The Portland daily press., 1895-07-24
SOUTHERN REPUBLICANS.
Mr.. Bruce Talks About His Rec ent
Trip to the Gulf
A Proposition to Have Delegates Go to the
Convention decentralization Presi-
DENTAL Candidates.
(Washington Star.

Ex-Recorder Blanch K. Bruce, VINO
was the last negro United States Senator,
and who was register of the treasury by
appointment of President Garfield, has
just returned to Washington after an ex-
tended trip through the south 1t began
by visit to his plantation III MISSISSIPPI,
and thence he went to various states Dor
dering on the gulf and on the Mississippi
river. His object was to investigate the
political conditions, from a Republican
standpoint, and to consult with the party
leaders as to the course to be pursued by
them in relation to the next national con-
yention. The results and impressions of
the trip were stated in an interesting
manner by MIR. Bruce to Star reporter
at Mr.. Bruce's home, on r street.
Delegates to previous Republican con-
ventions, he said ''have gone from the
southern states making considerable noise
in behalf of certain candidates, and, IN
my opinion have prejudiced the chances
for success of the men they favored. II
the conventions of 1884 and 1888, you may
recollect, many of the southern delegates
all backward in expressing their prefer
ence. I do not say that MI. Sherman
failed to be nominated because of the sup
port given him by the delegates from the
states south of Mason and Dixen's line,
but there was feeling among the dele
gates from the north that they didn't
want the nomination forced upon them
e ! I,sff.< <pOft1
give the candidate of the convention not
a solitary electoral vote That feeling be-
came so strong in 1899 at Minneapolis that
proposition was seriously discussed to
disfranchise us in national conventions
by reducing the ratio of representation in
accordance with the vote of the states
"It occurred to me that it would be
wise for the southern delegates to go to
the convention next year without having
committed themselves to any candidate,
and without expressing preference for
any, and after learning the preponderance
of sentiment among the northern dele
gates, fall IN with that, SO far as it was
possible to do so. This view l set before
the leaders in the southern states as far
as it was possible for me to see them, and
I was both surprised and gratided to
learn that they held the same view, that
it was not new proposition So l feel
that the southern Republicans will go to
the next national convention prepared to
exercise more influence than ever before,
and at the same time arousing no undue
prejudice against themselves. OF course,
there may, and probably will, be some
of the young fellows who will make a
noise-they d do that anywhere-but the
Fl iye ,QrlO of ha ,artU
hold the opinion that | do, and will con-
duct themselves in accordance. with it. "
'tWill the southern Republicans push
the claims of one of their number for the
nomination ior Vice PRESIDENT" was
asked of Mr.. Bruce.
sfThere is some talk of it now, you
know" he answered. 'tHenry Clay
Evans, who was elected governor of Ten
nessee and was cheated out of the office; /;
ex-senator Powell Clayton of Arkansas,
Representative John W. Moore of the
same state and Judge Nathan ..Goff of
West Virginia have all been mentioned
for the honor But my advice to the
southern Republicans is wait until you
can show the country some electoral votes
from your section before asking represen :
tation on the national ticket.
is there any probability of the Repub-
licans carrying any southern states at the
election in 1882"
viewed IN Un6 llSnb OIL pf6S6uU COuul-
tions - replied Mr.. Bruce, 81 expect that
they will carry Tennessee and North
Carolina. They carried the former last
year, and the rape of the state by the
Democrats in itself is enough to insure
Republican success next year. Then, if
the present division in the Democratic
party in Kentucky continues to exist 1
see no reason why we should not carry
that state. 1 confidently rely upon add
ing these three states to the Republican
column in 1896. Arkansas Republicans
say theyswill carry that state also, but I
have no idea that the count will show a
Republican majority, even were there a
majority of Republican tickets in the
ballot box.
81 found many Democrats all over the
south outspoken in their criticism of the
party management and expressing a de-
termination not to vote the national
ticket again. Never, in all my expert
ence, have l found such a condition of
things. Business men said to me that
they were disgusted with Democratic ad-
ministration of national affairs; that
with full control of all branches of the
government they had so administered the
trust committed them as to reduce busi-
ness men in the south, at least, to worse
condition than they were even in the
years just after the war. Then, they said
they had something; now they are utterly
pIOSbIbUGu VIC tlO HOU WlUn your
party in many things, they said, tbut
we like your tariff policy and believe the
Republicans can successfully manage the
national finances The Democrats GER
tainly cannot. Therefore, as business
men, and for business reasons, we shall
support the Republican ticket?"
Did the proposition to nominate a
presidential candidate from the south
create any impression there?''
s'Only an unfavorab1e one, replied Mr..
Bruce. II had considerable fun with my
Democratic friends on that subject. I
quoted the plea for a southern man at the
head of the ticket and descanted upon the
advantages Of Carlisle and Crisp But
they didn't take kindly to it, They said !:
'sYou needn't think you can fool the
Democratic party with any such PROPOSE
tion as that. You know that all our
prominent men were connected with the
war of secession (they never refer to it as
the war of the rebellion now. I think
that comes from the effect of Bryce S
American Commonwealth, which
denominates it the war of secession, and
that there is not the slightest probability
of clecting a man President of the United
States who was engaged in fighting
against it. The southern Democratic
recognizes, as we'll as any one, the pres
-.