The morning news., 1891-11-28

The view entertained by some southern
men that a southern man should not be
chosen speaker is a mistaken one. Their
argument is that the party would be weak
ened in the north by the choice Of a south
era man because it would be said there that
the south was running the government. and
a statement Of tina. kind would tend to
create an impression On tia northern mind
hcsals to the Democ. d. -4c party. The wash
ington Post vigorously protests against this
argument and declares that the south would
do a great deal more to encourage sectional
politics by favorIng a northern man for
speaker simply because he was q northern
man than the selection Of a southern man
because be was competent could possibly do.
From the beginning of the contest for
speaker the MORNING News has insisted
that the question whether a candidate was
a northern or a southern man should not
enter into IT. The whole effort should be to
choose the candidate best fitted to discharge
the duties of the Office.
This is the view that is takon by the
Washington Post. That journal earnestly
opposes the idea that more than a quarter
of century after the close Of the civil war
any concession should be made to northern
sentiment, or supposed northern sentiment.
by the south. 1t says: Zone thing
seems clear to our mind.
II the southern people set the
fashion Of drawing the sectional line, they
need not be surprised to find the north fol-
lowing suit. II, more than quarter Of a
century after the confederate surrender
they still harbor misgivings as to their fit
ness for high places in the government OF
the union, they must prepare themselves for
a general acceptance by the country OF
their own estimate of the situation"
The Post is an independent paper with
republican leanings. but what it says with
respect to drawing the sectional line in the
speakership contest is close to the truth.
There is no good reason why the south
should not stand upon her rights, aud it is
her right to have a southern man chosen
speaker if he is better qualified for the posi-
tion than any candidate from the north.
She does not ask to have southern man for
speaker because he Is southern
man. In fact, she does not
ask anything. She simply wants
the places in which the whole country has
an interest filed by those who are best fitted
to discharge the duties of them. If there
are southern candidates who are acknowl-
edged to be competent to fill the speakers
chair, why should they be asked to step
aside in favor OF a northern candidate
whose competency is questionablel
The time has long since passed for south
ern men to retire into the background be-
cause of the alleged existence of a sentiment
| in the north against southern men taking q
prominent part in national affairs. There
is no reason for such sentiment, and south
ern men should take no position that would
amount to an admission that there is.
Did anybody in the north ever find any
fault with Mr.. Carlisle when he was speaker!
No more popular or highly respected man
| ever occupied that position. 1t is doubtful
if there was any sentiment in the north
that would have been better satisfied If q
northern democrat had been speaker in-
stead of Mr.. Carlisle.
| A southern man is going to be elected
speaker of this congress. not because the
south is in the majority on the democratic
side of the House nor because the soutt
wants southern man in the speakers chair
but because Of those who are candidates for
| the position the most capable are southern
/ men.