New-York tribune., 1903-03-03
TIE CHANGED SOUTH.

President Roosevelt is fully justified in say
ing that to connect his Southern appointments
or his actions In upholdirg the law at Indian
ola with such questions as 'sccia: equality and
negro domination is as absurd as to connect
them with the nebular hypothesis or the
theory Of atoms" Whatever may be his views
on the negro question in general, his treatment
Of the negro In politics is absolutely In ac-
cord with the principles everywhere proclaimed
by Southern white Democrats quarter Of a
century ago. The present outcry against him
would be entirely incomprehensible If II were
not for the evident shifting of position on the
part Of the Southern whites. It Is not the
President who is the innovator, but his critics.
He could turn for his platform to the Lamars
and Hamptons who led the Southern Democracy
when II first recovered supremacy. He is giving
the negro nothing more than they promised to
give him-promised squarely and freely, with
virtuous protests OF Indignation that anybody
should accuse them Of designing to deprive the
negro Of his political privileges He is striving
to hold up to the negro a stand I'd Of good citt-
zenship which they said they wanted to set be-
fore him. He is making the fight for good gov
ernment and honest officials which they pro-
claimed as their sole aim in rising to put down
by confessed fraud the reconstruction govern
ments.
How far the Southerners who now denounce
as an insult and an outrage the appointment
Of an honest and capable negro to Office have
travelled away from their own principles is in
dicated By the Mississippi Democratic plat
form Of 1873, the year Of the revolution" It
declared. Eve recognize and viii maintain the
"civil and political equality Of all men as estab-
'fished by the constitution of the United States
''and the amendments thereto" and it con-
cluded with the words: I'VE cordially invite
''the voters Of all the people Of both races to
unite vigorously with us to secure to
ourselves and our posterity the blessings of
IAN honest economical government, admins
''tered by able. efficient and competent public
Officers" The whites absolutely disavowed
any desire to drive the negro. as such. from Of
fee or the polls. They complained that carpet
bag government had brought forward ignorant
and corrupt men whose rule was extravagant
and iutolerable. Therefore they rose and them
selves grasped the reins Of power, ali the time
assuring the country that they would not undo
the settlement Of the war and reconstruction
At this very Mississippi convention the prin-
cipsl speaker was L. Q O. Lamar. afterward
Secretary OF the Interior and associate Justice
Of the United States Supreme Court He said:
Once convince the Northern people that the
workings OF the local governments Of the Sout.1
shall be conducted to protect thee coiored man
In ali their rights, ana In cooperation with them
in the sovereignty OF the government and thew
[desires for reconciliation will become strong
and invincibie The people Of Nississip-
pi have pledged themselves to sustain the thrce
amendments 90 the constitution and have no
power desire TO change them. They confer
upon the newly enfranchise1 race the sacred
rights of freemeu, and their rights are your
duties Impaired by any act Of yours your
duties by that same act are violated and the
constitution OF your country Is violated. e..
Any race organization wkieh seeks 10 assert the
exclusive sdanagenaent Of q country may have
good government but cannot have liberty. 1t