The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1903-01-09

=
post Office at Indianola. Miss. be-
cause the white people OF that
town objected TO a negro post
miss.ress is only PARALLEL in Amer
can history by the closing of the
ports at Boston by the British
parliament during the colonial
period.
The principle involved in the
two affairs il the same and ex-
hibits an identical disregard OF the
rights of free citizens and outrag-
eous disrespect for their senti-
ments. 1t does mere than this. Ii
seeks To humiliate proud race
and coerce il into the acceptance
of condition most distasteful To
il without warrant Of law, moral,
social or divine.
All this is sought TO vent sec
tionsl hatred and to- capture a ne
gro political following.
No matter what the motive. the
net was MS tyrannical and insulting
To the Southern people A. the clos
ing Of the Boston ports WAS TO the
New Englanders and will be- re-
scented and repudiated with the
same stubborn manhood.
The negro is domiciled among
the white people Of the South. y no
admit him TO competition in all
callings he il capacitated to ill;
but when it comes To having him
foisted into positions that force
the white population into unpleas-
ant contact with him. the line il
drawn and Mr. Roosevelt, nor any
other mishap, can wipe it out by
abolishing postofii ces nor other
wise.
The following editorial Of the
Memphis Morning News, 9th inst.
on that subject further expresses
The WEEKLY's views:
Indianola is = Hourishing town
of about 600 inhabitants. situated
in the Mississippi delta. II has
had for several years a negro post
mistress. A few days ago she sent
in her resignation. All the facts
concerning her resignation we have
.,.t kaau n Ill, - o~~~va
1t seems. however. thst she stat
ed in her letter to the postal au-
thorities at Washington that she
desired to give up the Office BE-
cause the white people OF the town
objected to her on account Of her
color, but that there was no COM
plant of ill treatment or intimida-
ton whatever. On the other hand.
it appears that she spoke Of these
people in kindly terms. declared
that they were her friends, and
that she did not wish to remain in
position that gave them ohense.
The only testimony that the de-
partment had to the contrary was
a message from certain interested
parties that the woman WAS being
forced to resign by the hoodlums
and lawless elements Of the place.
Postmaster-G General Payne held
conference with President Roose-
Welt on the case and they decided
not to accept tho resignation. On
the contrary. they decided 10 close
the office at Indianola entirely un-
til such time as the people of that
devoted town were willing to vir-
tually acknowledge that the ne
groes are As good as the whites. In
the meantime. all the mail OF In
dianola has been ordered sent 10
Gresnville, twenty five miles away,
although there are many postofh ccs
within a very short distance Of rns
prescribed town.
The effect is to practically shut
out Indianola from the outs de
world and to paralyse the busin sss
of the place entirely. So far as
the record which Roosevelt had
before him goes. the woman 3 resig-
nation is purely voluntary. The
messages to the contrary arc purely
OK parte.
More high handed usurpatiou Of
power, moro reckless disregard Of
public interests, moro Outrageous
insult to the white people OF In
dianels and of the white South,
could hardly b conceived. To
suspend the writ Of hsbsas corpus