The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-20
A SOUTHERN MAN FOR PRESIDENT

] \ SOUTHERN MAN F'Od FHESIDENt.
Mr.. Bryan is of the opinion that the
way is open for a Southern man to be-
come President. In the current issue
Of his paper, The Conlmoner, he says:
For a quarter of a century the South
ern states have been ignored in the
selection of candidates for President
! and Vice President. The Republicans
/ have had but few white Republicans in
the South to choose from and the
| Democrats of the South have volun-
tarly renowned their claims out of
fear that they might embarass the
! ticket. Certainly we are far enough
away from the Civil War-certainly
the passions aroused by that conflict
are sufficiently cooled-to permit a
Southern man to aspire to either the
presidency or the Vice Presidency"
Further along in his article Mr., Bryan
says: 1t is not yet time to select
candidates for 1904, but when the time
arrives the Democratic voters should
see to it that the platform represents
their wishes and that the candidates
mt the platform. If some one living
south Of the Mason and Dixon line is
chosen for either the first or second
place on the ticket. his place of resi-
dence will not weaken him-not though
he be an ex-Confederate soldier. Merit,
not section, should determine the nom
nation: fidelity to principle, not local
ity, should control"
We are satisfied that other things be-
ing equal a Southern man would poll
as many votes for President or Vice
President as a Northern man. There is
here and there a man in the North who
still feels a prejudice against the
South, and it is barely possible that
such men would not vote for a South
ern man for the highest position in the
gift of the people, but the number of
them is so small that it would not af-
feet the general result of a presidential
election. Sectional feeling has practic-
ally disappeared: that it has was evil
dent from the alacrity with which the
South and the North responded to the
call for volunteers for the Spanish
American war.
The thing that will prevent the nomi-
nation of a Southern man for President
for number of years is the political
situation in the South. There is virtu-
ally only one party in the Southern
states-the Democratic party The Re-
publicans say they have nothing to gain
by nominating a Southern man fo~
President or Vice President, because
thew baUa no Oh Of
one of the Southern states. The Demo-
Gratis say they must nominate a man
from some one of the Northern states,
preferably a state that is regarded as
doubtful so as to increase their
chances for carrying the election. They
are certain Of carrying. the Southern
states and therefore there is no reason
for making exertions to arouse enthu-
siam in the South. AS Mr. Bryan saws.
If man have merit and popularity ii
doesn't make much difference whether
he is Northerner or a Southerner, but
politicians hold to the opinion that a
Northern man will arouse more enthu-
siasm in his section than a Southern
man would arouse there. and it is in
the North that the enthusiasm is
needed. a
If there were any Southtrn states in
doubt it is certain that the question
of naming Southern man on the presi-
dental ticket would be carefully con-
sidered by each of the political parties,
but as long as the South is one-sided
politically there viii not be much
ground for hoping that a Southern man
will be nominated for either President
or Vice President.