Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-05
WOMEN PROTEST
AGAINST NAMING
NEGRO AS REGISTER
The Atlanta Journal News Bureau,
623 Riggs Building.
BY THEODORE TILLER

WASHINGTON, April Am I'M
usual petition signed by 507 White
women employees of the treasury de
partment, the list including eleven
! Virginia White Speel, chairman of
! National Women's Republican com
mittee, protesting against the pros
pective appointment of a negro as
Register of the treasury.
Members of congress today receiv-
ed copies Of this petition with its
letter of transmittal, the two con-
stituting a most vigorous protest
against the reported plan of the new
administration to surplant the pres
ent white head of the registers Of
flee with a negro.
Signatures are of white women
appointed from more than a score of
states, names of girls from Georgia
and Alabama are found side by side
with the names Of women from Yer
mont Massachusetts, Illinois and In
diana.
The appeal is not sectional nor po-
litical. The names of the Georgia
signers are carried below.
I'VE have been definitely inform
ed" says the petition. that the APP
pointment of colored man as regis
ter of the treasury is being consid-
very large and doing responsible
work. It's personnel consists of more
than nine hundred clerks, mostly ex-
service men and white women who
are dependent upon their income here
for support.
For a negro to have Jurisdiction
over these clerks would be intoler-
able. It is true that coIored men
have served as registers of the trels-
ury, but out of the twenty-five regis
ters only four have been negroes. At
no time when this Office was under
hn n u n fhn
personnel consist of more than nine
teen clerks and one messenger"
In letter Of transmittal. copies
of which have been sent to congress,
the petitioners say the appeal does
not come from any political faction,
nor was it instigated by southern pre-
JUDGE. Women of all sections and
both parties have signed it.
The letter Of transmittal adds that
lin times of war it was thought in
advisable to put negro officers in
charge of white troops. In times of
peace it would certainly be inexpe-
dent to give negroes jurisdiction
over white citizens"
Members of congress are appealed
to prevent the appointment of a
negro to the office of register of the
treasury.
During the war the registers force
was greatly augmented because of
the issuance of Liberty bonds, the
records covering which are kept in
the registers office.
Recent reports have been that
Henry Lincoln Johnson, colored ma
tional committeeman from Georgia,
was slated to succeed the present
register, William S. Elliott. of Geor-
gia.
Since 1897, ther. have been four
negro and two Indian registers of the
treasury.
Mr.. Elliott is the first caucasian to
serve since 1897.
1t is understood the unusual petit
ton is sent to Mrs. Speel as the head
of the woman'S committee of the Re-
publican party so that she may pre-
sent the matter to President Harding
and Secretary Mellon.
Government clerks appointed from
more than a score of states, includ-
ing the following, have appended
their names: Massachusetts, New
York, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee,
Maryland, North Carolina. Georgia,
Virginia, Arkansas, Kansas, Michi-
gan, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Ala
bama President Harding's own
state. Ohio; Florida and South Caro-
lima.
The signers from Georgia were Ida
Mcmillan, Bessie Rowe. Ruth Wilder,
Myrtis Fuller, L. ]. Graddick, Kath
crime Spurlin, Mary Hammontree
Emma w. Ketchum, Winnie M.
Rawls, N. H. Alfred, Lillian Marley.