The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-11
Conversion by Office.
Nashville News.


 By the appointment of Ex-Governor Jones to a Federal judgeship in Alabama President Roosevelt has taken very positive step in some direction. What that direction may be time alone can make clear to us Ex-Governor Jones is a competent man, of high standing. and an excellent lawyer he has force Of character in an exceptional degree, and he is a leader in the Democratic party in his State. If President Roosevelt means by his action that he will look to fitness for the position first, in his ap- pointeess and only secondarily to tneir party affiliations, he will have to practi- cally fill the offices in the Southern States with Democrats. The number of Republicans in these States, really com potent by character and intelligence, to hold important offices is so small as to be hardly worth taking into account. This course would however, be great benefit to the South and insure a won, derful advance in the standard of federal officials over what has prevailed In the last thirty years. This can hardly be supposed to be his purpose, however, be-
 cause 1t must be well known to Presi- dent Roosevelt, as 1t is to every one else
 that the Republican party in the South really is only kept alive by the hope of federal pap. Without such hope, who
 would endure the disagreeable social po- sition and the slights which are the lot of the small minority of faithful who are cut loose. to certain extent from their | fellow citizens from whom they are sep arated by wall of prejudice, to call it by their own term. This new departure
 of the national government would cer-
 tainly result in the great majority of the white Republicans throwing up their
 hands, and joining the mass of their neighbors and acquaintanccs who are Democrats We think the number Of Re publicans in the South is extremely linn tied. who continue to remain aloof from their fellows, trying to manage conven- tions of refractory Africans who have to be cajoled and befooled every so often, in order that high tariff may be main tained and that Morgan, Rockefeller, anl their like, may become multi i-millionaires by manipulating monopolics. It Is a fact, to be recognized by all who will look, that if there are to be in the future no offices for Southern Republicans, there will be no Southern Republicans. there will be no Southern Republican party. This certainly seems very lmprobable object for a Republican President to have in view. Especially SO in the case of
 man like MT. Roosevelt young, active and ambitious with a great future before him. The only other line he can he following must be the old one, so often tried by his predecessors, and so often proved a failure, of attempting to build up and | lend responsibility to his party by hribing certain number of Democratic leaders | to give up their convictions. and transfer | their allegiance, with such followers as | they may control. to the Republican side | This has been and always will be a fail | ure from the very nature of things. No man who becomes converted after receiv- | ing and through receiving. an office, can | carry any number of thinking men with | him. A man may change his views, and l persuade numbers to follow him. hut only | on condition that they do not know that | he has been bought Bought or not l those who go with him must at least | think him clean. If this is Mir. Roose- velts plan the net result will be a small numbe~ of new respectable Democrats who will have become discredited Repub- | liCans. and nothing more.