The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-10
SOME SMOOTH NEGROES
cARTER.s SCHEME HAS MADE HIM
 MUCH MONEY.
TnvestimatiOn of Alleged DiscriUaiDa- tion Against Blacks in south
 era POstofflce Reveals An Interesting Case.

Washington, Sept s.-The civil ser ,dce Commission has ben engaged in the investigation of charges or ois
 crimination against negroes m the mat ter of examination for onlce Tn Ine southern states. Two of the cases con cerninR which inquiry have been made are those of w. c. Carter ana M. J. IIornbv. both of whom claim to nave resigned under pressure from the post office at Yazoo. Miss. In the case or Hornby, the charges were made that he had been maltreated at Yazoo ana thars seemed to be a general feeling tbat inc people of that section had determined that while negroes might act as carriers for the post onlce at that place they would not be permitted to fll the places of clerks in the or flee.
 The investigation was made oy George H. Donnell. district secretary of the civil service commission. and his recommendation has resulted m Securing a suggestion from the com mission which applies to many other places in the south. In the matter or examinations MT. Donnell decided that they had been fair. Ills investigation. however, led him to the general con clusion that the negroes have been made to know that they will not be al- lowed to hold clerkships in the post offices"
 MT. Donnell suggests that in the small offices of this district two sepa- rate registers be made, as in the larger ofices. one for clerks and one for car riers. The negroes now realize, he savs that when they accept clerkshtps in the smaller offices In the district, 1t means trouble for them, and in nine cases out of ten. thinks MT. Donnell' they would not apply for clerkships' but would be satisfied to accept carrier
 haan = formed that it is not practicable 10 make s change in the present system hut that 1t is his contention that the negro eIigibles on this combined regis fer really prefer to act as carriers tnls can be brought about without any as criminatIon by the civil service connls- sion against an eligible negro because of his color. It is believed that when this fact Is thoroughly understood, tne negroes on tle- clerk carrier register will voluntarily express their desire 10 accent only the carrier position anu thus avoid future difficulties.
 Out of the well known antipathy or the whites to the employment Of ne- oroes as clerks some peculiar cases or sIleged graft have been brought to the attention of the Civil Service Commits sion, One of these Is of the man Wm' r Garter, a negro teacher, who after reporting a thrilling experience al Yazoo represented that he had been restrained from taking a place as a clerk in the postofice at Greenwood Miss. Governor Vardaman's name was brought Into this case and 1t has been much discussed. A postofice inspector who was detailed to investigate the case has just made his report, which is in part as follows:
 It appears that this negro professor Carter, Is engaged as a teacher in the nublic schools of Mississippi during the school term; he gets on different elig- ibIe lists at offices where he knows negro clerks will be objected to by white patrons and when he is certified and nominated for appointment he ap- nears on the scene and tells the white natrons that he has no desire to force himself upon them; that he came under the nnisapprehension that he was to be carrier, and was totally nnisled as to the nature of the duties he was to be assigned to; that he was at great financial loss in coming to accept the position but would not insist and would return