Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-01-05
The Solid South.

Inc S0ElC SOusn.
William Pitt Kellogg, of Louisiana, gov
ernor, representative and United States
Senator, in my judgment the most aagacicus
of the Southern republicans, takes very
little stock in the current projects for con
verting the wicked Southern democrats into
good Southern republicans. he has watched
with amusement the efforts of certain re
publicans North and South to work up
plan for 80 recognizing" prominent demo
Gratis in the South in the distribution OF Of
fee under the next administration as 10
split the solid South in two. He said to
me the other day "Harrison needn't waste
his time on any plan for breaking up the
solid South by The distribution of patronage,
especially by giving it to prominent demo
crals. He can get prominent demorrete to
take Office, OF Course, but that Is el he vii:
get Every man of thai sorl would add
only Que vote 10 the republicans, nnd he
might take ten away.
ut might just as we'll be understood acN
that the solid South will remain solid until
the race question is settled The republicans
have nothing to hope for liz The South.
Nothing but apathy gave them incir IN.
crease in CoDgressmen this time At the
next congressional election the South will
return solid democratic delegations. They
will vote them in too. There will be no
reason for tampering with the tallot-boxes
or changing the election returns. The ma
iorities will be too overwhelming.
"The south is thoroughly stirred up by
the democratic defeat. It was genuine
surprise. They will try to SEQ that it does
not occur again. In consequence, Harrison
will ind bimeeIf confronted by democratic
House during the last two years OF hia term.
Nothing he cen do with the Offices in the
South will prevent this. had William II.
Hunt made attorEey.geDerai OF Louisiana,
Judge of the United States cauft OF claims,
secretary of the navy aud minister to Rus
sia, yet he did not change FIVE votes. He
could not induce even his brother-in law 10
vote the republican ticket, although he was
too independent to suit the democratic man.
ayers. The whites viii stand together.
That's all there ia to that.
"Now, there is another side to tbie mat
ter. The colored people have something to
say about it. They are not talking publicly
about it any mors than southern white re-
pubiicans, for most Of their leaders are as
pirants for appointments. But l, who want
no office, can tell you that ell the colored
leaders are watching to gee Just what Har-
rison will do in this matter with great Inc
terest. The colored vote elected Harrison.
fit had gone against him generally in the
doubtful States he would have been defeat
ed. Now, they voted for him simply from
force of habit The administration ofCleve.
land has shaken their allegiance to the re.
publican party.
"They have come to think that the dem-
oorats are not go black as they were painted.
They haven't been sold into slavery. They
haven't lost any of their rights and privi-
leges. They have gone right on getting ed,
uoation and making money. Some coiored
men have been appointed to Office. The
consequence is that the average colored man
is beginning to be more Independent in pol
itics. IfHsrrison don't do more for him
than Cleveland did fear the old traditions
will not hold him four years from now. If
Harrison gives the southern Offices to white
democrats he will ALLEVIATE the colored re-
publioans at once. They feel, and feel right
IL, that they elected Harrison, and that they
are entitled to unusual consideration. Yes,
it would be we'll to put southern republi.
can in the Cabinet but it would not break
the solid South. II isn't the all-important
thing some people seem to think.
"This was the only election I ever bet
on" continued Kellogg. " won, of course
Somehow l thought Harrison would be
elected There was 30 much discomfort and
apathy among the democrats, and | knew
the coIored brethren were going to give the
republicans one chance more. 1t all de
pends on the republicans themselves wheth'
er they have another. They'll have to fight
from now Till '92 for it. This talk about O
new % years lease of power is all rot. The
republican party is on probation, and this
time for the first time on probation by col
ored men, who held the balance of power in
New York, Indiana and California, to men
ton no other of the northern States which
they control" ."-WaSh. Cor. PfaI. Record.