Evening star., 1901-05-20
The Tennessee Senator Gives His
Political Views.
SOUTH NOT TO Be REPUBLICAN
Negro Has Not Been Eliminated
as Factor.
D E T E CT1 n

Senator Carmack of Tennessee is at the
Ebbitt House. He has some decided views
with reference to the prospect of the SOUTH
ern people being won over to the republican
party by President Mckinley. This was
shown in his speech at the banquet given
the President in Memphis.
1.-The idea that the south is about TO make
a tumultous rush for the republican party
is pure nonsense the senator said to
Star reporter today. '"Those who are trying
to promote such a movement are ignorant
of the southern people. If there is any
tendency in that direction it cannot he pro-
noted. The southern people do not like to
be treated as children who are induced to
learn their lesson by flattery. and the prom
Use of cake
What has been the effect of the Presi-
dents attitude toward the south; has it
tended to bring about a reconciliation be-
tween the sections?'
II feel about that a good deal as DR..
johnson did with respect to the gratultous
patronage of Lord Chesterfeld-'had it been
early it had been kind When we most
needed the cheering word and the helping
hand we got nothing from Mr. Mckinley
and his party but the curse and the clench-
ed fist So long as they could make party
capital by waving the bloody shirt and by
tea ching the north to hate and distrust the
south, they did so; and the republican con-
ception of all that was vile in human ma
ture was summed up in the words 'confed-
crate brigadier.' This brigadier for
hidden by law to draw sword for the Union
and it was not until the sword was needed
in the war with Spain that the law was
repealed. We rejoice that the time of sec
tional hatred has passed or is passing; but
we do not forget that it might have passed
many years ago if Mr. Mckinley and other
republican leaders had desired it to pass y
No Elimination of the Negro.
"Will the elimination of the negro as a
political factor by the various election laws
of the southern states tend to bring about
a division of the white vote?'
I'm the first place there has been no
elimination of the negro as a political fac
tor. Even where he has been disqualified
as voter at the polls he is still omnipotent
in .the party convention. Or, at least the
politicians who control him are. A repub-
lican mass meeting looks just like it al
ways did. A number of good men in the
south who have heretofore been democrats
voted the republican ticket in the last two
campaigns, but you could not get one of
them within shot of a republican
county convention. The republican party in
the south will therefore continue to be
negro party, even without negro voters
and as such white men will not join it,
Again, the elimination of the negro voter
is only partial and temporary. A consid-
cradle and increasing number possess the
necessary educational qualifications, and
the limitations on the suffrage will there
fore become less and less effective. In
Tennessee We have what is called the
| Dortch law which is practically an edu-
catlonal qualification, but it applies to only
limited number of voting precincts. TAX
| Ing the whole state, the negro vote still
| constitutes the big end of the republican
party.
| "Of course, if the negro were entirely
eliminated from politics there would be
| stronger tendency among the whites to di-
| n 1n l. til, ;
| simply because they are white except on
| the question of white against black. But
| even with the negro out of politics, the re-
publican party could not materially in
| crease It's following in the south. A party
which represents the organized greed of
| the country and which is at open war with
| the principles and traditions of the republic
| does not commend itself to a people who
| more than any other in the country are
| conservative, American and independent
| When the south comes to be dominated by
| the powers that control such states as New
Jersey and Pennsylvania it may become re-
| publican
McLaurin's Detection.
| What do you think of the detection of
McLaurin of South Carolina?"
| The only question is, How far will the
| federal patronage placed at the disposal OF
McLaurin go toward debauching the state
OF South Carolina? I see from the papers
| that Wade Hampton through McLaurfn
was offered a federal office I think the
Old mans answer will be the answer of
South Carolina-T am not to be bought.
McLaurln bitterly opposed the annexation
| or the Philippines He made a speech in
the Senate against the peace treaty-most
of 1t taken without credit from other
| sources-in which he caustically arraiened
the Presidents Philippine policy But the
republicans needed his vote for the treaty
ana they got 1t, and they not only got it
| on that, but on all other questions Then
the PRESIDENT put into his hands the pa
tronage of South Carolina. That's all there
is to McLaurin'' ~