Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-01-21
THE "SOLID SOUTH"

Il
in the old sense. neither subjectively
nor effectively, neither in fact nor in
sentiment. That part of our common
country no longer feels nor acts as a
unit against any other part. and no
other part regards it as so doing. All
such sectional feelings are dead and
buried beyond resurrection. The
South is no longer singular in any
official discrimination; for once again
her sons are admitted to all places in
civil and military life. and even some
of those who, after putting on the
Blue at West Point. cast it off and put
on the Gray, are wearing the Blue
again as commanding generals in the
Federal Army. Nor, finally, as sew
eral years past have shown and last
week has again reminded us, is the
South solid in its representation in
Congress. Some of its states are, as
indeed some states are in the North
nd West. But some of them have
almost detached themselves from the
rest politically, while several others
now send divided delegations to the
capital. With Joe Wheeler and Fitz-
hugh Lee signing themselves "U. S.
A" and Republicans in Congress from
Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee, NJ IS ouri.
North Carolina and Texas, the "Solid
South becomes a memory of the past.
1t is time then, for all the states OF
the South to consider whether they
are what they are, politically. from
free and honest convictions or from
some lingering tradition Of loyalty to
the once solid section We do not
presume to answer the question.
That is for the states in question
themselves TO do. If Georgia and
Mississippi have as tree and fair cleo
lions as Vermont and Maine, they
have as perfect right to be solidly
Democratic as Vermont and Maine
have to be solidly Republican. More
than that, if their voters, or MAORI
ty Of theal, are Democrats from con
viction, regardless of geographical
situation, we have no quarrel with
them for it any more than with the
voters of Vermont and Maine for be-
ing Republicans, except that we
should prefer them to be Republicans
because we believe Republicanism to
be BETTER than Democracy. But if it
be-we do not say it is--that they or
any of them are Democrats simply
because they are Southerners ought
to be Democrats, then we protest
against it as illogical and detrimental
to their own interests, just as we
should deplore mans having no
better reason for being a Republican
than that he lived in Maine or Yer
mont. Such a man as the latter
would be of no value to the party, ex-
cept as the mechanical caster of one
vote; and such men as the former, if
there be any, are of no real value to
the political welfare of the states in
which they live.
We make these suggestions of in
quiry not in any spirit of censorious-
ness or carping. They have already
been made by representative Demo
Gratis of the South. We make them
because they seem pertinent and be-
cause we believe the best interests of
the Southern states and of the Nation
will be promoted by having them an
swered to the satisfaction of the whole
Nation. We do not want sectional
politics. We do not want men to be
Republicans simply because they live
in one part of the country, or to be
Democrats simply because they live
in another part of the country. In
the early part of this century and
down to the middle of it there were
Wing states in the South, as there
were Democratic states in the North,
and there was no divisional line be-
tween them. 1t will be OF good omen
for the Republic if the end of the CEN
fury shall see return to those con-
ditions, to the alignment of political
parties according to principles and
belief, and not according to geograph-
ical situation. New York Tribune.
Workingmen in all parts of the