New-York tribune., 1891-05-16
THE PRESIDENT AND TIE SOUTH.

The Presidents journey is ended. III mas
been in many respects interesting and remark
able. The American people always turn OUT
to meet their President, no matter who they are
or who he is. The imposing character OF his
office gives to him practically all the interest
that attaches to the head of the State IN the
least liberal of countries, while the fact that
he has been endowed with his great powers, not
by accident nor by tyranny, but by the orderly
dropping of ten millions of ballots, dsposes the
people to look upon him with peculiarly al
fectionate regard. Nor is this sentiment un-
shared by those who voted against him. lie IS
as much their President and they are as sub
iect to his authority under the law as II they
had been his most active champions. The
universal interest awakened whenever the FreS-
ident travels proceeds from the desire OF the
people to see and hear the man who wleids
their sovereignty in the guise of their servant
Naturally they are prone to treat him generous
ly, to think well of his appearance and his
words, and by seeking his good opinion to re-
spond to his quest after theirs
1t is not so much in the number OF the throngs
who have met President Harrison wherever he
has stopped-though they have been unusually
Iarge-nor the quality of the demonstrations
with which he has been observation-disclosures
they have been remarkable for brilliancy Of de-
sign and spontaneous cordiality-that his jour
nev has been exceptional. Its peculiar diStinc-
ton lies in the circumstance that, going for the
most part through section of country whose
people are thought to look at the questions OF
the day from a point of view almost directly
opposite to his, and frankly and candidly set
ting forth his opinion upon all these questions,
he has not awakened single protest or harsh
criticism. but has evoked, on the contrary, only
the heartest applause and the most friendly
comment. We may assume that it was the
Presidents purpose when he left Washington
to talk thus plainly, for he is the kind OF man
who never takes important steps without mature
reflection That he would obtain respectful
hearing was OF course to be presumed, for the
SouthernerS are, of all things, courteous. But
if he had studied to choose topics OF their liking
and to express those particular sentiments thai
they would wish to hear, their enthusiasm could
not have been greater. The Republican doc
trines of Protection and Reciprocity and the
growth of foreign trade and American shipping
were applauded and indorsed in every State
and by every audience before which he dis
cusSed them.
To some extent this is explained by the tone
in which the President spoke. 1t was not con-
troversial. 1t was full of Difference and con-
sideration toward those who held contrary the
ories. 1t was eminently kind and friendly to
all the industrial interests peculiar to the pres
ent state of the South. This inclined the peo-
pie TO be responsively cordial. But there was
heartiness and unanimity in their applause
and there has since been an acquiescent tone
in the comments Of the Southern press which
show that the Presidents doctrines were of
themselves popular. These facts argue that
the South is being misrepresented by its officers
in Congress, and that its people are no longer
a unit in their approval of Free Trade and of
the extinction of American interests on the
high seas. IL argues that the great develop
ment of natural resources which the last decade
has witnessed in the Southern States is opening
the eyes of the Southern people to the neces-
sity of upholding Republican principles II
goes great way toward proving that the South
cannot be held much longer by clique of de-
signing politicians in solid array against pol
icieS which are as useful in building up its pros
perity as that of the North and the West. The
South is doing vast amount of thinking now
adays, an occupation to which the Presidents
Arguments have strongly inspired it, and from
which results benefcent to the whole country
may be looked for.