The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-05-01
A Southern President.

The Post dominates our
Present Minister to France.
Not long ago the Post p%ropounded to
the Democratic party a few interroga.
tories: Why not nominate a Southern
man nezt year-why reject nine-tenths
of the Presidential timber at the party's
disposal and give to an Insignificant
minority the monopoly of honor and
promotion What has the South done
within the past thirty years that it
should be treated as one in disgrace?
It has fought the Democracy's battles,
furnished its armies, Won all its victo-
ries-why should it be forbidden a place
at the feast and a share in the fruits of
triumphs which its Own valor and de-
votion have made possible? To these
iu~terrogatories we have received a great
number of replies, most Of them %iDtelli-
gent and frank, some lacking in those
respects and a few too foolish TO be
worthy of mention. It is gratifying,
however, to note hat the ov%erwhelm-
ing majority of newspapers in all
parts of the country alike recognize the
justice of the POSTS position, and admit
that there is neither reason nor pro-
priety in the arrangement of which the
South has for SO many years been the
victim.
Several of the contemporaries, how
ever, have asked US, and strangely
enough all these queries have come
from the South, where there is to be
found a Southern man big enough,
broad enough, strong enough to meet
she expectations of the party and the
requirements of the position. Just why
Southern newspapers should be SO dis
trustful of Southern men or Just what
they have seen in Democratic leader
ship of late years to lead them to the
erection of very lofty standards of pa
triotism, ne do not know and cannot
imagine. The fact remains that these
expostulations and m~isgiviugs have
proceeded wholly from the South, while
Northern u~tterances have been, almost
without exception, favorable to the idea
advanced by the Post. We shall not
stop to argue this very strage coDdi-
ton of things. A much more inter-
estiug question presents itself-tbat Of
naming a Southern Democrat who, at
this juncture, would represent the deep
est feeling and meet the most pressing
needs of the American people. We
have been challenged to do this, and
we accept the challenge by asking
whether any fault is to be found with
James B. Eustis, our present ambassa-
dor to France? We should like some
one to tell US in what respect OF patriot
ism, craftsmanship, courage, culture,
experience, in formation, and sympathy
With popular thought and feeling, Jas.
B. Eustis of Louisiana falls short of
the very highest and most exacting re-
quirement.
Mr.. Eustis has been 10 public life
for many years. He has served 10 the
Legislature of his own State and 10 the
United States Senate. He is a student,
a traveller, a man of elegant culture,
and at the same time a man of the peo-
pie in his sympatbies and leauiDgs. As
a party man be is stalwart. He sets 20
value on the lilie-banded loi;erers of the
world, be takes counsel with 20 carping
Mugwump. be loves bot the cuckoo's
feeble chirp. He believes 10 men Of
Drawn aud brains and self respect. He
believes in party organization, 10 fair
fighting in the field of politics, in re-
wards to the victor, in the peoples
right to govern themselves, in the peo-
Piles wisdom and sincerity and justice
He understands the questions now
agitating the public mind-questious of
domestic or international import. His
speeches on the silver question during
the first Cleveland administration
show that he is in touch with popular
feeling on that ;s.le. His speech in
London the other night, Oh the occa-
sion of the American Society banquet,
shows that he shares the deepest con-
victions and the most vivid and intense
aspirations of the American people as
regards our relations with foreign coun-
tries, aud our proper attitude toward
them.
Iu what particular does Eustis fail
OF what standard of the Democratic