The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-28
Is the Solid south breaking Upg


The New York Tribune says that one
of the most gratifying features of the
! campaign is the evident breaking up of
the solid south. 1t does not mean by this
! that Mckinley viii get any electoral votes
! IN the SOUTH but that the "old spirit OF
sectional antagonism. which survived the
! civil war, is Dead and that the people or
! the southern states, however they may
vote hereafter will determine their course
from the ordinary political considerations
which weigh with other men, and not
from mere blind prejudice" This extra
| ordinary deliverance Of the Tribune shows
| how wholly unacquainted with the south.
ern people that paper is. 1t assumes that
all the years since the civil war the south
has been controlled in her politics by
mere blind prejudice" and that this
prejudice against the north has kept her
solid Nothing is further from the truth.
We undertake to say that since the civil
war the feeling in the north against the
south has been stronger than the feel
ing in the south against the north. In
the present campaign there have been no
bitter speeches by southern men in the
south against any class of northern men,
as far as we know. If there have been
such speeches they have not appeared
in the public prints But have not the
southern people been assailed by promi-
nent northern men? What about that re-
markable interview with Mr.. Morton, the
Secretary of Agriculture, which appeared
in the Washington Post? Mr. Morton IS
northern man and a very prominen:
one. His attacks upon southern leaders
equaled in sectional bitterness anything
that has appeared in the newspapers in
years.
Yes, the south has been solid since the
civil war, but not, as the Tribune init
mates, because of mere blind prejudice"
but because of considerations similar 10
those which influence northern men to
uphold the republican party. 1t has been
solid mainly because the interests of the
people are practically identical. They
were compelled to stand together to pre-
vent the republican party from putting
them under negro rule in state and county
affairs. If the southern people had been
divided men totally unfit to discharge pub
lie duties might have been placed in places
of honor and trust and sent to the ma
tional legislature to represent them. The
consequence would have been that pretty
much the same state of affairs that ex-
listed during the carpet-bag period would
have prevailed, and the southern states,
instead of becoming prosperous would
have remained in very much the same
condition in which they were when the
carpet-baggers were in control
AS a matter of fact the southern peo-
pie have determined their course from the
ordinary political considerations which
weigh with other men. The chief con.
sideration has been the keeping of the
control of the states and counties in the
hands of men having something at stake.
and who could be depended upon to do
their utmost for the upbuilding of their
respective communities and states, and
for the promotion of the best interests
of the people. We are sure the northern
people are influenced by such ordinary
considerations as these. Therefore. We
do not understand why the Tribune
should take occasion to assert that the
south has been kept solid by mere blind
prejudice"