The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-01-04
HIS THREAT OF PROSECUTION
Of Those Who Compelled The Woman to
Resign win Create Complications.
the PRESIDENTS ENERGETIC ACTION
In Getting Official Statement Before the
Public Is UNPRECEDENTED in Experience
OF Washington Correspondents.
Especial to THE Post. f.,

Washington, January Bone Of the prin.
cipal topics Of conversation in Washington
today has been the action Of the president
ia closing the postofice at Indianola, Miss,
and announcing that Il viii remain closed
until the people OF that town and surround
Ing country reverse their present attitude
toward Minnie NJ. Cox, the negro woman
who IS postmaster there The sdministra-
tionists naturally are claiming the presi-
dent was fully justified by the alleged facts
set forth IN tho official statement sent out
from the whto House last night. Many
others, however republicans as We'll rs
dcmocrats-thluk that there was no warrant
FOR such drastic step aud that tho implied
threat contained IN the announcement that
the of8ce viii remain closed until the people
act differently toward the Cox woman Is
not only al infringement on the rights Of
those people, but Is calculated to result in
trouble Of serious nature,
The last sentence IN the statement given
out last plight was; ''The papers In the
case have been sent to the attorney general
for action"
This is naturally taken to mean that
prosecution OF those who are alleged TO
have compelled the Cox woman TO resign
will be attempted. and Il is generally ad.
mltted that any steps In that direction will
have a tendency toward producing compiler
tions OF a most regrettAbie kind
Under ordinary circumstances, people in
the North would be expected to give the
heartlest imaginable support to the presi.
dent In case Of this kind. but most OF
the Northern congressman who are now IN
the city seem 70 think that the president
will get comparatively little encouragement
in the present instance.
The impression seems 10 prevail very gen
/ aEy that any community has the right
20 protest against being served BY Fed
erai office holder who IS objectionable FOR
any reason, and that IN the lndianola case
the people did not go beyond their rights,
I It being clearly shown that nothing IN the
/ way Of violence has been onered to the
Cox woman.
One OF the most remarkable features IL
the AFFAIR is furnished ny the fact that the
official statement sent out from here by the
Associated Press lest night was also sent
from the presidents offices In the White
House 70 several correspondents OF South
ern papers ana 20 a few representatives OF
Northern and Western journals A COPY OF
| the statement was sent TO The Post CORE
! spondeut az his ofGco about 10 o'clock last
night. Ola correspondents here say that
never 10 their experience have they known
president to take this means or getting
his views before tho people.
II Is recalled that IN the case OF Baker,
tho negro postmastcr At lake City, S. c.,
who was killed in bis office some years ago.
President Mckinney closed the office, hut
gave out nothing In the shape Of an official
statement OF ths case.
Greenygle, thu offce 80 which the In
dianoa mail has been ordered sent, is
twenty-five miles from Indianols Between
the two places there are six postofnees,
but the postofnce department officials claim
that none Of these Offices can handle the
Indianola mail. Under the circumstances.
the closing of the Office means that It will
he practically impossible FOR the Indinnola
people 10 get their mail
The population OF the town Is about 1000
ORDERED TO INDfANOI4A,
! Shreveport, La, January 5--ChHrles Fitz.
! gerald, poStofrice insNctor, located at
| Jackson, Miss. who was mere today 10 rp-