Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-13
Hope in the Breaking Of Solid South.

able evidences that the leaven of good
government is working in the South.
No doubt many Democrats of the North
if they We're to express their honest senti-
ments frankly would concedc that there
is promise of great good in the inroads
made by the Republican party into the
solid South at this last election. North
crn Democrats while they have derived
partisan benefit from the fact that at the
beginning of every national campaign
states with representation of at least 100
in House and Senate We're assured to
them from the outset, have, nevertheless,
from the same cause suffered injury.
This injury became painfully apparent to
them during the recent great tariff strug-
gle. They found themselves with their
large majority in the legislative branch
arrogantly dominated by that Southern
element; an element imbued and actuated
by the theories and prejudices of that old
Southern school of Calhoun and Davis
rather than the principles of Jefferson
Madison and Henry Clay; an element that
has gone backward while the country
deficient in practical knowledge, and are
in no way equipped to deal with the
needs and vast interest of A states
While the Northern Democrat has lived
in the midst of and participated in the
marvellous growth of this country in the
past 80 years he is Obliged to yield to the
domination of the Southern Wilson's who
have been reverently engrosscd in search
ing among the moss grown inscriptions
upon the tombstoncs of slavery days for
the theories according to which they
would govern this great nation. The
Northern Democrat has learned by bitter
experience that this Southern contingent
has inherited along with its other preju-
dices the belief that it is its sacred pre-
negative to control the policy of the Demo
cratic party. No matter how difficult the
political exigencics in the North might be,
no matter by what sacrifices the victory
in Northern states might be won, when
the Democrats of the North came into
the national councils they found that their
interests and the interests of their constit-
uencics must be subordinatcd to those of
decaycd politicians, theorists whose only
opinions of practical affairs We're ac-
CURED in poorly selected library and to
constituencies representing a population
that had taken little part in the progress
of 80 years and realized as little the com
pick needs of this mighty nation. The
Northern Democrat not only has expert
cnced this since 1892 but realized the feel
ing of hostility which the interests of
his constituents met at the hands of the
southern oligarchy. TO brush the scales
from the eyes of his Southern ally, to edrl-
cate him up to present standards, to at
tract him to living ideals, are purposes
that the conscientious, progressive Demo
crat Of the North must in his heart wei
come And we believe that much along
this line is to be done in the next few
years, that the grand work has already be
gun. All Republicans recognized and
applauded the Americanism of Senator
Morgan in the disgraccful ENHANCEMENT
of the Democratic administration with
Hawaiian royalty and will gladly wei
come such men as most worthy their par
and out of the debris of an embittcrcd
past to the grand work of solving modern
problems.
But discomfort is by no means confined
to the Northern Democrat. His Southern
ally is restless under it. The old school
there has ruled with an iron hand, believ-
ing as firmly as did Alexander III in the
divine right of the old feudal aristocracy
to govern. Populism in the North and
West represented discomfort, unreasoning
discomfort 1t was practically wiped out
by Tuesdays ballots. But Populism is
represents discomfort there than it did
in the North, but in some states it is some
what more reasonable in its demands and
we believe is one of the features of the
transition state the South is undergoing
In Populism there may be force calcu-
lated to disintegrate n practically solid
colored vote. In that event the days of
the Southern chevalicr in the rusty armor
of feudal aristccmcy and terrorizing I'M
der the banner of sectional and race hatred
will find himself without an occupation
and political following We believe
that thousands of the more progressive
Southern Democrats, especially in those
states where there are diversified indus
tries. have assembled under the banner
of Populism without subscribing to its
wild theories, have done so because they
realized that their object would be de-
feated by the force of race prejudice should
they avow their belief in Republican
principles 1t was this prejudice which
with Southern terrorism at the ballot
box was brought against the Louisiana
contingent that came out for Republican