The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-01
THE souTHs OPPORTUNITY.
And the Danger That Is to overcom
 in the Near Future.

| anu the hanger That 1s to overcome in the Near Future.
 savoyard Washington letters in Nashville
 What Is the South going to do about it VIII 1t try ashes for building material in 1904, as 1t did in 1896 and in 1900? If so the result will be the same. Will it seek alii-
 ance with the rotton borough of Nevada.
 hearken to the teachings of Cleveland, the
 Democrat. or to the vaporings of Bryan,
 the Populist. The South is the arbiter.
 It can reincarnate the Democratic Party, | IT It will. and 1t is at liberty to troad am
 other measure with a corpse if 1t is per verse enoughh. The South has not equal
 rights when 1t comes ta enjoying the ad-
 vantages Of this government-equal rights | right to act the fool again,
 IL was Grover Cleveland who did more | Tor the South than all tho other states
 men of his generation. He made Cabinet omcers of men who had the confidence of | the South and were Southern to the mar row. de put on the supreme bench La-
 mar and White. Gulf statesmen. He sent
 s sSoutnerners abroad to represent the coun- | sry-typical Southerners, representative
 Southerners. Mills, the Kentucky Texan, | the Confederate soldier, the uncompromis- | ing Democrat. the stalwart Southerner. | spoke for and acted for the administra-
 ton in the Congress of the United States. When Cleveland was President, represen- 1 tative Southern men were selected to hold positions in the civil service. He appoint other Democratic Presidents together
 from Jefferson to Buchana, both inclli- sive.
 Time has vindicated cleveland's second administration. Prosperity returned as soon as it was manifest that the assault on the public credit was a failure It did not come because of the Dingley bill, but in spite of it. and 1t would have come under the Wilson bill had 1t not been for the silver craze. Every man in America today who is making a living in honest endeavor, owes a debt of gratitude to Grover Cleveland; It was his command ing character, his consummates states
 manship, his sterling patriotism, his de- votfon to duty, that brought the country
 out of the Egypt of calamity into which
 the prodigal and debauched legislation of
 the Fffty-first Congress had plunged it.
 Then was the South's grand opportunity. It could have saved the administration
 from the assaults of the Populists It
 could have saved the Democratic Party
 from the humiliation of defeat. It could
 have saved the country from at least
 two years of financial panic and indus
 trial prostration. But it hearkened to the
 voice of the fakir and is again in Egypt.
 Will 1t learn in the school of experience?
 We shall see.
 MT. Bryan says there is not room
 enough in the Democratic Party for him
 self and Grover Cleveland: and for once
 Mr. bryan is eminently and emphat atically
 right. There is not enough room and that
 is why Mir. Bryan never got to be a Dem-
 ocrat Democracy does not consist of pro-
 testations of affection for the people.
 That is generally demagogy. Democracy
 is not made up of assertions that every
 rich man Is necessarily a thief. That is al-
 ways envy. Democracy is not trimming
 of the Constitution of the United States
 down to. or a patching it up to. some
 vague things that Christians call princi-
 pies and ideas. That is damphoolery. All
 of these are eminently and superlatively
 RrVQnfC That fG WhX pFyap
 find room enough for himself in the Dem.
 ocratio Party.
 At the present time Nevada is the only one of what are called Northern States
 that would go Democratic if the platform of 1900 were readopted and the ticket of 1900 renominated,. And by 1904 Nevada
 will be Republican State. No matter ticket. If the Democratic Party is anx- ious to see Republican solid North just let 1t humor MT Bryan. If on the con trary, the party will see in Mir Bryan what he is: spoiled boy. and will treat him accordingly, they will enter the cam paign of 1904 with as excellent enhances of success as they entered that of 1884.
 Assuming that the Democratic conven- tion of next year will have some sense, what is the situation? Recent events have made the South solid with the exception of West Virginia, and West Virginia doubtful. If that be so, and there is little doubt of 1t. the next national election will be determined by the size of the majori- ties within five miles af the city hail of New York. and within ten miles of the Auditorium Hotel of Chicago. And if you will give some rational reflection to it. you will conclude that an old fashioned Democrat and a sure enough Democratic platform, would get enormous majorities in those communities. A Democrat who is not menace to the public credit. who is a menace to the capacity of the trusts and who would give promise of q correc- ton of Ire injustice of the tariff, would mi n the election dOIIhffnl Mir nrxy- an would bolt such a ticket and such a | platform. All he has said on that ques- tion is that there will be no such ticket | and no such platform. Defeat has taught | him how to bubble and how to be dsin- His bolt would only strengthen | such a ticket. Bryanites don't make Pres- II idents. Men who voted for Mckinley will determine the result fin 1904 and in 1884 and 1882 those men made Grover Cleve- land President, and are ready to do 1t again.
 strength of Jackson and the wisdom of Tilden, has announced that he is done with politics except to tender his advice when 1t is sought. There is every indica- ton that what is known as Clevelandism, which is but another name for Jefferson- Ism and for Democracy. will prevail in the councils of the future. Bryan sees that: and hence 1t was he wrote what he called Gall to Arms" The South is going to decide between Democracy and Populism in the next convention. The South has more at stake than anybody else. While Mir. Bryan is citing Abraham as Democratic saint and hob with the unspeakable Lentz in that natural-born absurdity, The Jeffer- som Lincoln League" the South | has an interest in the immediate future | superior to the fortunes of Bryan or the | Impudence of Lentz.
 First, the South wants a Democrat in | the White House. Failing that, the South | wants a strong, numerous and virile Dem- | ocratic Party at the North And the | South needs one or both of these mighty | bad. Is there man in the South with | sense enough to put up a panel of draw | bars who believes the South can get eith- CT by following MT. Bryan or paying the | slightest attention to his preachments? | opine not All that Bryan has accomplish l ed has been to make Q practically solid | Will any candid man deny that? Does anybody suppose that the Democrats will | accomplish anything until they regain l ~ L L-a ~