President Roosevelt has caused a great deal of ill-feeling in
the Southern States first by appointing a negro postmistress, and then by naming an educated negro, Dr. Crum, as Collector of Customs at Charlestown. The Senate will have, of course, to confirm the appointment ; but whether they do or not, the President, with his usual straightforwardness and candour, has raised an issue of vast importance. He contends that he will not refuse to appoint to Federal offices men and women otherwise competent merely because they are negroes. The President makes no claim to equalise the black with the white, and is probably very far from thinking that racial differences are, or can be, obliterated ; but he refuses, as it were, to slam the door irrevocably in the face of the negro citizens, however well educated and respectable, and to give them no place whatever in the national life. This is, of course, an entirely different position from that which the Southern newspapers, whether wantonly or ignorantly, attri- bute to him. Probably their threats of lynching negroes appointed to Federal offices are only bluff, but the temper of the South over the question is distinctly an ugly one. In our view, the President's action is entirely justifiable. We do not think it possible to regard the two races as on an equality, but because one would not marry one's daughter to a negro, one need not deny him justice and fair dealing. And it is fair that a certain proportion of negroes fit for office should be given office, and not be absolutely excluded from every part of the Administration.
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