Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-08-07
WILL THE SENATOR sTAND2

President Wilson has made the
grievous bIunder of nominating an
Oklahoma negro named Patterson to
be register of the treasury and his
name is now before the finance COM
rlittee. of which Senator Simmons is
chairman, pending a report to the Sen
ate which will confirm or reject the
domination. The indications r that
Lis name will never get out of the
committee room and even if it does
Southern senators have determined to
jump on it with a thousand bricks"
4 negro has been filling this position
through many administrations, but
with the record our new President has
for breaking ~precedents his friends,
especially here in the South, certainly
expected him to smash this custom Of
selecting colored men for high places
in the public service. 1t is amazing
that any Democratic president should
SO far ignore the proprieties, much
less one who was born and bred in a
southern atmosphere. 1t will be for
tunate for the President if the Dem
ocratic senators succeed in saving him
from himself, n .creditable to the
members of that body as well. We
do not believe there is a single gen
uine Southern Democrat who does not
%devoutely hope that the nomination of
Patterson will not be confirmed.
Even Senator Overman threatens to
take issue with the President in the
Patterson appointment, if published
reports of his position are to be be-
lieved, but the Senator may change his
mind when the fight warns up. The
story goes that Rev. Thomas Dix
on recently wrote Senator Over
man protesting against the confrma-
ton of Patterson and received a reply
assuring him that the Senator would
fight against his confirmation to the
last. But will the Senator stand? We
are not so sure abouv it. He does not
appear to have acquired the habit Of
breaking with a superior officer. When
President Wilson nominated Chas. P.
Neill, a republican, to be commission
er of labor statistics Senator Overman
started out to fight his confirmation
and actually prevented it during the
special session of congress last winter.
He declared that Mr.. Neill had been
manifestly unfair and unjust to South
ern people in his reports of conditions
existing in our cotton mills and
amongst our mountain folks, charac-
terizing some of his reports as sland-
erous and declaring that confirmation
would not be made without his pro-
test. He went so far as to file charges
with the President rejecting upon DR..
Neill's conduct of his Office and his
general fitness for the position, and
appeared to be on the war path in dead
earnest. But when the final test came
the Senator stated that after talking
with the President he had decided to
withdraw opposition and the Neill ap-
pointment was confirmed without ever
a protest. Maybe the President will
have a talk with him about the Patter-
son appointment and maybe he will
change his mind on that. too, with the
idea that he who strikes and runs
away will live to strike another day.
The nomination of Patterson should
not be confirmed and the President
would exhibit good sense by withdraw
lug it. If he desires to recognize the
colored race in the distribution of pa
tonnage there are numerous minor po-
sitions at his disposal, without humil-
iating white employees by placing ne
groes at the heads of departments.
n-ents. The position to which he
would elevate Patterson is one of the
most desirable in the Treasury De-
rartment and there are thousands of
deserving white men ready and anxi-
GUS to serve their country in that ca
pacity. 1t is surprising that some
worthy Democrat was not named for
the place. ITO victors belong the
spoils."
q