San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-12
The Campaign in the South

plant.
The Campaign in the South.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Three correspondents Of the Inter-
Ocean of Saturday, Judge Tourgee,
Mr.. E. F. Cragin, and Mr.. Herman
Dinkgrave, had something to say on
the subject of free speech and free bal
lots-or the lack of them-in the
Southern tier. Mr.. Dinkgrave re-
hearses, and confirms as an eye-wit-
ness, the suppression and Justification
of the republican vote; Mr.. Cragin
urges the national republican COM
mittee to send speakers and docu-
ments into the southern states; Judge
Tourgee accuses the republican party
of cowardice in that it has so long alb
stained from making aggressive
political war in the southern states,
as well as upon the southern system
of political coercion and fraud.
The Inter Ocean has been urgent as
to the wisdom of sending republican
missionaries into the southern tier.
The act would result in one of two
events, either such open hostility to
free speech as would sOlidify the north,
for it is hardly probable that the poll
ticians of the southern tier would be
foolish enough to suppress political
discussion by fOrce-except, indeed, in
few of the most barbarous counties
and parishes of Louisiana and Mis-
sissippi-or such stimulus to
inquiry as would lead to the
disruption of Bourbon rule, if
not to republican success. An in
calculable gain would accrue, though
it might not ripen into Republican
votes in time for the Presidential har-
vest of 1888, if Republican speakers
were to challenge Southern speakers
to debate on the advantages which the
North has gained, and which the
South has refused to accept, from the
creation of home markets by the
encouragement of diversified indus
tries. If the farmers of the South
could hear from Northern tom
CUES a narration of Northern pros
perity and an explanation OF its
causes and could mark how feeble were
the apologies of southern free traders,
or note their unwillingness to enter
into debate, much thinking would be
done, which might result in the cleo
ton of few southern protectionists to
congress at the next election, and in a
general revolt against the southern
Oligarchs, the generals and colonies,
the majors and captains, the judges
and professors. 1t is the people who
work for living-"the men who
counted in the bullet department of
the late confederacy''-that are to be
reached.
Prove to these men that they SOW
but reap not, that they toll, but do
not better themselves; prove to them
that the taxes which they pay give
them no good country roads, few free
schools, no prosperous cities to en-
ploy the surplus of farm labor at good
wages, and to afford profitable local
markets for the surplus of farm pro-
duets; prove to them that all this is
due to the suppression of free speech,
which encourages free thought and |
free political action, and the solidlty
of the south is cracked at once. Let |
it be known that everywhere, except |
in the southern tier, politics is an !
open game, free for the laborer, the
farmer, the mechanic, the tradesman |
to take part in, and kept tolerably |
fair in practice by the ceaseless |
watchfulness of the numerous parties |
at interest, and the power of the pro-
fessional politicians of the south is at |
once broken. And it is unfortunate
ly true that at present there are few
politicians in the south who are not
professionals.
The one way to break the solid
south is to get the people of the south |
to argue with each other. The profess
sional politicians do not argue. The
northern missionary must put them |
on the defensive, must make them
argue or plead guilty by silence. II is
by this method that republicanism
captures the northern states. Ifthere |
be state, congressional district, a |
county in the north which is reported |
as either democratic or doubtful it is |
at once invaded by republican speak
ers; the democracy is arraigned, the |
republican policy extolled, the demo-
cratic leaders are forced into oral and |
written defense, and the people are
left to Judge. They have judged in |
favor of republican policy, The people |
of the south will judge likewise when |
the republican case is presented to