Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-30
POLITICS In THE SOUTH.
THE PEOPLE AND DEMOCRACY.
Replies TO Pertinent Questions
Local Differences bat SOlidiIy on
National Issues - The Popular
View of Garfield and Arthur.

New YORK, May 2s.-The Times prints
fifty answers to the following questions,
addressed to one hundred editors of Demo
cratic newspapers at county seats in Ala
bama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Texas:
First. Is the policy Of the Democratic
party managers in harmony With the gen.
eral sentiment of the people Of your dis
tricil II that policy eXcites any dissatis-.
faction, is 1t chiefly directed against the
principles or the persons sustained by the
party leaders?
Second. How do your people regard the
administration of President Arthur?
Third. Is there in your neighborhood any
decided expression of opinion in regard to
the tariff and, II so, what is its extent and
natures
The Times summarizes the answers to the
first question as follows: That the South
is still solid in its sfiiation with the
Democratic party, may be laid down as
made absolutely certain by these Observa-
tiOns. The masses stu lock to Democracy as
upholding their best interests, material and
political. On all national issues the people
are unit. Perhaps one-fourth OF the letters
speak of dissatisfaction with the methods
OF leaders, but the writers are careful to
state hat the people are in full harmony
with the party principles and will forget all
local differences in defending them. Oaly
10 two reponses to the first clause of the
question is answer made "not entirely So. -
Local issues In two or three States and
legislation not entirely satisfactory TO the
whole OF the party, as for example, the
stock law in South Carolina and the prohi-
bition law in North Carolina, have divided
~. A.-N L T. i
and would be lost sight of in considering
national issues. They oppose the Republi-
cans as seeking an alliance with the colored
man and putting him In power over them.
They assert that the ignorance Of that race
uufits it for control, and It's supremacy
would annihilate all hope of prosperity.
or the replies to the second question the
Times says in all the letters the references
to the hopes of the South from Garfield's
administration seem like walls. The people,
however, trusted that President Arthur
would carry out the policy OF his predeces-
sor, but disappointment had followed, and
more than half the letters speak of him as a
narrow partisan, seeking only the interests
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 dissati s.
faction, and are regarded as showing that
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
Mississippi levee proclamation, and even
these are generally mingled with words of
distTust
The answers to the third question show
that, with one or two exceptions, little Is
cussion of the tariff Is reported among the
people. Many write that the question is
not understood by the masses; one that thew
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 being chiefly
agriculturists, the subject naturally at
tracts much less attention than in other sec
tions OF the country. About thirty letters
say that when there is any discussion at all,
the feeling is in favor of tariff for revenue
only, with such incidental protection as
would naturally follow.