The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-04-24

care not of what political faith the
occupant of the white house might
have been for. if a true American.
mindful of the honor and dignity of
the nation, the results of the Spanish
war could rot be widely different
from what they are today
Why should our people be the only
ones to close their eyes to what is
going on I? Why should We move
along in the same old ruts and insist
that political policies and old tradi
sions, long since dead, are vital liv-
ing issues. and depend upon them for
the salvation of the south
The triumphant reelection of Mr.
Mckinley in the last campaign is full
of significance 1t is stubborn fact
confronting the Democratic party
today, Suggestive of reproachful re
membranes and fearful menaces.
What a, reflection that this new
Democracy did not carry aeState
where the issues were discussed and
judgment passed by the people upon
them on their merits Of course
with Us it has oeen impossible to
decide elections upon issues 1t has
been simply question Of white
supremacy. In the north and the
west, dissolved into factions, tainted
by the errors Of repub!icanism and
the follies of populisn, the party
could not withstand the tide OF popu
lar opposition excited by uareasona-
BILE criticism of the conduct of a
foreign war, and by the vicious and
inceDdiary appeals made during the
last mouth of the campaign to class
hatred and prejudice
Fundamental principles were lost
sight of. and in an inesne effort to
secure party success at any cost. the
attempt was made to combine social
ism, populism aBd sectionalism, with
nothing but the sentiment and tradi
tions of Democracy. The real Dem
ocratic leaders of the senate for the
past three years have been Allen.
Teller and Pettigrew, all of them
able men, but one Populist. one 8
high tariff Republican, end the other.
l do not know what All of them
opposed TO State banks of issue with
proper safeguards, and most other
things we need in the south This
was called the "New Democracy" in
contrsdis.inction from the old. and
some of its leaders stated that its
creeds were revolutionary and were
so designed to be
To SOW discomfort With industrial
conditions and distrust of the govern
ing power; to array class against
class, in the hope of securing fancied
social and industrial equality, is to
my mind the first step in revolution.
The south is the American end of
America In DO section is there so
small foreign element, so much
conservatism. and so pure patriot
ism What political paradox then
it is for our psople to be the allies of
professed revolutionists elsewhere
1t was not the pure type Of south
ern Democracy that the balance of
the country feared in the last presi
Dental election They knew that
properly interpreted this was con
servative and safe Il was well
understood, however. what Influences
dominated, and that. therefore. the
south in national affairs was still
powerless One doubtful northern
State had then and has now more in
influence than the entire south com
bined One party says Why should
l consult you, I can hope for nothing
The other says I've got you any
way, and I will do as I please help
yourself if you can
What position for brave, high
spirited people bound hand and foot.
the miserable slaves of one party and
football for the other
I. for one, do not believe that the
people of the south are ready to truss
this government into the hands Of
any party to begin the levelfng pro
cess through the exercise of the tax
ing power; and yet this is exactly
what this new propaganda means,
and outside Of the south it is pro
claimed by the very same claas who
preach and practice social equality
between the races. The two dogmas
are inseparably interviewer Go into
the west. attend one Of their cam
paign meetings scratch beneath the
skin and you will find the same old
social equality dogma. to the tune OF
which the soul of John Brown is stiIl
marching on "
Taxation for the purpose of equaliz-
ing or redietributing property is rank
q.