r. Washington found that the judgeship for the Southern District of
Alabama had just become vacant through the death of the incumbent,
Judge Bruce. Here was an opportunity for the President to put into
practice in striking fashion the policy they had discussed--namely, to
appoint to Federal posts in the Southern States the best men available
and to reward and recognize conspicuous merit among Southern Democrats
and Southern Negroes as well as among Southern white Republicans.
Being unable at the moment to return to Washington, he sent his
secretary with the following letter:

_Tuskegee, Alabama,_
_October 2, 1901._

President Theodore Roosevelt, Washington, D.C.

MY DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I send you the following information
through my secretary, Mr. Emmett J. Scott, whom you can
trust implicitly.

Judge Bruce, the Judge of the Middle District of Alabama,
died yesterday. There is going to be a very hard scramble
for his place. I saw ex-governor T.G. Jones yesterday, as I
promised, and he is willing to accept the judgeship of the
Middle District of Alabama. I am more convinced now than
ever that he is the proper man for the place. He has until
recently been president of the Alabama State Bar
Association. He is a Gold Democrat, and is a clean, pure man
in every respect. He stood up in the Constitutional
Convention and elsewhere for a fair election law, opposed
lynching, and he has been outspoken for the education of
both races. He is head and shoulders above any of the other
persons who I think will apply for the position.

Yours truly,

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.

P.S.--I do not believe in all the South you could select a
better man through whom to emphasize your idea of the
character of a man to hold office than you can do through
ex-governor Jones.

[_Copy_]

Mr. Scott described what occurred on his delivery of this letter in
the following report to his chief:

_Washington, D.C.,_
_October 4, 1901._

MY DEAR MR. WASHINGTON: I called to see the President this
morning. I found him all cordiality and brimming over with
good will for you. That pleased me much! He had received the
telegram and had made an appointment for me. He read your
letter, inquired if I knew the contents, and then launched
into a discussion of it. Wanted to know if Gover