The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-02
TWO ADVISERS.

] On Tuesday evening at the dinner Of
the Virginians at the Waldorf-Astoria
| in New York, Woodrow Wilson, presi-
dent OF Princeton University. advised
| the Democratic party of the South to
cast from its ranks it's radical ele-
ment, reorganize itself on the basis Of
the principles the National Democratic
| party upheld prior to 1896, and become
the dominating and directing part of
the National Democracy. In the course
of his remarks. he said: The South
has now "a unique opportunity to per-
form a great national service. AS the
only remaining part of the Democratic
party that can command a majority
of its votes in its constituencies, let
the South demand a rehabilitation of
the Democratic party on the only lines
that can restore 1t to dignity and pow
err" What President Wilson meant
was that since 1896 the Democratic
party has permitted it's name to be
used by men who should never have
been admitted to its councils, men who
advocated principles and professed
purposes which it had always hitherto
repudiated." These men are Populists
and radical theorists. In the opinion
of President Wilson they could not,
by themselves, ever have played any
other role in national politics than
that of a noisy minority. They forced
themselves into the Democratic party
with the result that every doubtful
state has become an enthusiastic sup
porter of the Republican party" And
it is the opinion of President Wilson
there will be no more doubtful states
until the Democratic party gets rid
of this Populistic. radical element.
The South, and the South alone, he
thinks, can rid the party Of this ele-
ment.
Can the South do what President Will
son thinks it ought to do? Isn't the
Populistic element in the Democratic
party in the South, much stronger than
he thinks it is?
This question suggests Mr.. Watson's
speech, which was delivered at Car
tersville on Wednesday, a full synopsis
Va NhANA biAO NhOAAAAA6 ANNWo
yesterday. He advised the Democratic
party of the South to abandon It's or
ganization and fight its political bat
ties in the future under the banner of
the Populists. According to his view
the Democratic party can never again
become great political force because
1t will never solidly follow leader
holding Mr.. Bryan's views or a lead
er who stands for the views set forth
in the st. Louis platform.
OF these two advisers we have no
hesitation in saying the South will en-
by President Wilson. She may not
be able at once to follow it closely,
but she will come pretty near doing
it.
Mr.. Watson would like to see the
Democratic party disrupted. He is
working to that end now. In the re-
cent election he got pretty large vote
in this state, but the greater part of
it was due to his personal
popularity, not to the approval OF the
doctrines for which he stood. That
this is so will doubtless appear when
the returns in other Southern states
are consolidated.
1t is probable that Mr.. Watson thinks
he can win the South to Populism. We
are confident he is mistaken. The
South will stick to the Democratic
party, but that party will be more
like the Democratic party that Presi-
dent Wilson wants the South to d.
rect and dominate than the Democratic
party that Mr.. Bryan led in two
campaigns.