Evening journal., 1896-04-15
Bad News FROM tho south.


Colonel A. K. Mcclure is one Of the lead
ing Democrats Of the East and especially
well-known In Wilmington whore he has
delivered several lectures and campaign
speeches. As politician and student
OF politics his words are entitled to care
full consideration In a recent letter
from the South to the Philadelphia
Times he reviews the industrial improve
ment coupled with political denOral
ization, and says:
The race lines ooull not be a perpetual
issue when politics appeals 70 the cupidity
aud ambition of men. With the JerrinR con-
hicts Of ambi lon finally came universal In
uustrial and business depression, Rrd both
political parties have been torn from their
old moorlngs. While the South does not pre-
duce dollar Of silver the free silver crazs
has swept it like wlldhre. and Instead OF two
great parties I'm the South, to-day there are
three distinct political organizations, and Il
IL doubtful under present conditions which
would carry the majority Of the Southern
States. The Populists have rent the Demoo-
racy In twain. aud the republicans, long
the1under dogs, with nothing TO hope for In
politics but 10 fashion auction delegations TO
national conventions and to obtain the
Feoeral offices when the party succeeded 10
power, are ready for anything that promises
Hitherto the South has had but one party
morAlination, bat any intelligent observer
who has atudled the present political cOndi
tons OF the South would be compelled 10 lie
awake at night 10 determine whether the
Democrats. kepublcana or the Populieta OF
the South are plunged most deeply into the
mire Of Generalization. There Il not single
state In the South under present conditions
that Is certain TO vote foe the Democratic
candidate for President next November. The
majority Of hen, or ell OF them. may thus
vote. but a united South at the next election
is quite Improbable. and II Is certainly among
the possibilities that between the Republic
cans and the Populists. all the Southern
states may be lost TO the Democracy.
The Republicans have been kicked and
cuffed as helpless minority for many year..
and being largely made up OF the classes
which have little respect for conviction are
logically ready for any combination that
prom ses victory and plunder. and the Demo-
Gratis are 80 greatly demOralized on the issue
of cheap money that a very large proportion,
II not msjority Of them. to-day would pre-
fer Repub'i an President TO Democrat
who maintains sound financial system.
This condition may be improved before the
meeting ~ the Democratic National tonvsn-
ton, but there is great need of Improvement
TO give reasonable hope OF continued Demo-
cratic supremacy In the reconstructed states.
The Republicans Of the South. With rare
exceptions. care nothing for the money Is ne
and quite az little for the tariff Issue, outside
OF some leading manufactrrers, chiefly
Northern men who are located in the South.
They want TO win and they are willing to
win with the Populists or against the Popu-
lists or with or against any other combins-
tiOn OF faith. There is A strong Democratic
element In favor OF sound money, but Il is not
At all certain that II can stamp its mastery
upon the Democratic organizations OF a ma
ilrity Of the Southern states,
coming from Republican this might
be taken with grain OF sslt. but from
such q man as Cjlonel Mcclure It must
be regarded as somsthlng akin to the
truth.
Sound money and sn equitable tariff
must eventually triumph, and the only
safe course FOR the Democratic party to
pursue is to be true TO itself, no matter
what alliances the Republicans may
make with the Populists and silver Dem
ocrets. A defeat at the hands OF such
an unholy and unnatural alliancs would
be equivalent to q victory. for suoh a
and leave the parties to 4,
weaker than ever before For either
party to compromise with pollti-
cal crGnks entails the dlsgracs Of
self-compromise followed by ruin. In the
hope OF catching the fres silver vote the
Republicans are already beginning to
straddle the financial issue and whom
the sound money states become con
vincsd that the Republicans really intend
to lay into the hands Of the friends OF
silver and pander to the Popullstic de l.
mands It Is more than likely that there
will be a rsgrouping Of the states, and
that the Solid South will be succeeded by
the slld East as the Democratic strong
bold.