Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-30
Democratic Opinion.

New YORK, May 29.-The Times
prints fifty answers to the following
questions, addressed>t one hundred
editors of Democratic newspapers at
county seats in Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missis,
sippi, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima and Texas
1. Is the policy of the Democratic
party managers in harmony with the
general sentiment of the people of
your district If that policy excites
any dissatisfaction, is it chiefly die
rected against principles or persons
sustained by the party leaders
2. How do your people regard the
administration of President Arthur.
8. Is there in your neighborhood
any decided expression of opinion in
regard to tariff? II so, what is it's
extent and nature? The Times sum-
marizes the answers to the first
question as follows: That the South
is still solid in it's affiliation with the
Democratic party may be laid down
as made absolutely certain by these
observations. The masses still look
to Democracy as upholding their
best interests, material and political.
On all national issues the people are
united. Perhaps one>fourth of the
letters speak of dissatisfaction
with the methods of the
leaders, but the writer's are careful
to state that people are in full har-
mony with the party principles aud
will forget all local differences in de,
Tending them. Only in two responses
to the first clause of the question is
the answer made: 'Not entirely SO. ;
In the local issues in two or three
States, the legislation was not entire
ly satisfactory to the whole of the
party, as for example, the stock
law in South Carolina and the pros
hibition law in North Carolina, have
divided the party, but the division
is a State matter and would be
lost sight of in considering ma
tional issues They oppose the
Republicans as seeking an alliance
with the colored man and putting
him in power over them They as
sert that the ignorance of that race
units it for control, and it's suprema>
cy would annihilate all hope of
prosperity of replies to the second
question.
The Times says in all letters
reference to hopes of the South
from Garfeld's administration seem
like wall The people, however,
trusted that President Arthur would
carry out the policy of his prede~
cessor, but disappointment has fol>
lowed, and more than half of the
letters speak of him as narrow
partizan, seeking only the interest of
his party, as one from whom nothing
beneficial to the South can come.
Appointments to Office In the South,
as rule, are great causes OF dis
satisfaction, and are regarded as
showing that President Arthur is
not friendly disposed. From the
three States of Mississippi,
Louisiana and Arkansas only
come expressions of praise, and
these are almost entirely due to the
fact of the Mississippi leyee procla-
nation, and even these generally
mingled with words of distrust
The answers to the third question
show that with one or two exceptions
little discussion of the tariff is re-
ported among the people. Many
writer's say that the question is not
understood by the masses one that
they have no conception of what
''tariff " means. The truth appears
to be that they are too busy to take
any interest in the matter, and be-
ing chiefly agriculturalists, the sub
jects naturally attracts much less at
tentlon than in other sections of TIN
country, About thirty letters say
that where there is any discussion Al
all the feeling is in favor of tarif
for revenue only with such incident
al protection as would naturally fol
| low.