The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-21
A REELECTED ADDRESS.

II E1J Address.
1t is not surprising that the convention
of the Southern Industrial League which
met in Atlanta last Wednesday rejected the
address to the public which had been pre-
pared by a committee appointed by the
league at its convention last year. The
/ ground on which II. was rejected was that
1t was, in effect, a Republican campaign
document. The address was not rejected
without debate. and it may be that if this
were not a presidential year the opposi-
ton to il would not have been so pro-
nounced as it Nas.
There is no doubt that the address, If
it had been adopted would have been
made a campaign document by the Repub-
licans, though it Is certain that in prepar-
ing it the committee had no intention to
offer aid and comfort to the Republicans.
They simply set forth in the address the
things they thought essential TO the bust
ness interests and prosperity of the South.
The fact that the address wes rejected.
and another committee appointed to pre-
pare an address to the public to be pre-
scented to the convention next year, shows
that the committee that was discharged
did not express the views of Southern
business men as represented in the South
ern Industrial League.
The address favored the gold standard,
a ship subsidy, a tariff for protection and
the permanent possession of the Philip
pines though the retention of the Phil
ppines was not expressly advised. The
establishment of trading stations in those
islands was advised, and the inference
from the language used was that the in
terests of the South would be advanced
by the retention of the islands.
There is no doubt a strong sentiment in
the South in favor of holding on 70 the
Philippines. This sentiment has shown it,
self more than once in the meetings of
Southern cotton manufacturers. Southern
cotton mill men look to the Far East as
great market for the products of their
mills. Indeed, for several years, much of
the products of the mills of North Caro-
lima and South Carolina have been sent
to China, and the trade with that coun-
try has been a growing one
1t is nos a matter of wonder that the
address contained an approval of the gold
standard. Many Southern Democrats
favor that standard. Indeed, in the towns
the gold standard sentiment is quite
strong The most surprising feature of the
address was the approval it gave the ship
subsidy scheme. AS a rule Democrats are
stongly against all subsidy schemes
There are many manufacturers among
the members of the League, and that fact
accounts no doubt for the approval given
the doctrine of tariff for protection. 1t is
not improbable that Southern manufac-
tuners will support to some extent manu-
facturers of the North in demanding pro-
lection. The Southern people, however
stand by the Democratic doctrine of tariff
for revenue. And it is probable that the
sentiment for protection in the South will
never become as pronounced as it is in the
North because, for various reasons, manu-
featuring can be done cheaper in the
| South than in the North.
| No doubt the rejected address will be the
occasion of some comment In Republican
newspapers, but it will afford the Re-
| publican party very little comfort There
| is no immediate prospect that that party
will gain any stronger hold in the South
than it has at present. What little move
ment there was towards white Republi-
can party in the South was checked by
| Mr.. McKinley's policy of filling many of
| the principal offices with negroes.