Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-06-08
THE SOLID SOUTH.

The New York Times prints fifty answers TO
the following questions addressed to one hun
dred editors of Democratic newspapers at the
county seats in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina and Texas =:
l. Is the policy of the Democratic party
managers in harmony with the general senti-
ment of the people of your district If that
policy exctes any dissatisfaction, is it chiefly
directed against principles or persons sustain
ed by party leaders
2. How do your people regard the Admins
tration of President Arthur
3. Is there in your neighborhoOd any decided
expression of opinion in regard to the tariff 7
If so, what is it's extent and nature
The Times summarizes 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 the Democracy as upholding their
best interests, material and political. On all
National issues the people are unit. Per-
haps one-fourth of the letters speak of dissat-
isfaction with the methods of leaders, but
writer's are careful to state that the people are
in full harmony with party principles and will
forget all local differences in defending them
Only in two responses to the first clause or the
question is the answer made: mot entirely SO. "
Local issues in two or three States legislation
are not entirely satisfactory to the whole of
the party as, for example, the Stock law in
South Carolina and Prohibition in North Car
olina have divided the party, but this division
is State matter, and would be lost sight of in
considering National issue. They oppose
the Republicans as seeking an alliance with
the colored man and putting him in power
over them They assert that the ignorance
of that race units it for control, and it's su-
premacy would annihilate all hope of prosper
ity.
Of replies to the second question, the Times
says, in all letters of references to the hopes OF
the South from Garfeld's Administration
seem likely to fail. The people however,
trusted that President Arthur would carry
out the policy of his predecessor. But disap-
pointment has followed, and more than half
the letters speak of him as a narrow partisan,
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 cause Of dissatisfaction,
and are regarded as showing that President
Arthur is not friendly disposed. From the
three States of Mississippi, Louisiana and Ar
kansas only come expressions Of praise, and
these are almost entirely due to the Mississip-
pi levee proclamation, and even these are gen.
orally mingled with words of distrust. An
swers to the third question show that, with
one or two exceptions, little discussion of the
tariff is reported among the people. Many
writer's say 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 inter-
est in the matter, and, being chiefly agricultu-
ralists, the subject naturally attracts much
less attention than in other sections of the
country. About thirty letters say that where
there is any discussion at all the feeling is in
favor of tariff for revenue only, with such in
cidental protection as would necessarily fol-
low.