Arizona republican., 1902-02-16
PHoENIx. ARIZONA. FEB. Is, 1902

The advantage to the country Of having Q conservative senate to act Is
 a check on the impul- THE SOUTH sive legislation of AND the house of repre- ITS PROBLEM. sentatives has been
 Illustrated in the matter of the proposed measure for The reduction of southern representa- tion in congress. For many months Representative Crumpacker of Indiana has been industriously pressing upon the attention of his colleagues his scheme for punishing the south for suDp-essing the negro vote. He wishes to reduce the representation from the southern states in the ratio which the disfra nchised voters bear to the voting population. and ever since the cOnVen- ing of the F'ifty-seventh congress he has been endeavOrinS to commit the republican caucus to his resolution proposing the reduction. The subject has been before the caucus twice, the last time on the 10th instant At the latter caucus it was developed that perhaps a majority of the republican members were favorable to the reso- lution, although the southern republi- cans were practically solid against it. It was decided. however, that it was not worth while to adopt the resolu- ton with any hope of carrying out the plan, since it was conceded that the senate was hostile to the idea. And therein is seen the value Of the senate.
 Congressman Crumpacker is gifted with more zeal than statesmanship. He burns with Indignation at the thought of the political wrongs suffered by southern negroes. He knows. as does everybody else. that the negro vote Is deliberately suppressed by the south ern people He knows that since the apportionment of congressman to each state is based on the theory of an equal voting population for all congressional districts throughout the union Gas nearly as possible) it is theoretically wrong that q southern state should have ten Congressmen. for instance, when the total vote of such state IS not equal to the vote of 9 single north ern district.
 So, taking a narrow view of the sit uation, he would cut down the south ern representation in congress until Ii is in proportion to the returns from the polls Were his plan to become er- feCtive, no permanent advantage would accrue to the republican party, or to the nation. And certainly no advan- taSe would be gained by the negroes. The fact that nearly all the repubIi-  opposed to Mir. CrumDacker should have caused him to hesitate It Is clear that the Crumpacker statesman ship would make the south solidly dem ocratic indefinitely. From the stand point of good politics. therefore. the plan is indesensibIe. Since the begin ming of the first Mckinley administra- ton the signs have been multiplying that the south is ripe for revolt aga.nst the old bourbon democracy. The younger men and the business element recognize that the prosperity of the south. the development of it's mani- fold resources. lies in the abandonment of democratic mossbac!1Isn and the adoption Of the progressive policy of the republican party. The chief re- hanCe of the democratic leaders is in | keeping alive the negro question. Pres ] ident Mckinley recognized this. Pres l ident Roosevelt recognizes it. and their | aims have been directed toward coI.- vincinG the southern people that re- publicanism does not mean negro l domination.
 And back of the marrow question or l monetary partisan benefit. lies the basic fact that the north cannot settle l southern questions for the southern | people. The race question is one of the | most serious problems before the na- tion. Apprecia ton of it's serious aspects ! has been lost sight of in recent years. | because of other issues more pressing | The Spanish war brought into nearer | focus matters. of more immediate mo- ment. But the problem survives all | others, and may well give concern 10 the most thoughtful. The southern peo- pie are loyal Americans flesh of our flesh. For misguided adherence to a cause dear to them. they have suffered | to the fullest. And if atonement were needed. the southern blood poured out freely on the battleie1ds Of Cuba and | the Philippines in defense Of the flag of the union has made that atonement. As the civil war has faded into the past the north long since has come to recognize that the south is confronted with d question which the south must solve in patience and wisdom with the help that may be extended by all good citizens. It is plain now that the suf- fragc was given To tho negro before he was ready for it. Wiser republicans conccdc that the negro question has something in il more than politics