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Appointed Director of Internal Revenue for South Carolina by President Roosevelt. It wil be resailed by those who make the s lightest pretemions to arep abreast of the times that in the latter part of November, 1901, Colonel EB. A. Webster, Internal Revenue Col lector for South Carolina, very sud denly took his departure for the world beyond this vale of tears, and four or five honorable men who had never resisted to mob and lynch innocent colored men besought President Roose velt to bestow the position upon one of them, but President Roosevelt turn ed a deaf ear to all their entreaties, and he very curtly informed all the applicants that “he had decided to ‘select George R. Koester, a Negro-hat- Teen a mighty protest went up from the threats of all the leading Afro-Americans residing in that state, for they remembered that only « short while before that time George R. Koester openly boasted of “having Gred the first shot at an Afro-American who had been strung to a tree by a mob of lynchers, citizens of Columbia, ec At that time the President was in fait possession of all the facts re -ending etal senttas ant Nema ing record, and with the further fact that his reputation was very shady. “The Columbia South Carolina State” of November 12, 1901, contained rode twenty miles In order to capture Preston; it was three o'clock in the morning when Koester and his mid night assassins arrived at Preston's home, and “they Induced him to get up and come outside as one of his friends was in trouble, and wanted to consult with him,” and after they had succeeded in laying hands on Preston, Koester was the first to sug gest that he be dealt with the same as Thompson, and Koester was the first highly civilized Christian to fire shots into Preston’s dangling body who was followed by more than one hundred Christian savages. Thomp son and Preston after being horribly tortured, died declaring that they were both Innocent of any wrong doing, and it was proven that they were not. With this bloody record before him, President Roosevelt could not be in duced not to appoint George Koester Internal Revenue Collector for South Carolina, and again it may not be out of place to ask what becomes of his boasted claim that he is unwilling to “close the door of hope to the Negro?” To all intents and purposes he is ever ready to elevate men to office who are always ready not only to “close the door of hope to the Afro-Ameri can,” but are also eager to assist to mob and lynch him. Aside from appointing Koester, the Negro-hating Democrat to office, Pres ident Roosevelt has kicked many white and colored Republicans out of office in the south, and selected Dem ocrats inatead thereof. In South Carolina he removed a colored Repub lic postmaster who was a fist clase official, and appointed a white Demo crat in his place In Mississippi President Roosevelt dismissed the white Republican United States Dis trict Attorney and named Robert C. Lee, a Democrat to succeed him, and at the same time he chose Edgar G. Wilson, also a Democrat, as United States Marshal for Mississsppi, in that same state the Rough Riding Presi [dent who insulted every Negro who claims to be full or rice pride when, he declared “that the colored troops could not or would not fight unless they were officered by white men,” ap pointed Isaiah T. Montgomery Receiv er of Public Money at Jackson, Miss., who was the only colored delegate in the last constitutional convention of that state and as such he voted frst, last and all the time in favor of Dis franchising the Negroes of Mississippi. Another case where President Roose velt was indirectly in favor of closing the “door of hope” to almost a million Negroes. Let us also refer to the case of Mrs. Minnie Cox, the colored postmistress at Indianola, Miss., in the light of cold reason, it is true Presi dent Roosevelt closed up the office at that point after Mrs. Cox had relin quished her duties in connection with it, for the reason that she had been led to believe that some of the whites objected to her serving in such a who were perfectly willing to risk their lives in order to practice with that same little post office, the Presi dent, however, would not consider the applications of any colored persons, no matter how capable they were, and he yielded to face prejudice by se lecting a white Democrat by the name of Martin for the place Our point of contention is that if it is true that “ the Republican party is the ship to the Negro, and all else is theses, then the President re treated at the first blast from the horn of race prejudice when he refused to appoint another Negro to succeed Mrs. Cox. In that instance the President's “door of hope policy” was blown to the wind and the Negro was left hang ing high and dry. It is our honest opinion that the President lacked the backbone to discharge his duty In that son or an individual of any race is chosen to fill a federal office it is the Navy to protect such officials in the discharge of their duties even if the military arm of the government has to be called into service for the purpose of doing so. As before stated Presi dent Roosevelt was not equal to the occasion and he permitted race preju dice to score a great victory over him. Many other Democrats have been elevated to office in the south by President Roosevelt, while the Negro who has fought, bled and died for the G. O. Lily White party for so these many years, has been forced to stand aside and made to feel that he belongs to the inferior or backward races. Among the most eminent Democrats who have within the past few years been honored with high and important positions are Colonel John 8. Mosby, ,of Confederate Guerrilla fame, who is connected with the department of justice, and Hon. Luke Wright, of Ten nessee, who is at the present time serv ing as Governor of the Philippine Is lands. Governor Wright is not in favor of “bestowing the blessings of civiliza tion upon the or the backward races, for he contends that “they cannot understand or enjoy these , blessings which might prove a deadly policy to them. He places the color ed race in the same class with the di sserior or backward races. In conclusion no Democratic Prat deat could inflict any greater insulta or punishment upon the Negro then these; is it for these things that every Negro must be branded as an enemy ‘and a traitor to his race who falle to Roller and shout for Prasident Roose ven?
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Chicago Broad Ax
Chicago, Illinois, US
Sat, Oct 22, 1904
Page 1
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Derrick R.
USA 13 Jun 2026
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