The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-03-25
WAS CHARLESTON WILLING FOR CRUM
TO BE F0ISTED ON THE PEOPLE
UP TIE STATE?

WAS CHASLsS tUN nlLLlNG FVA tNOW
TO BE F0lSTED ON THE PEOPLE
UP TIE STATE?
Notwithstanding the protests
of the citizens of Charleston, and
all OF the newspapers in this
State, and a considerable portion
of the press Of the United States,
President Roosevelt has made
DR.. ". D. Crum Collector of the
Port at Charleston as a recess
appointment. In our opinion, it
is a sad mistake to thrust upon
community an official repugnant
to the wishes Of that community.
But the entire responsibility OF
this obnoxious appointment IS
not with President Roosevelt:
The Republican Senators by
their cowardice must share with
the president this responsibility.
When Crum was charged with
faithlessness at the Minneapolis
convention President Roosevelt
was disposed to throw him down,
and our own press at once de-
clared the ::throw down" to be
on account of color. The lead
ing negroes at the north shrewd-
ly took advantage of the south
ern press impolitic declaration.
and made the appointment Of
Crum a National issue. and one
which is of serious Importance
to the Republican party. The
commerce committee twice re-
fused to report favorably the
nomination, and the dallylng
tactics of the committee brought
from the appointing power the
declaration that if the Senate by
a record vote refused to confirm
she nomination Of Crum: he
would appoint some other per-
son, but if that body did not let
the nomination come to a vote
he wonld appoint him at the re-
cess.
There is no doubt Of a sufi-
cient number of Republican Sen.
ators opposed to Crum to have
enabled the Democrats to defeat
the confirmation of this harass-
ING nomination, but the trouble
was they were afraid to show
their hands-they lacked the
moral courage, and their allegi-
ance to party is stronger than
to conscience. The Democrats
knowing this would not let the
matter, come to a vote, and thus
we find party politics over riding
conscience and craftsmanship;
the patrons Of an Office forced to
submit, with a condition brought
on which will take years to Grad
icate. From the standpoint Of
Democratic policy this appoint
ment slams "the door of toler-
ance in the faces Of the negroes,
and from Republican policy it
does not ';open the door of op-
portunity" to the race. The ten
dency is to force the white peo-
pie into condition of indifer-
ence towards the negro, and
make him seek comfort from his
distant friends whose friend
ship comes around every four
years, in time to :sopen the door,
of a Ma: :onal convention. But
there is another side to this very
unpleasant affair. The News
and Courier's editorial commend
ing DR.. Crum's ability for his
work in the exposition was used
as rebuttal to the later edito-
rial charge Of lncompetency,
and then comes the news in the
News and Courier that about $50
white men are applicants for
positions under the new ap-
Npointee: the names of many Of
them if published will be a sur
prise to the people of the State.
Then we have the News and
Courier calling for meeting Of
the citizens to express their in
dignation. What good such a
course will do we cannot see,
Crum will be ia charge of the
Office. and the Indignation meet
ings can only amount to an op-
portunity to give vent to a lot Of
hot air which Will be as harmless
as blowing through putty blow
ers at the moon.
The Office of Collector is of
very little Importance to the
people outside Of Charleston,
but to some extent we are inter
ested, and therefore have right
to ask whether it is true, that
prominent Charlestonians recon-
mended Crum to the president,
as is hinted at, and believed in
some quarters? Who are the
applicants whose names will
create a sensation? Why did not
the Democratic Senators request
information from President
Roosevelt why he made this ag-
gravating nomination? If there
is nothing ishy in Charleston's
Indignation it does seem to US
that a wide-awake newspaper
such as Charleston should have.