The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-19

THE PRESIDENT AND THE SOUTH.
1t has been given out, by what authority
is not stated, that the President is OPP
posed TO any legislation depriving the
State which have disfranchised the col
cred voters of any part of their representa-
ton in Congress under the provisions of
the fourteenth amendment As the state
rent has not been denied there is reason
TO believe that the report referred to is
correct. 1t is fair to assume that the Pres
ident fears that the evil result of such
action would overbalence the question of
abstract justice which IS involved. His
position on this subject is another indi-
cation Of the good will Of the President
toward the South and OF his earnest desire
to convince the Southern people that the
Republican administration would remove
every cause for jealousy growing out of
the war for the Union. The Presidents
party is equally anxious to remove all
cause for sectional feeling, yet many of
it's members feel that the desire TO bring
about cordial relations should not go so
far as to do the North so great an iujus-
tice as to permit the representation of dis
franchised populations in the House of
Representatives. That portion of the Re-
publican party is beginning TO think 1t is
time that the Southern leaders should
recognize the friendly efforts of the Presi-
dent by at least a less bitter hostility
than was displayed by most of the South
members during the last session of
Congress.
On the other hand a very large portion
of the American people have come to the
conclusion that President Mckinley has
good reasons for any opinions he gives.
AS the head of great party and the choice
of a large body of conservative citizens
not of his party the President may be
expected to have some policy in view that
will lead to a recognition OF the verdict
of the people of the North against the
policy which the one party in the South
espoused in the late election. There are
many thousands of conservative men in
the South who must be fully in accord
with the sentiment which gave President
Mckinley plurality of about two million
votes i'm the Northern States. The meager
vote in the South leads to the assumption
that the large number of conservative
men who do not believe in what may be
called Organism did not vote. The very
fact of the meager vote in all Southern
States warrants the conclusion that thou
sands of men did not want 10 vote for
Organism and would not vote to sustain
those who put up electoral tickets under
the name of Republican.
What the South, now prosperous, needs
is another political party supported by
a portion of the intelligence. influence and
property of that section. The Republican
organization. or. rather. the two Repub-
lican organizations i'm most of the Southern
States, do not command the respect of
the better element. The two organizations
called Republican are such for the Offices
and it is not too much to say that real
Republicans in the North are very weary
of them, with their contests in every ma
tional convention. A Southern man. the
son of an ex-Confederate officer who made
Mckinley speeches in this State, said that
self-respecting men of the South could
not act with those spoils-seeking factions.
Now, If the President, after again showing
his good will TO the South, proceeds to
fill the federal Offices in that section with
conservative men who have influence and
ignore those alleged Republicans who do
nothing but choose delegates TO national
conventions and wrangle for offices which
they often disgrace he could lay the
foundation for a second party in the South
| led by men whose character and local in
fiuence would cause it to be respected at
| the elections and thus break the power of
| one party dominated too much by men like
| Tilman. This would put an end to the
solid South. which stands in the way of
| the progress of that section.