The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-30
THE SOUTH POLITICALLY.
The Macon Telegraph Sounds the Alarm
as to Present Conditions.

The Macon Telegraph Sounds the Alarm
as to Present Conditions.
The Macon, Ga, Telegraph review
ing present political conditions in the
South and the position it is left in
by the route of Organized Democracy
says:
The generally accepted verdict is
that Mr.. Bryan is completely discre-
dited as leader. The fatal error of
committing great party to dogma
of finance discredited by all civilized
peoples was followed by booting out
men like Bayard, Carlisle, Olney and
Turner. and substituting Jones, Stone,
Altgeld, Weaver and Croker-a money
aggregation of incompetents and moral
idiots 1t is painful to confess these
things, but it is time that the man
hood of the Sonth should rise and re-
| pudiate them, and if we cannot shake
them off we should secede from
| them. We have been urged to be pa
tient and good and stand yet while
longer, waiting, watching and follow
ing the bidding of these incompetent
Northern brethren.
Ever since the civil war Southern
Democrats in congress and in our
national conventions have been given
back seats-our Northern friends fur
nishing the platforms and the can
didates, and we of the South the
votes. Eight times (since reconstruc-
tion) we have gone up to the electoral
college and cast practically solid vote
for q Northern Democrat for presi-
dent Except on two occasions when
Cleveland was elected in 1884 and
1897 our electors met there practi-
cally solid North against solid
South. This year we go up to vote
for Northern man who would not
vote for Crisp for speaker because he
Crisp was an ex-Confederate, and
we find again.. as we found four years
ago, our own columns (but broken)
arrayed against the solid North.
Is it not time for Southern manhood
to cut loose from the body of this
death2
Southern Democrats furnish the
votes, why not furnish the candidates?
Morgan, of Alabama, or Daniel of
Virginia, or Turner of Georgia, could
at least have carried the South. Any
of the three could have reclaimed
Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia
and made Kentucky sure. Hasn't the
tail been wagging the dog long
enough?
The days were when Toomb and
Cobb and Stevens and Yancey and
Benton and jackson and Clay and Cal
houn and Jefferson and Washington
and long list o.. Southern statesmen
stood at the very forefront in the
councils of the nation, not to say in
the councils of their own political
parties. What are we today2 Our
Southern leaders are cropping about in
darkness. They have been following
blind leaders of the blind-trailing
first after an Eastern Democrat and
then Western Populist. Lo, here, 10
there, 10 in the ditch.
Sometimes we very seriously doubt
whether we really have any Southern
leaders worthy of the name. Think of
Toombs following an Altgeld, or a
Stevens playing second fiddle to a
Croker; think of Yancey or Cobb
drinking down the election forecasts
of Jim Jones and learning political
wisdom at the feet of Weaver
But there is manhood in the South
there is ability here. We do not lack
courage. A thousand fields and
forums have demonstrated these facts.
Surely the rich red blood of our sires
has not paled and CONCEALED in the
veins of their sons. From race of
giants we have fallen to race of
pigmies.
Unless we get out of the rut we
have fallen into, the South, which has
been an empire within itself, will
continue to wane until our national
political power will be snuffed out
The stupendous blunder of 1896, fol-
| lowed up by the almost deliberate sui
eide in 1900, is more likely to cost us
a large percentage of our representa-
ton in congress and in the electoral
college. Already the plans are made
for the forging of our bonds. 1t is a
| part of the scheme of the dominant
party to reduce our political power to
minimum, and we expect to see it
attempted in the next congress. Who
have we to blame but ourselves2
The South has long held to the idea
that the South should go into the
electoral college independent of any
party of the North, at least until they
repeal the fifteenth amendment, and
4
people We have peculiar environ
ments. Our conduct of our political
affairs should be bit peculiar. So
long as the cloud of black aliens is
above and about us, put there by
Northern Democrats and Republicans
alike, it would be the part of wisdom
and common sense to stand apart, Sc
lect out presidential electors apart,
and then go into the electoral college
demanding terms.
1t is as easy as it is to suggest it,
for the South to resolve itself into an
independent political force, and in this
way, and no other, can it master the
situation. BY this method it can
absolutely command what it wants,
because when we secede from Altgeld
and Croker, instead of fearing the
solid South and soaring old women and
children with it, as with an old Blue
beard. loving eyes will be cast in oul
direction, and there will be SHARP
rivalry for our favor
Hunts Perfect" is pure phosphate
baking powder-no alum or Rochelle