The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-20
PANDORA's BON.

Ub4n President Roosevelt undertook
toE.onen the Goor OF hope to the ne
6roes ambitious 10 hold federal Offices
he went about the work WIN SUCH
s~trenuosity and im~petuosIty' as Is us
usual style. that he Jared the lu u
Pandora's Eox clear off its hln3eS' anu
What troubles fOT the south anu thS
whole country will escape from IL no
ono can f~oretelI. President RonSe-
xelt's recent action, beginning with MS
giving TO the press his letters 10 Mayor
Smythe and Editor HenphllI' OF Nhdi-
lesion. regarding his intended course
regarding appointments 10 ONCE mas
had more effect in checking progress
in settling the race problem at the
south than anything that CouId nave
t,een done, and what makes II all the
worse is his position was taken ana
the following appointments made
! through no real friendship Tor the ne
gro, but for the purpose OF strengtneh
ing his chances TO secur the nominal
ton of his party as president.
His appointment of Lewis as as
sistant district attorney in Boston was
Intended to appease the negro, but was
of such a character as not to antaSo-
nize the white people of that section.
There are already W assistant dis
trict attorneys in that office, and
Lewis will hardly occupy Il higher po-
sition than clerk to the district at
torney. as was the case with the negro
appointed second assistant in this
state. And while Lewis is classed Us
a negro, he really his much moe
AngIo-Saxon than African blood in his
veins. He is an oCJorOOn-One eighth
negro and seven-eIghths white. his
children by q white wife would De
classed as whites under the clause OF
the constitution of this state which
prohibits intermarriage between per-
Sons of the two races. This appoint
ment MIR. Roosevelt holds up TO the
country as proof that he intends to
treat the negro and the white man eX-
actly alike and give each the same
showing in his appointments at the
north as well as at the south. While
this Is really no recognition of the
dlAI VI liz HSSIOSS VI liz iAOA incl
states it has all the evil effects on the
negroes of such a recognition and the
carrying of it INTO practice.
The latest result of the presidents
course in this matter has been to cause
the negro soldiers to demand positions
as officers in the regular army. Sew
erai negro soldiers and their hacker:
have urged their claims on the presi
den for ntment as second lIeuten
ants in the army. They have tht
backing o. some senators and repre-
sentatives. They claim that the doc
OF hope" has not been opened wild,
enough for them so long as they ar
debar~ed because of their color from
becoming officers in the army anC
they demand the right to stand tn
competitive examination for such az
pointments. If they become secon'
Ii~eutenants there viii be nothing IN tn
way of promotion and we may sOOl
see regiments of white troops com
manded by negro colonies. Chairman
Hull. of the house committee on mill
tary affairs, is one of the champion
Of the negroes making this demand
and, strange to say, We are told tina
Senator Plltchard also favCrs the de
mand of these negro soldiers.
Where this matter will end no on
can see. President Roosevelt has don
an almost irreparable injury to Tn
negroes of the south. to the south a
a section of the union and t. the Who'll
country. If nothing more serious re
suits from his course han the retard
Ing of that progress now being mad
toward q complete understanding an
amicable cooperation of the two rac
In his section IN all matters outside {
politics he and he alone will be rs
sDonsible for II