Evening star., 1895-11-09
THE SOLID SOUTH
Southern Democrats Believe It is a
Thing Of the Past.
GORMAN 4 NAPOLEON OF DEFEAT
Talk of Third Term for Cleveland
Increasing.
THE REPUBLICAN DIFFICULTY

Few of the leading southern democrats
doubt that the solid south is permanently
broken. The signs of disintegraton have
been developing for some time. There is q
feeling now that the democrats are more apt
to lose other states than to get back those
they have now lost. Dismissing without dis
cuss!on the question of the control of cleo
ton machinery, election frauds and the like
the one matter of social prejudice, it is Sug
gested, was long sufficient to hold that sec
ton to old traditions. 1t has for years been
recognized by democrats that the moment it
became respectable to be a southern repub-
lican' the one-sidtd complexion of politics
would begin to change. 1t is felt now by
these men that the dreaded time has come;
that republican respectability has been suf-
ficiently established and that the principal
reason for the "sold south" has passed
away. When Malone in Virginia and Speer
in Georgia started to"emancipate the south"
the power Of ostracism was still too great.
and they had not that sort of influence
which insured 'respectability." The time
was not ripe, the method not well chosen,
and the question of the force bill had not
been fought to a conclusion.
No Force Bill Terror Now.
Mr.. German probably did not think when
gress to prevent the passage of the force
bill that the issue was so broad, and that
when that measure was thoroughly dead
one of the steel ties which bound the south
ern states in moral confederacy would be
broken. Some of the republicans who re-
sisted the force bill then saw it, and to them
falls the credit of rendering the dissolution
OF the bonds possible. When a republican
House and Senate and republican eXecu-
tive failed to enact the bill, fear of such
legislation ever being enacted began to pass
away from the south. and with it passed
away their fear of party division. Since
then contributory circumstances have
haStened the separation The relief from
fear brought confidence, confidence aroused
independence, and independence wrought
division. So many southern men see ii now.
They condemn Cleveland for the party dis
asters, but they know that their trouble in
the south lies deeper. 1t is not the universal
wish even among the bourbon democrats
that the south should remain solid, but
these who do desire it would greet with de-
light the introduction of another force bill
into the present Congress. Today there are
not nalf the southern states they can count
On as sure to cast their votes next year for
democratic candidate for the presidency.
If the fear of federal interference We're
aroused, 1t would be different The practical
certainty that 1t will not be aroused brings
the conviction that the divisions are perma
states can longer be counted as safely
democratic.
Napoleon in Defeat.
German in defeat Is most interesting
figure in politics. What his fancy sees in
the future for his party or for himself none
can tell, but the situation in which he now
finds himself brings out the peculiar char
acterstics of the man. While democrats
around him are wa!ling grinding their
teeth and clenchng their fists in passion, he
is as impassive as statue. He has been In
Washington since the election. To his most
intimate friends he has given no expression
of disappointment, encouragement
sentiment. He has smiled at their impet-
uous grief and checked their resentment,
and given expression to nothing but com
placency and sort of cold confidence. No
man could discover difference in his face
or in his manner from what it was when the
democrats gathered around him at the close
OF the Fifty first Congress and made 4 hero
Of him. His face wears that same unmoved
expression, as If cast in clay. with a self
constrained SMILE never reaching above the
corners of his mouth. In his manner is still
that same air of amiable superiority to all
emotion. Tle only thing that can ever be
read in his face is an habituaI reasoning
that nothing, either good or bad, can be last
ing. He wears the mask of a fatalist and a
stole. Without saying anything, he gives
they are attaching altogether too much i'm
portance to transient things.
Talk of Cleveland.
There is more talk among democrats
about the matter of selecting presidential
candidate than there has been before. The
disaster of their defeat has set their minds
working in that direction and, too, they
are seriously talking Of Cleveland The
talk is coming from his enemies. They
mean it, and will continue to mean it as
long as the period of depression and re-
sentiment lasts. They say that he has made
it impossible for any to win, so now
let him make the race. This is, of course,
spitefui talk, but his friends are speaking
OF him for third term with all the sin
cerlty of deVoteeS. If One-half the party
turn to him in spite of the other half in
alteration he may have no defense save in
q very speedy announcement of a deter
mnation to retire unless he really wants
the empty honor of a denomination.
Morrison and Whitney.
There are only two other men about
whom the election has excited much talk
in this connection. One Is Whitney, whose
money is invariably mentioned at the same
time. The other Is Morrison The answer
us to Whitney is that he would probably
not accept the candidacy under the present
A strong argument in IA
vor of Morrison is that he would not be de-
tered by the prospect Of defeat, but would
make the race, even knowing that no demo-
crat could be elected. The idea is that he
would take the nomination and make a
very dignified and respectable candidate if
it were so unpromising that no one else of
standing would have it, and would probably
receive as many votes as any democrat
could get. Morrison would like the honor
of the nomination and would be gratified
to end his career with that. From present
it may be that the party will be
In need of just such a patriot, and they
have begun to canvass the matter with
that view.
The Republican Difficulty.
It is anticipated that the fight for the re-
publican nomination will begin earlier and
wax warmer because of the walk-over that
seems in prospect. Mr.. Reed will probably
discover this when the work Of Congress
begins, in the great number Of pitfalls
that will be laid for him by the gentle hands
Of some Of his great and good friends whose
party faith binds them to him, hut whose