San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-23
A Fool Utterance.

| II OT bue
A democratic journal of this city con
| tains a most unique editorial on the
Presidents Southern tour, whether view
ed from personal, ethical or political
standpoint. It's comparisons are invid-
ious and irrelevant. The President and
people of the north concede and admire
the hospitality, chivalry and cultivation
of the Apglo-Saxon race of the
South, unmingled with an i'm
pulse of envy or infusion of
jealousy, and rejoice in its wond erful
material prosperity, but it could hardly
be expected that they would subscribe TO
all the political peculiaritieS of the south
and all her democrats 'all wool and a
yard wide" like the governor of
Texas; and the remarks alluded to
above are not in spirit TO attract
them to a democratic love feast, pre-
Raratory to their joining that party.
The president did not come south
with the expectation OF changing single
vote or OF shaking the faith of a party
lin the principles which it has asserted
for hundred years." nor did he come
here penitent, expecting TO be converted
to democracy, nor has he ever intimated
that the South is unfit for self govern
ment, nor will he go home i'm pressed with
any new idea of justice and
fair play as between citizens.
parties and sections The AngloSaxon has
the faculty of defending himself from
aggression and has not in the south been
aSsailed nor threatened. The election
bill did not curtail their rights hairs
breadth" Its object was to secure fair
elections for congressman and
presidential electors, a result favored
by good men everywhere. If all classes
hot
honestly counted without obstruction
direct or indirect, the law need give no
offense. In his present illiteracy, the Negro
is, as a mule, unfit to hold Office, and so
are some other races that are freely ad
mitted to the polls at all elections, but
this should not debar him from voting.
That the other ignorant races are dem
ocrats does not add to their quail
fications as voters, though it
polls. The object of the bill was to pro-
tect the weak and defenceless. At the
north the republicans do not object to a
full vote of the Italians, Hungarians and
HessianS, though, as a rule, they are cast
solidly for the democratic party.
All Of these races are citizens and in
the eye of the law are the equals of
riches nor intelligence, is the basis of this
government. The danger from negro
domination, in the south, though he vote
unmolested, is exceedingly remote and in
no measure would the election bill pro-
mote it. If it secured fair elections it
would not give the republicans over three
states in a presidential election and 25
members of congress of whom half would
be white men. This would not over
incapacity and depravity. A party,
conscious of the righteous of its cause is
derelict in duty if it fails to use all it's
available strength when it elects chief
magistrate. The republican party is en-
titled to its vote at the south, whether
that vote be ignorant or intelligent If
ignorant it is needed to offset democratic
illiteracy in the northern cities. To per-
NIT one party to poll its ignorance and
deny it TO another is incOngruity that no
casuistry can reconcile; an unfairness de-
void OF the most transparent element of
equality.
In defeating the election bill, the
democracy knew that it saved it's party %
electoral votes and as many congressman.
who with an honest election would be
aligned against 1t. Still some republicans
doubt of it's possibility of enforcement.
The republicans believe that the
real giSt of democratic opposition to it,
lay in the fact that, If it CHANGED to be en-
forced, it would result in republican gain,
and that the interminable arguments were
not predicated in good faith. Under the
existing states the south is solid for tn e
democracy; with change to fair cleo
tiOnS its solidity was broken. 1t was
contest for possible power.
The President left Washington an in
telligent, cOnsiderate and conscientious
man, assuming no air OF self Importance
above those he serves, and while CRATE
full for all the manifestations of respect,
all ovations extended him in the South as
the nations chief magistrate, ne in no
measure deemed them personal to him
self. He will return and continue the ma
tional policy that has so far characterized
his administration with no
marked change as the re-
suit of discoveries IN his journey:
perhaps never seeing the severe structures
upon the wickedneSs of his official life,
and unconscious of the generous advice
volunteered him, to turn from the error
of his ways" and align himself with the
great coSmic force NOW rallyiug in the
south and west to control the policy of
the nation