The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-09-05
A GROWING SENTIMENT
Protection Making Headway at
the South.
A Suppressed Minority Rerties. Tn
der the 81. Louis PfasTsrm-a
State Of Facts TO which Leaders
should Not shut Their Eyes.


xew YORK sxu.
ATLANTA. ia. Aug. fss-The growth
of the protection sentiment IN the
South i something 70 which Demo-
cratic leaders are vainIy endea.orsng
to shut their eyes The South 4 rsr,-
resented as solid. not only for De-
mocracy. but for that heresy OF mod
ern Democracy which aims TO put the
American workHen on a plane OF
equality with his brother in Earope
The breaks in this soiidity are over
looked, the protection minority Is ig-
noree. in these estimates.
That prOtectionizts are in the minor
ity IN the south as whole eanno. be
gainsaid. But il isa minority OF Dem
ocrats and a minority with much Of
the brains and almost ali of that push
and energy which can be attributed
the rapid growth and development OF
the section within the past few years.
II i shis minority OF brains. energy
and push that has given 10 the South
material growth almost unprece-
dented. and II IS 10 this minority that
the people look for leaders in every
such movement. The protection SEN
tiInent is growing.
II i here IN Georgia and Alabama
that this sentiment i strongest. Demo-
cratic papers At the North have been
pointing to the Democratic victory in
Alabama's state election as a defeat OF
the prutectionists. The shalIowne-s
Of such claim i apparent. That
contest Yves simply state election in
which party lines were drawn between
Democrats and Republicans, and into
which the tariff question Gid no; en-
ter.
A Birmingham politician. a man
who has for ~ weary stood high In the
councils OF the Democratic party Of
the state, was in Atlanta a few DAYS
ago. In speaking OF the political stu
alton he said.
The platform adopted at St Louis
has cast 4 damper over all of North
Alabama. Ii there is any section of
this country whose future depends on
the continuance of the protection
policy it is the iron region of our state.
and the people realize il. Put iron on
the free list. and the ruins OF now pros
porous mills and furnaces would stand
as monuments OF such folly
But the people, do they realize
this
The people OF North Alabama do.
and the uncertainty incident to a pres
sideD.ial election in which the tariff il
the one issue, has bad effect upon
business OF all kinds.
THE protection sentiment Is grow
ing, he added, land growing rapidly.
II is beginning to pervade even the
purely agricultural parts of the state
Everybody in Alabama is proud Of
the splendid cities OF Birmingham,
Admission. BesseTner. Decatur, Tusca-
loosa, and others. whose existence has
been made possible by the protection
policy of the government. The
farmers now find home market for
what they produce, and they are be-
ginning to argue in favor OF leaving
well enough alone, and against trying
any experiments. OF course. | do not
claim that all the farmers are with Us; :
only the more intelligent. The pleas
ant sophistries OF the free trade poll
ticians still deludc many, but the pro
lection sentiment is growing. 4"
There are more pTotectiOnists in
Alabama than in any other of the
strongly Democratic Southern states,
but Georgia Is not far behind. At
lanta Is a strong protection city. and
the same may be said OF Augusta,
Columbus, Rome, and the other
manufacturing cities OF the state. An
old statesman, who was an officer OF
the Confederate government, and who,
both before the war and since has
been a member of congress, talks at
some length on the subject
The three planks in the platform
OF the old South we're slavery. seceS-
sion, ana free trade, he said "She
has been whipped out OF the first two.
and viii now have 10 be whipped out
OF the third. before she can enjoy the
great prosperity in store for her"
II have great hopes for Georgia. -
he confined. Anybody who looks
into the matter can see that the pro-
lection feeling IS growing. Then, YOU
know, Georgia was a strong WhiE
state, and in the days before the war
the protection sentiment was quite
strong. The majority Of the people
were for the Union up 10 the very
time When the state seeded and
- hen she gets rid OF this free trade
folly, Georgia viii be even a better
member OF the MON. And that time
Is coming.
Valiant work has been done In this
line By a few men and few news.
papers The Aaaafa Constitution. than
which there Is no stronger protection
paper in the country: the AuguvG
Cbipsieie, the birmingham papers, the
.4naiSfea Hot Blast, aud others less
prominent, have led the fight
Az are strong in their allegiance to
the Democratic party, and since the
party has promulgated their platform.
these papers have consented to another
their individual views. They are now
letting the tariff question severely
alone
The situation Is peculiar Here Is a
strong minority. embracing many OF
the strongest men Of the South. yet il
does not dare assert itself. The tongues
OF these advocates of protection are
tied. and none dares say bis souls his
own for fear that he NAV in some way
hur; the solid South II is an era q
small men in Georgia. This silen;
minority includes ali, or nearly all. Of
the strong men Of the state, and the
little fellows find themselves on TOP.
Your Uncle Joe Brown. Evan Howell.
Henry Grady. Pat Walsh. Nat Ham
mond, and such men as these haze
been relegated to the rear. and Col
quitt aud his benchmcn are trying 10
rnn things \ sorry mess they are
making of L. They sent TO the 81
Louis convention a delegation which
contained not one man Of prominence
Party dissensiOns IN al parts OF the
state have sprung up under this lead
ership. and, IRON = Democratic stand
point. things are in pretty bad shape.
The Republicans are quietly organiz-
ing for the coming hght The scheme
a. have Major Mckinley Of Ohio adj
dress the people at the Chautauqua.
near here, has been zealausly iostered
hy the Republican leaders. although il
had Is origin outside Of Republican
ranks The people are hungry fer in
formation on the tariff question. and
a. the protection Democrats have the
highest admiration Tor Mckinley they
intend giving him a ROYAL reception
upuu the event Of bis visit