Evening star., 1902-08-21
PRESIDENT D|SGUSTED
Gut of Patience With South
ern Republicans.
FACTI0NAL FIGHTS
OCCUPY THEIR ATTENTION IN.
STEAD OF PARTY WORK.
He Wants Action, Not Continual Beg
ging for Patrona ge-Case of
North Carolina

Recent lectures by President Roosevelt
| or southern republican leaders call atten-
| ton to the Presidents desire that the re-
| publicans of the south, instead of fighting
| with each other to gain ascendency in the
matter of patronage distribution, shall
| make genuine contests for representatives
| in Congress wherever they have the slight
| est opportunity for success. From the be-
ginning of his administration the President
has shown symptoms of hearty disgust
with the factional differences in the south
and with the constant anxiety of the south
ern leaders to get nearer to the patronage
counter. The President at first ignored
many of the organizations in the south.
and made appointments that suited his owr
| taste. He was warned that he was doing
himself harm, politically and mentally He
| then turned around and placed the south
| ern patronage question largely in the hands
OF postmaster General Payne. who has
been known from the beginning as the DO
ntlcal manager of the Presidents interests
Since taking this step the President has
not personally investigated the condition
or Things in the southern states He has
refrained from going into the details as he
did at the beginning
Lack of Political Integrity.
1t is sufficient to say, however, that when
ne was looking into each case himself he
became disgusted every time with the abso-
lutte lack Of genuine political integrity
among southern leaders and the always
uppermost thought in their minds of Great
ing factional fights that one or the other
faction might be recognized as closest to
the chief executive in the matter of patron
age distribution. The President has seen
so many evidences of this entire selfishaess
in the south and utter disregard of party
interests that he. has little patience with
most of the republican organizations in
that section. He long ago announced TO
friends that he did not care the snap Of
his finger about the attitude of southern
organizations to his denomination in 1904
and the main reason he had in turning
over patronage matters to the POStmas. CT
| General was to relieve himself of the worry
and annoyance that had been caused.
The President is laboring under the belief
! that there is really a foundation in the
south for republican party of decent pro-
| portions formed from among democrats of
conservative tendency. Looking at the
! question from this standpoint he insists on
the republicans making fights to show just
| how much may be expected. He is a fighter
| himself, and it is action that he wants If
| the republicans fight hard and lose they
will gain the respect of the President WHAT
| he wants to see is a fighting organization
| in each state, not organizations whose only
| aim is to secure the patronage.
The President hasn't the least respect for
| men or this stamp. If there is a chance of
| making some headway in some of the
southern states like Virginia, North Caro-
| lima, South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas
! the President wants the attempt made If
| the attempt isn't made he will hold the
| leaders responsible, and ignore them wnen
the fat jobs are to be passed around
! Briefly put, the leaders must work for their
| positions and not get them by underha ndad
| methods and by fighting among themselves
| At different times the President has been
| visited by factional leaders of southern
! states, who reported to him such and such
q condition in their ba
| opposing faction would come along see the
| President, deny everything the other fac
tion said, and then paint the other faction
| in the blacklist possible terms hesitattng at
| no charge. The President has often said
| that he could not believe a word said to
him, and this lack of confidence caused
| nm nm 10 go outside of the organization for
| ONCE material for long time at The be
ginning Of his administration, and even
| now in occasional appointments.
Confidence in Senator Pritchard.
| The President for time believed that
| there was really a chance for the building
| of republican organization in South Caro-
| lima. but he sees no action taken in the di-
| rection of fight. His faith In the south is
pinned to Senator Pritchard. No.with-
standing the disfranchisng of thousands of
| republican voters in North Carolina and
| the almost hopeless outlook, Senator Pritch-
ard is going right ahead with a figh. in
| that state. All along the line and in every
| district in North Carolina the republicans,
| under the senator's lead, will face the oppo-
sition. Senator Pritchard himself is a cam
| didate for reelection to the Senate and Is
going TO take chances that conserve Tvs
democrats in the state will vote for !. re-
! publican legislator here and there so as to
| return Senator Pritchard
| If the Legislature is not republican Sena
| Tor Prltchard Will try again. He Is going
| to make the fight, too on the tariff and
the republican doctrines of expansion in
territory and business. He believes that in
| a democratic state these questions have
| more support with lukewarm democrats
! than any other issues the republicans
| could present.
Senator Pritchard is not Objectionable
| personally to any North Carolina demo-
! Gratis, and there is hope that he may sue
| ceed in winning legislature, although the
| districts. Because he is a fighter Senator
Pritchard is admired by a fighting Presi-
dent.
All Districts Gerrymandered.
| All the North Carolina congressional dis
| tricts have been gerrymandered by the
democratic legislature, and the democratic
| congressional managers here say they will
| win every district. An additional district
was secured under the census Of 1900, Civ
ing the state ten representatives in the
| lower house in the next Congress The
| closest district in the state under the gerry
mander is the Asheville district, now rep
resented by Mr.. Moody. Two years ago
| Mr.. Moody had 1000 majority over his
| democratic opponent, Mr. Crawford. When
| the state was recently redstricted this 600
| majority was taken away, leaving the dis
| trict about even. The democrats however,
| figure on having disfranchised 1,5OO ne
| groes in the district by the constitutional
| amendments passed not long ago. 1t is
| believed the democrats have the district
! by this majority. Mr.. Moodys friends
claim that he is 1,000 votes stronger than
! his party and that he will pull through by
| q close vote. 1t is in this district also that
| a hard fight will be made for members Of
| the legislature, Senator Pritchard being
! stronger than his party in the district
| wherein he likewise resides.