DRAWING THE COLOUR LINE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11481, 14 January 1903, Page 7

DRAWING THE COLOUR LINE.

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND NEGRO APPOINTMENTS.

FURY IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received January 13th, 8.40 a.m.) NEW YORK, January 12. Negroes in the 'Southern States are afraid to accept public appointments, and several have resigned their positions. The entire South is in a white heat over President's Roosevelt's action in appointing a negro Collector at Charleston, and tliere is come danger of an outbreak of anti-negro riots if the President persists in his action. Towards the end of November President Roosevelt appointed Dr. Crum, a negro, to the post of Collector at tie port at Charleston. Hβ wrote a long letter in reply to the angry protests of the citizens of that port, in which he said that specific charges made against Dr. Crum would be investigated before the appointment was definitely made.

The appointment of Dr. Crum is in itself unimportant, but in the light of the excitement produced by the President's flouting of the colour line, his attitude on the position, as defined in the letter referred to, ie of interest. Dealing with the Cliorleston residents' determination "never again to eubmit to the rule of the African," and their declaration that "such an appointment ai that of Dr. Crum to any such office, forced us to protest unanimously against this insult to the white blood," President Roosevelt says he was pained by that attitude. ''How any one could have gained the idea that I had said I would not appoint reputable and upright coloured men to office when objection was made to them solely on account of their colour,"' he said, "I confess I am wholly unable to understand.

"The great majority of my appointments in every State have been of white men. INorth and South alike it has been my sedulous endeavour to appoint men of high character and good capacity, whether whits or black. But it has been my consistent policy in every State, where their number* warranted it, to recognise coloured men of good repute and standing ''Iα making appointments to office. These appointments of coloured men have in no State made more than a small proportion of the total number of appointments. lam unable to see how I can legitimately be asked to make an exception for South Carolina. "I do not intend to appoint any unfit man to office. So far ac I legitimately can, I shall always endeavour to pay regard to the witshes and feelings of the people of each locality, 'but I cannot consent to take the position that the door of hope—the door of opportunity—is to be shut upon any man, no matter how worthy, purely upon the grounds of race or colour. Such an attitude would, according to my convictions, be fundamentally wrong. If, ac you hold, the great bulk of the coloured people are not fit in point of character and influence to hold such positions, it seems to me that it is worth while putting a premium upon the effort among them to achieve the character and standing which will fit them. It seems to me that it is a good thing every standpoint to let the coloured man know that if he shows in a marked degree the qualities of good citizenship—the qualities which in a white man we feel are entitled to reward—then he will not be cut off from all hope of similar reward."