ANTI-NEGRO SENTIMENT.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11493, 28 January 1903, Page 9

ANTI-NEGRO SENTIMENT.

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S ACTION

RESENTED,

(By Telegraph.)

(Per s.s. Sonoma at Auckland.) SAN FRANCISCO, January 8. ' President Roosevelt has aroused the wrath of residents of Southern States by his action in relation to negioetj. He app'jjrtad a coloured woman posfUxiistrtsa at ludiiino'.a, Mississippi, and when the citizens objected the post office cioded. At a meeting of the Cabinet of the United States it- v/a-s decided that the people of Ixdianoia should hmxtt no postal service until they would accept that particular coiouied woman in such an official capacity. The woman promptly resigned, and declared she would not act as postmistress. It is presumed she was intimidated by white peit-ox.s, though she heisc-lf denies thiss. iiie newxpiipem of New Orleans all commented bitterly upon the action of the President.

The Xew Orleans democratic organ, in d:?ui-\«ing the incident, says:—"We do v.oi bt'iiew it wise for either the people of the South or their newspapers to mince words. President Koosevtlt, in closing thy post, office at Indianola, has suspended the law for the deliberate purpose of of-u-nding and insulting fcho white people of the South, and incidentally to pander to thj negro vote in the Northern .States. Me assimiL-d the role of Czar for the sole purpose oi cinching presidential nomination in 1904, and it is wt'll the &.mt.h should proclaim .l-s knowledge cf liis motives, anil also impic*s upon the mind of the country the fact that President Roosevelt has made up his mind to insult and outrage the peopk) of the douth jV appointing and keeping in office obnoxious negroea. His negro iippointees will killed just as negro appointees of o-uier Republican Presidents havo been put out of the way. Some people say, no doubt, these are intemperate and violent views, but we are confident they will be endorsed by the majority of people of the Southern States. It may ue said also that if President Roosevelt's appointees are killed or run out of the counU-y, he will dragoon the South with Federal troops. In such an event we are confident tiie fact will be quickly <?stablished that our people are fully as strenuous aa their knickerbocker President."

Even, in, the North the President's action is regarded as ejctxe.nn>, und it ifl likely he Arill be compelled tt> recede from, the position taken. The Southerners contend that the negroes are no more than, ever fit to owupy official positions, and that when any power or ipieceden-ce is given individuals of race-coloured people in, general become inflated, officious, and. dangerous.