The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-04-25
AFRICANIZING GOV Z R NMENl
SERVICE-NEGRO CLERKS
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE
Apparent Determination of the Admin
istration to Make Things as Unpleas-
ant as Possible to Southern Appli-
cants-Submit or Get Out.


clipped from the States of recent date
and is commended to the careful pc
rusal of all Southern men afflicted with
Rooseveltism and third term for him
regardless of the precedent fixed by
George Washington. If it be desirable
to have Roosevelt for thifd term, why
not a fourth? Why not Mexicanize the
United States by making Roosevelt
President for life?
Seriously, if the Republicans should
continue in power, the government serv-
ice, in all its branches, will become thor
oughly Africanized The States says:
ALREADY the process of Africanizing
the railway mail service has brought
forth many protests from thinking men
of the country, and it begins to look as
though it will be only question of time
when that service will be entirely in the
hands of negroes. The appointment of
the negro Tyler of Ohio to the position
of Auditor for the Navy Department is
another move which seems to have been
determined upon with the view of max
ing additional places in that department
for a horde of negro clerks.
'.It~will be remembered that when that
appointment was announced it created
quite a stir among the employees of the
office who seriously objected to being
placed under the control of a negro
chief There still are, in the several de-
partments at Washington, some clerks
from the South whose positions have
been considered as secure by reason of
the protection supposed to be afforded
by the civil service rules. These South
ern clerks are no doubt competent, an
assumption supported by the fact that
they have up to this time successfully
stood the strain put upon the civil serv-
ice rules to make places for Republicans.
The appointment of Tyler touched a
very sensitive spot in the makeup OF
the average Southern clerk, and it will
probably result in the resignation of
many of them. This will afford the op-
portunity to crowd in more negroes in
that department, and will be but another
step in the steady progress of African
izing the government service. At the
time that Tyler's appointment was an
nounced the white clerks in the Office
seriously considered the suggestion to
walk out in body as soon as the change
should be made Whether or not they
will be prepared to take such an ex-
treme, tough very natural step, is not
yet apparent, but it is reported that Sec
retary Cortelyou is by no means dis
turbed over the outlook On the con-
rrary, he seems to be rather pleased than
otherwise, and word is said to have been
passed down the line to the clerks that
those of them who may not like the COM
plexion Of their prospective chief will
cause no dissatisfaction to Mr.. Cortel-
you by sending in their designations.
1T is quite possible that the stern ne
cessities of the case-for we can imag-
inc few persons who are more patheti-
cally helpless than the average lady clerk
in a government department-may cause
them to swallow their pride and con-
tinue to hold their positions. This fact
emphasizes the brutality IF such an ap-
pointment, and the apparent determina-
ton of the administration to make things
as unpleasant as possible to Southern ap-
plicants for positions in the government
departments with view to driving them
out of the service. The alternative is
thus squarely put to every Southern ap-
plicant for government positions: Either
accept the extreme Northern view of ra-
cial equality, or get out of the service.
with this object lesson before them,
there can be small wonder that there are
comparatively SO few Soutern young
women and men who are ambitious to
enter the service of the government in
these subordinate positions. Our friend
Commissioner McIlhenny, has but re-
Gently been doing some missionary work
in the South in the way of trying te
arouse an interest among the young peo-
pie in this direction; but such incidents
as the one under discussion are not apt
TO aid his efforts along that line. Those
presently in charge of affairs of govern
ment may humiliate and degrade the
helpless women who are already in tht
service, but while they are doing thi.
they can not hope that their invitatiii
to other independent and spirited youns
men and women in the South will be re
ceived with any amount of favor.
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