The Washington bee., 1912-03-30

\ -~N'AttSN 81 4CN NbEO4Cu pOSitlid ;.
whose salaries all together did not
| total 5000, were displaced in the
South the impression has gone
abroad that President Taft has ac-
/ corded less representation 10 the
race than any previous Republican
/ President The Bee has carefully
= looked into the matter. and as a re-
suit hnds that the representation. in
/ the way OF official patronage. now en-
loye1 by the race under President
ait IN quantity and quality, is
| greater than under previous Presi-
dents. 1t appears that the great
| ruhipus raised over the dropping of
four OF five little inconsequential
poStmdsters by Postmaster General
Hitchcock, without the knowledge of
the President, has permitted the
larger and inner appointments, made
by the President, TO be overshadowed
For instance, more attention has
been given to the dropping OF Post
master Wilson, at the little town OF
Florence, ,. G., who had held the
offlce tor nearly a quarter of a cen
tury, than was given to the unusual
appointment of Whitfield McKinlav
as Collector of Customs in this citv.
which position has a maximum sal
airy attached five times the salary OF
the Florence, 5. C., postOff1ce. Post
master Wilson's Office, for rank and
prominence, was not comparable TO
the position now held by Mr.. McKin-
lay, who, by the way, Is also ma
tive South Carolinian In the classi-
ged service, In round numbers, there
are one thousand more coiored en-
ployees IN the government service
than the beginning of President
Iaft's term. In the matter of promo
tIOns there are more colored clerks
enjoying higher grade of salaries
than at the beginning of President
ats term. As to patrons directly
or indirectly conferred by the Presi-
dent, or which Is considered, and
are Presidential appointments, The
Bee has prepared the following list of
colored officials serving under Presi-
dent TAFT, each and every one of
which are Presidential appointments.
with the exception of Mr.. Vernon and
Mr.. W. ID. Johnson's appointments,
and these two places were given the
race by TIE suggestion of President
Taft:
). Laing Williams. of Chicago. who.
holding over from the last admins
tration as Special Assistant l.. s.
District Attorney, in charge of Natu-
rallzatiOn, was appointed a regular |
Assistant L. S District Attorney.
Congress failing to appropriate for |
the continuation OF special assistants
in charge Of Naturalization, Mr., Viii |
li2ms would have been dropped had |
not the President, desiring that the
race have as nearly equitable repre- |
sentatiOn as possible, promptly had |
Mr.. Williams appointed a regular As |
siStant L. S District Attorney at |
$4,000 per annum.
Mr.. William H. Lewis, of Boston, |
Mass. also Special Assistant in |
charge of Naturalization, because Of |
the failure OF Congress to appropriate |
tor such positions, was likewise ap-l
pointed. at the Presidents direction, 7,
regular Assistant L. s. DISTRICT At-t
torney, at s., 500. Later, as all arei
aware, President Taft appointed Mr. |
Lewis Assistant Attorney General. at !
$4,000 per annum, the highest place
III the Judiciary, to which a Negro |
has attained in this or any other
country whose population is not ex-i
clusively a Negro population.
Upon the resignation of John c.
Dancy, who had been Recorder of
Deeds for eight years previous, H. L.
Johnson, of Georgia, was appointed
to succeed him, at $4,000 per annum.
Upon The resignation OF w. 7.
Vernon, as Register of the Treasury,
the President appointed ]. c. Napier.
of Tennessee, to the place. his salary
being $4,000 per annum.
Mr.. Emmett Scott, of Tuskegee.
was appointed one of the three Com
missioners of Liberia, TO report upon
the internal conditions and needs of
that black republic This was apo
sitiOn, though while temporeryS Of
great honor, and requiring mem of'a
very high order OF intelligence and
and the selection OF
Mr.. Scott evidenced the President 5
confidence in colored men TO ill any !
sosition.
he President, upon executive or /
ler, appointed James NJ Alexander, ,
,aslIler to the Collector of Internal |
Revenue at Los Angeles, Cal. This |
position Is under Civil Service, but t
he President, who has refrained / I
more than any previous executor,
rom making appointments to Efe
Ivil Service branch upon executive
order, made this appointment. be
ause Of the special qualifications
lr. Alexander possessed for the pO- Z
ition, and because, as he stated in !
he order making the appointment, b
he coiored people of California had G
lot adequate representation in the r
Overnment service ?
At his direction Captain w. T. {
anderson. Chaplain for the 10th Cav
Try, was promoted 10 the rank OF c
Iajor Z
Charles 4. Cottrill, Of Ohio, was :,
ppointed Collector OF Customs for !,
honolulu at a maximum salary OF
1000 per annum. U
Whitfield McKinlay was appointed {
of Customs for this district. n
a maximum salary OF $1,000 per q