strikes