The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-27
AN AssERTIvE SOUTH.

We agree with The Nashville American that "the South should be moro asser- tive" provided. of course, that this sec- tion Is entirely converted from the heresy of Bryansm. Of this we think there can really be no room for doubt. Experience is a great teacher. bitter though some of it's lessons may be. We are not sure, 1t is true, that a majority of Southern Dem- ocrats were ever really believers in the folly of free silver. or that Bryan was their choice. He was the regular" cam didate of the party and through much toll and tribulation the Southern people had been taught that only through De- mocraoy could any. quiet or peace come to our section, and thus it was that south- ern Democracy voted for Mir. Bryan as the nominee of their party.
 Promising that the taint of Bryanism no longer permeates Southern Democracy we agree that our section should assert itself. God knows we have had enough of the West and it's impossible political theories. That section of the Union has dominated our politics in two disastrous campaigns and humiliating defeats and We want no more of it. We want no Western Populism in our platform and we want no Western visionary at the head of our ticket. Whatever of struggle and defeat the future may have for De- mocracy we know not, but certainly we are not called on to invite 1t and deserve 1t by again depending on the West for counsel and guidance. We want neither domin a tfon nor candidates from, that eac- ton any more. The partnership between the West and South has been dissolved and no ambitious sky-scraping politician can again file articles of incorporation which. will bind the. two sections.
 We do not claim that the South should assert Itself to the extent of demanding the nomination of a Southern man. As matter of justice perhaps the candi- date should be from this section but that would not be good policy, and justice may well give way to policy if by that means we get a sound man on a sound platform. And again as a matter of good policy we believe the candidate should be from the East. Conceding this much does not mean that the South should re- main passive and allow the North or the East to dictate candidate and platform with the understanding that we are to accept anything they offer us.
 That is not our conception of the de- mands of party patriotism. No President can be elected without the vote of the South, and because our people have all ways voted the ticket that was placed before us is no reason that we should never assert our right to be heard in the selection of the man and the platform. The man may be Mir. Cleveland or he a sound Democrat who represents the kind of Democracy that Cleveland stands for. and he must be placed on a platform that will mean Democracy beyond dan ger of misconstruction.
 This Is what we mean by saying that the South should assert itself in favor of sound Democracy, In the olden time this section was always true to Democracy and 1t remained so till a new prophet arose in the West and deluded Demo- erats into new and strange paths which led to defeat. Our section can again dominate the politics of the country and If 1t will return to the sound doctrines of former days and insist on reinstating the beliefs of the fathers of Democracy we can again be both heard and felt. A South united on the old-time doctrines of the party can have much to do with the selection of a candidate and the for nation of platform. That is the kind of assAtiveness we favor.