The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-03-12
.IO SOUTHERN MEy-YOTg As YOu THISK.,

~ SOUTHERN 4EN-YOFBAs YOU THINK"
An Independent Democratic NewSpapeFS
Striking View Of Politics in the south.
Sar lOrE Herald,
We print with pleasure to-day the let.
Ter Of a Southern man who thinks the
Herald and Northern yotersin the wrong
10 be irritated at the political solidity OF
the Southern States. Why not talk OF
the "solid North2" he asks.
But this is precisely what we have
been talking Of, the growing solldity OF
the North and the cause OF It. Nor are
We the first to talk OF 1t, Mr., Grady, Of
Georgia, said last November; 1.-THE
solid South inyites the solid North"
He added; "To remain solid, therefore,
is TO incur the chances Of being placed
in perpetual minority and practically
shut out from participation IN the Gov
ernment.h Our correspondent thinks
the North is preiudiCed against the
South, He is very much mistaken,
Northern men invest money freely in
Southern enterprises; the North re-
joiCes ut Southern prosperity. There il
nothing but good will in the North to-
ward the South. Why should there be ?
Weare all fellow CountrymGn, liYiugun-
der the same flag, Our correspondent
talks about slavery, but people in the
North scarcely remember that slavery
ever existed in this country, There
are no such Northern preiudlces as he
speaks OF,
It is only when we come to the politi-
cal action OF the South that there arises
what we have spoken Ola deep seated
and increasing Irritation in the North
ern mind, which more and more makes
the North solid. What Northern voters
SEQ and have seen for many years Is thai
large section OF the UniOn-a large
number Of States, year after year, vote
as though they werO in a c9mblnei u
though their voters almost all thought
alike on all the various political Ques
lions which arise. Northern voters dc
not perhaps reason very deeply about
this phenomenon. They dislike 1t, be-
cause they do not believe 1t natural
they think 1t unnatural, because they dc
not find 1t in their own communities.
Take as examples some Southern and
some Northern States in the Congress o.
1928, when the North was not vel
solid and the Democrats had majority
OF seyenty.one in the House. Alabamt
and Arkansas had together thirteen scat
-solidly Democratic; Indiana had thir
teen seats, but four were Democrats ant
nine Republicans; Georgia had ten
soIidly Democratic; Iowa had eleven
but four were Democrats and seven Re
publiCaus; Mississippi had seven seats
all Democratic;6ut Of New Jerseys sever
there were three Democrats, four Re
pnbllcans; Mlssouri's fourteen seats
were solidly Democratic; OF Pcnnsylva
MAS twenty.eight ten were Democrats
eighteen Republicans ;of the eleven seats
OF Tex Is all but one were Democrats; o.
the nine OF Wisconsin four were Demo
Gratis.
That Is to say, the Northern statef
were then and arc even yet divided
Their people vote according to theil
opinions. II they are proteCtionists, fol
instance, they vote the Republican tick
ct: II they are Free Traders or low tarit
men they vote the Democratic ticket. II
the South opinion is divided on thu
tariff question Just as In the North, al
our correspondent himself confesses. HI
writes:
The high tariff policy Of the Republican part!
Is That Is now wanted 10 build upa large ScctiOI
Of the Southern country, and the Southern pcO
pie see this.
And he talks OF "1ennessc, Alabama
the two Virginias, Georgia and othe
Southern States" favorlng this protective
policy and dropping into the Republi
can ranks" under some contingency, w
do not understand what,
Why have they not dropped into thu
Republican ranks2" That is wha
neither Democratic nor Republican
voters in the North can understand
Why Georgia or Tennessee or Alabama
proteCtiOnists should so on voting th,
Democratic ticket year after year, send
ing low tariff or free trade CongressmeT
to Washington, trying to seat u free
trade or low tariff President in thu
White House-why the South, divided
IN politics, divided In opinions as oul
correspondent reports 1t to be, shoulG
vet remain "golid"-that is what nc
Northern voter can understand, and it IL
this fact which creates irritation in the
the North, and which since 1852 has
gradually made the North almost us solid
as the South.
"What would you have the people Of
the South do2" our correspondent asks
We would have them arrange them
selves into two parties, according to the
political principles and policies OF theil
voters, rs the people Of the North do. i
Southern men are protectionists, as oul
correspondent says, they belong in the
Republican party. We would therefore
have them recognize a Republ ican party
in their States, and II they have votes
enough send Republican Congressmer
to Washington to support their views
Iisome Southern States thereupOn "droF
into the Republican ranks, that will
break up the Solid South, and when the
Solid South is broken up the Solid Nortl
will no more be heard OF.
We ask our correspondent to read
President Harrison's suggestions on THU
matter in his inaugural address and tel
us what he thinks OF them.