The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-20


The Charleston News ana Courier takes
the position that the new policy Of the
Republican party in respect to the South
indicated by the appointment Of Mr.. Ca
pers as United States district attorney
for south CaroIina-the new policy be-
ing to build up a white Republican party
in the Southern states by bringing into
1t prominent Democrats-is the same old
story" That paper points out that the
same thing has been tried many times
since the Civil War and gives the names
Of number of Southern men Of prom
inence who broke away from the Demo-
cratic party 10 accept appointments IN
der Republican administrations.
Gov. Gambler of this state. in an inter-
view in New York on Tuesday last, viz
tually took the same position. He said
that the effort Of a few Gold Demo-
Gratis 10 McKinleyize the South wili not
prove successful. The South is solidlya
Democratic and will remain so. No at
tempts OF Senator McLaurin OF South
Carolina, or any of mis- Xix, will cut in on
the big majorities in any of the South
ern states" The News and Courier and
Gov Gambler may be right. The pro5a-
bility is they are Still, it might be well
to take notice of the fact that the situa-
ton Is somewhat different now from what
1t was in times past when Southern men
Of prominence cut loose from the Dem
a Republican President.
There is now an influential element in
all Of the Southern states which Is IN SYM
PATTY with some Of the policies of the Re-
publican party. We refer chiefly to the
factory owners. and with them may be
classed a considerable percentage OF the
business men. The business men are with
the Republicans on the money question,
and the factory owners believe in the gold
standard. expansion and a protective
tariff
Another thing that must not be over
looked in the consideration of this ques-
ton is that In at least four of
the Southern states the race question has
practically disappeared from politics. and
there are indications that it will disap-
pear from politics in some of the other
Southern states very soon. The import
ance of maintaining the supremacy OF the
white race has been a strong factor IN
holding the white people together in the
South. and it still is in most of the South
ern states. When the negro vote shah
be eliminated altogether it will not be so
easy a matter to hold the white voters
together. Their readiness to divide was
shown by the remarkable strength devel-
opsd in a very few years by the Populist
party.
If there had not been a force of some
sort behind Senator McLaurin of South
the Legislature of South Carolina at its
last session censuring him for supporting
Republican measures in the Senate, would
have passed without dissenting vote.
As It was, he had friends enough in tina.
body to prevent the passage of the reso-
luton. That fact alone has sufficient sig
nificence to justify the inquiry as to
whether the effort that is now being made
to establish a white Republican party in
the South is the same old story" While
we are confident that the South will
remain solidly Democratic for long time
yet. we are free TO confess that the
chances for building up a white RepubH-
can party in the Southern states are bet
ter now than they have ever been be-
fore.