The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-01-30
r.t soTrH,s NEw POLITICS.

The New Orleans Picayune has
thouehUu article on political conditions
in the South, which concludes as fol-
lows:
"Various causes. indeed, have operated
TO produce similar changes al the NoilH'
The great national Democratic Nlctoiic7
of 1890 and 1892 must have taught kepuD-
uc.n leaders. if anything can teach them'
that il is impossible 10 push the pohcy
of protection TO very unpopular cA-
IRENE And the sudden and pr odisious
reverses which both the old parties nave
undergone within "a few years ought 10
convince everybody That The people OF
tha United States have broken ana cast
away the yoke OF party deSpOllsh. Ihe
time has passed when a man could %"
trampled upon with impuniiy 10y Ms own
leaders. The time has passed "At"
marty can ice expected TO present am un-
broken front. 10 matter what platform
il may De asked to support. The most
enduring thing i'm The whole country mas
been Tia. political solidty OF the south
ern States. and that, too. has begun 10
break up. When the States when the
individual citizens, that refused 10 sup
mort the Chicago ticket last November
are cntreated TO aid in the restoration or
that lost SOlidity. they VIII ask thls que9-
ton. ITO what end Ia ieihty' 'ne
South is Democratic still in the sense
that II was Democratic when 'leVeidn4
was elected I'm 1854 ana again in lNs3. but
no marty. no leader. can count upon ~
soliditv i'm support ~ financial Nagarl'a
and political heresies.
This is the exact situation. and tho peo-
ole of all parties might as well recog-
nize il now AS later. The white people
of the South have been held together
ever since the war by the fear of negro
rule. and at one time II was indeed neces-
sarv that the whites should present
solid front against the black forces led
by designing white men. But that dan
ger no longer exists. one way or another
the negro question has been largely eli
minated from Southern politics and men
are no longer frightened by the bugahoo
Every thinking man knows that the me-
gro will never be- permitted 10 rule the
white man and that II other measures
are necessary 10 deal with the negro
vote. they will be adopted IL has come
to pass az last that men may vote their
honest sentiment on economic questions
without reference to the race issue.
Surely the negro was bad invest
mont for the South. lie was never pro-
ntahlc ass "a slave. ne was largely rcsnon-
slble for tine war between the states aut
since the war ne has given no end OF
trouble in Southern politics. A. our
New Orleans contemporary says. the
South has been solid per force. and some
Of the whites have not been able 10 vote
their true sentiments on economic Ques-
tions. As a consequence we nave had
one powerful majority party ana no in
nuential minority party TO hold 1t in
check Therefore. there has been con-
slant friction within the party ranks
and there nave been necessarily ring p0li-
ties and bad government But the DAY
OF delivcrapce has come. Southern men
are no longer driven 10y the party lash.
and as was shown 10y the late election.
there are thousands o. Demo
Gratis throughout the Southern
states. who propose hereafter To
vote their honest convictions in deli
ance Or coercion 10y the dominant party
But this does not mean that the Demo
cratic party is going TO pieces in the
South. Far from IT, The Southern peo-
pie as people are Democrats
by birth by interest and by
association. as well a. by princ-
pie. IL docs mean however. that tie
Democratic party must stand by its t-a-
ditons and its inherited principles ud
must keep It's forces rallied by holding
aloit the true standard OF Democlacv.
one thing is certain. the party may not
hereafter. depart from its principles ~