The colored American., 1903-05-09
ROOSEVELT AND WASHINGTON. |
Two Men Whose Purposes Cannot be
Misconstrued.-A Calamity
HOwler Answered


Howler Answered.
We print this morning a communi
cation from Mr.. Gordon Macdonald. of
Montgomery, Ala. Mr. Macdonald is
lawyer of the highest standing, a
keen and intelligent observer of pub
Tic events, and may properly be ac-
cepted as the exponent of opinions held
by large and very important class at
the South. We do not agree with our
correspondent. In some respects we
know that his information is inaccu-
rate. He represents however, a most
responsible and influential phase of
public opinion in his part of the coun-
try, and what h says is entitled to
respectful consideration and discus
sion.
Mr.. Macdonald thinks that Booker
Washington should be held to account
for the Presidents Negro appoint
ments at the South; that he has
Shrewdly played upon Mr.. Roosevelt's
credulity and confidence; that the
White House dinner was converted by
the cOlOred guest to his own uses, and
that the President should be held
blameless save as regards his too in
uocent surrender to the specious wiles
of Booker Washington. To this we
enter our frank and undiluted dissent.
We do not believe that Washington
did anything more than reply to de-
mandS for his opinion. 1t is we'll
known that he did not seek the now
famous dinner. On the contrary, it is
a matter of common knowledge that
two kilograms were required to bring
him here at all. Moreover, Mr.. Roose-
velt has appointed very few Negroes
to office at the South-not more than
one to Mr.. McKinley's eight-and even
T hirc a
them all, the President would still be
responsible in the premises. The COM
plaint of Southern men here-and
there are a great many of them-re-
lates not so much to the fact as to the
manner of these appointments. The
criticism of Mr.. Roosevelt is that his
action was attended by such theatrical
displays and unnecessary voclferadon
as to clothe the least of his appoint
| ments with more mischievCus sugges-
ton than ever attached to any, or, in
| deed, to all of those ordained by his
| predecessors His mistake-as his
| critics allege-lay in the clrcumstan-
| ces of ostentation with which he en-
phasiZed the act and the unfortunate
| significance the Negroes were practl-
| calIy invited to attach to it. AS mat
| ter of fact, Mr.. Roosevelt has made on
| 1y four or five Negro appointments at
| the South, whereas MI. MchIHIey
made twentn-nine or thirty. That the
| former has provoked such a general
outburst of disapprobation must be ex-
planned. if at all, upon the theory we
| have advanced.
AS regards Brooker Washington's
work at Tuskegee, we cannot accept
| MI MacDonald's estimate. OF course;
| it is notorious that schools of ali kinds
| turn out a vast amount of vicious and
| incapable material. Graduates of our
| famous universities are selling tape in
| small interior villages by the hundred.
| Hundreds of others cannot make de-
cent living at any important occupa-
| ton. The products of our public
schools are not taught things which
they can turn to profitable account in
serious affairs of life. But the fact re-
mains that Brooker WashingtOn's in
stitute offers to the colored youth an
opportunity to acquire useful prepara-
| tiOn-SOme craft or training whereby
they can maintain themselves after
| ward-and that is more than can be
| said of the average institution of
learning" No college ever yet cOnferr-
ed upon the individual high intelli-
gence, a quick and apprehensive mind
or any other abstract attribute of char
acter.
In our opinion, no college ever will
| confer these giftS-WaShingtO Post.