The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-02
POLITICS IN THE SOUTH.

Col. a. K. Mcclure, the brilliant edte
tor Of the Philsdelphts Times. who ID
noted as q shrewd observer Of public
events, has been spending some time in
the South and taking stock, with his
usual keenness and accuracy Of insight.
the political situation. OF the South.
ern political outlook he writes as fol-
lows:
"The race lines could not be o per-
petusl issue when politics appeals to
the cupidity and am bition of men.
With the jarring conflicts Of am bition
finally came universal Industrial and
business depression, and both political
parties have been torn from their old
moorings.
Hitherto the South has had but on g
party at time that suffered from gen.
erel decentralization. but any intelligent
observer who has studied the present
political conditions of the South would
be compelled to lie awake at night to
determine whether the Democrats, Re-
publicans or the Populisss OF the South
are plunged most deeply into the miro
of decentralization. There Is not single
State in the South under present con-
dttions that Is certain to vote for the
Democratic candidate for President next
all OF them, may thus vote, butts united
South at the next election is quite i'm
probable, and it is certainly among the
possibilities that between the Repub-
licens and the Populists all the Southern
States may be lost to the Democracy"
Commenting on the above tho WASH
ington Post says:
"Col. Mcclure passes by the original
n la 1i1n q NJ he No
ocratic party, which was. as The Post
has repeatedly declared, the revolt
within the organization against the
tyranny of the party machine In almost
every Southern State. Disguised, hui
inflated and enraged, the younger men
one by one became disatf &C ted, and soon
they called themselves Populists, pro-
lection Democrats, 1ndependents-any-
thing but Democrats of the regular"
cut.and-dried variety. These floating
elements OF discomfort have at last
drifsed together, and nov the Demos
cratic organizations in most of the
Southern States are confronted by fac.
tors OF antagonism which may at any
moment fuse themselves into o COM
pact and, for the moment, homogeneous
whole.
"Col. Mcclure does not exaggerate at
all when he says the party may lose
the South or the greater part of IL at
the polls next November. Il 10 itself
divided into hostile fsctions over the
financial and the tariff questions, and
1t has. in opposition, the Populists and
the Republicans. who, by joining forces
In good faith, can carry the day in al
most every instance. The Solid Sou tn
is thing OF the past. Some miracle
in she way OF violence or strategy may
hold 1t together once more, but the es.
eence OF harmony Is gone. 1t stands
to-day;by force OF habit, not by virtue OF
common hope and purpose"
The revolt against tho Democratic
party in the South has. in large meas
ure, been caused by the Tyranny of the
party machine" as the Post asserts, but
this ts not the sole cause. The party
lash has. Of late, acted as boomerang,
and has done It's part in creating in the
mind OF the voter g disgust for the party
that resorts to such low methods. Free
dom Is the natural instinct of Southern
mon; the party lash the emblem Of
slavery and degradation. The party
lash has had it's day snd we should all
rejoice at 1t. There are, however, other
~NsSe Ava shAo PattiuH VI tuo ways In
the political world of the South.
The fraudulent methods OF carving
elections and the worship of the golden
calf have had much 10 do with the
breaking up OF old party lines. Further.
more, the people of the South are be-
ginning to realizs thai Republican
can be gentleman and patriot, and
shat Populist can stand on equally as
lofty plane. THE TIMES will not
shed any tears when the "Solid South"
is broken. but hopes that 1t will re-
main broken and never become the
stalking horse Of any political party.
The breaking Of the "Solid South" will
mean the tearing down OF an old ruin
consecrated by pre- judice to make way
for better and more inviting and On
during structure.