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The Pioneer Press |
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Sometime ago we asked for a colored policeman to look after the moral good of our people. Later on a petition of 65 names asking that Mr. Nelson Page be appointed went before the Council. It was cheerfully received, and Mr. Page is the first colored man that ever wore the blue and brass buttons in Martinsburg in the capacity of a policeman. That he will make a good officer, time will attest. That he was badly needed, time, long ago decided; and now that we have him better things may be expected. There are ladies in this town who will feel safer, and men who will delight in it. The modesty of not a few good people regardless of color is shocked very often by disreputable males and females around the corners, and in the alleys. It is the duty of Mr. Page to stop it. The conduct at the churches, fairs, and public gatherings has been disgraceful, and this he will stop; and with a policeman in the audience all that is necessary to hear a good sermon is to have a good preacher in the pulpit. As to the unnecessary gossip about the appointment, we have simply this to say; we are citizens and have been voting in this town for twenty years, and the first and only thing we ever asked for is what we got, a colored policeman; and we are surprised that the howl comes from those who have advocated our rights. If their advocacy was genuine, they should be glad to see such a manly act on the part of the City Council. |