The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-06-25
T NEW A

has arrived at the conclusion that it
is time the south were again getting
to the fore with a presidential can
didate and acting on this conclusion
has set about to get up a boom along
those lines. AS vet he does not seem
to have fixed on any one particular
man whom he thinks would fill the
bill. Instead he has brought out a
list Of those whom he considers as
elegiblt.s. This list is composed of
the following: Senator Morgan, Ala
ALBANIA; Senator Cockrell, Missouri;
Turley, Tennessee; Culbertson and
Bailey, Texas; Senator Bacon and
Clark Howell, Georgia; Judge White,
Louisiana, and Justice Harlan Of the
United States supreme court, who,
although appointed as a republican,
Gaines thinks is a pretty fair demo
crat, in view of his dissenting opin-
ion in the Porto Rico s
Gaines says that for a half century
the south ruled the country and he
cannot e any reason why it should
not again go into the ruling business.
Congress has been full Of ex-confed-
crate for the past thirty years, he
! claims, and according to his view if
men are to be trusted in making and
interpreting laws they are to be trust.
ed in executing them. Although it
is only recently that he came out in
favor of a southerner for president,
he says he has received letters from
all owe the country endorsing the
plan and promising to support it. As
the first step in the direction of plac-
ing a southern in the white house he
recommends that the democratic con.
vention nominate an old fashioned,
straight party man, not one given to
the gimcracks and frills which have
marked the party's candidate in the
last two elections, and thinks with
such a one it may hope for success.
No doubt Mr.. Gaines is sincere and
no doubt a southern could be trusted
to act periodically and to the best of
his ability were M to be elected,
but it is hardly a political possibility
that the party which he represents
is prepared to accept his view of the
matter. It would be poor politics to
nominate a southern man. The south
may reasonably be expected to con
tinue its past party Affiliations for
some time to come, no matter from
what part of the country the demo-
Gratis may select their candidate. The
same cannot be said of the states of
the north usually reckoned as demo-
cratic. Party ties and prejudices are
not so strong above the Mason and
Dixon line as they are south Of it
and it is often found expedient, II
not necessary to give a presidential
candidate to some particular state II
it is hoped to carry that state and
some of those which are controlled
more or less by it politically. Thus
the party has usually gone to- New
York for it's candidates, giving the
second place to some other state more
or less doubtful and casting q large
electoral vote. The only times the
party has been successful since the
war was when it gave the first place
to the Empire state, the New Workers
giving their support each time to the
candidate, not because he was q dem
ocrat, but because he happened to
be a New Yorker. When the party
went to another state for its candi-
date New York refused its support
and it was given to the republicans.
It is true that the two candidates. of
Bryan did not represent the old fash
toned, straight democracy of which
Gaines speaks, but even il it had it
is doubtful whether it would have
made any difference as far as New
York is concerned. Bryan was not
one of them and they had no use for
him.
When the time m for holding
the next convention Mr.. Gaines will
find that the enthusiasm which he
says now marks the reception of his
proposition will have materially de-
creased and that while the south
may be regarded as kindly as ever
because of its loyalty there can be
no doubt, that regard will not be
sufficiently great to allow the section
for which he speaks to name the can
didate. New York will be on hand
with it's "favorite son" and claim
first place or in lieu OF that will In
sist on saying who shall be the nom
inee, and it is safe to say it will not
be a southern man, that is II the
straight" democrats are in control,
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