Evening star., 1897-08-23
PROTECTION IN THE SOUTH
Increase in Followers of Those Who Believe
in Taxing Raw Materials.
the Burdens and Bene-
fits of Taxation" Successor
to Senator Mills.

Gossip about the local contests among
| democrats in the southern states and the
| political differences which form the topic
| OF discussion gives a fair indication of the
drift of sentiment toward protection in
| that section. They do not speak Of it as
| protection, but are quarreiing over the
question of free raw material or taxed
| raw material.
| The old followers of Cleveland In the free
| raw material policy appear to be RAPIDLY
| losing ground and in bitterness charge the
more advanced men of their party with
being protectionists, which sounds in their
ears like serious charge. They complain
that serious damage is being done to the
| cause of low tariff by those advocates who
propose to give aste of protection to the
| southern people through a tax on the So
called raw material produced in the SOUTH
! Ihey complain that taste of blood will
make the masses of the southern people
| ravenous, and that they will join in the
| cry Tor protection, and Watterson's star
| eyed goddess will be left to sit upon a
| rock and weep the whole day long, discon-
Solate and alone
Though the tariff agitation in other sec
tions OF the country ended with the sign
| ing of the Dingley bill by President Nc
| kinney, IL is still a live question in the
south, the representatives of that section
| In Congress being held up before the peo-
pie IN the local political rivalry for con-
demnation or approval of their course With
| respect to the tariff bill while under dis
| cussion. Those men who resisted Bailey's
policy OF non-nterference with a ma ajority
| in the House a<e making a bitter attack
| on all who followed Bailey, and all the old
fashioned southern politicians are making
tar1f war upon those men who voted in
Congress for a tax on products of their
states, who in any way aided in the
| passage of the tariff bill through the Sem
| ate.
| Protection Sentiment Growing.
| The reports received here indicate that
| the plain people are standing up for the
men who patronized their local interests,
| and that a protective sentiment is grow
| ing rapidly throughout the south; that is
| sentiment in favor of limited protection,
corhned as yet to so-called raw materials.
The followers Of Bailey. who are scattered
throughout the south, are advocating what
| they term an equal distribution of the
| burdens and benefits of taxation which
| they contend is in accordance with the
| true principles of democracy Those on
| the other side contend that this inevitably
| leads to protection in general, and, if
| spread among the people, will deal death
blow to the Cleveland school of tariff re-
| form.
Succession TO Senator Mills
Representative De Graffenried of Texas,
| who is now in Washington, SAYS that the
sentiment i'll his state is strongly in favor
of the Bailey interpreta ton of the democ-
racy. believing in the equal distribution
of the burdens or benefits of taxation
Though the campaign is not on this year
several candidates for the Senate are al
| ready in the field to succeed Mr.. Mills, and
the people are worked up over the tariff
question. He says that he does not think
Mr.. Bailey will be a candidate for the Sen
ate. Should the next House of Repre-
SentativeS be democratic, Mr.. Bailey would
appear to have far the lead of any one
else the candidate for Speaker and Mr.
De Graffenried thinks that he would prefer
| to stand his chances for the speakershp
| leaving the Senate for future considera-
| ton. EX-Gov. Culberson and two or three
others ayowed candidates to succeed
Mr.. Mills. and Mr.. De Graffenried ex-
presses the opinion that Mr.. Mills has alb
| solutely show to succeed himself. The
Texas convention a year ago, by an over
whelming vote, defeated proposition to
| indorse Clevelands free raw material pol
| icy, and the sentiment in opposition to that
| policy, he says, is greater now than It
was then. In spite of this, Mr.. Mills stood
by free raw material during the recent
sion of Congress, and Is making a
campaign for re-elec ton along that line
In the face of strong antagoniSm. Mr.. De
Graffenried says that he does not think it
possible that Mr.. Mills can secure the in
theory.
Similar Situation Elsewhere.
This situation in Texas simply eXempli-
fies the trend of public sentiment in other
ports of the south, and the belief is very
general that another congressional cleo
ton will very materially change the tcne
of southern sentiment as represented in
Congress.