The sun., 1904-12-02

scrlbed as largely Mr., RoosEvELrs per-
sonal triumph, but partly also as the
outcome Of feeling among independent
voters and Democrats themselves that
the Democratic party has not In recent
years demonstrated capacity OF gov
erning wisely and well.
II, however, said Col. HARVEY, the
party is TO regain the approval Of ma
jority Of the American people, the work
| OF rejuvenation to be undertaken by
Southern Democrats must begin at the
bottom, and the only foundation upon
which TO build is a moral one. 1t was on
a. moral issue that SAMUEL j. TILDEN
swept the State of New York and subse-
o emily gained plurality Of the popular
vote throughout the Union. 1t was on a
moral issue that GROVER CLEVELAND
carried the State Of New York In 1884 and
thus secured the Presidency. II was on
a NOR al issue that FOLK was chosen the
other day Governor of Missouri. and II
DOUGLAS obtained the Governorship in
Massach usetts, which gave plurality Of
$1,000 for the Republican national ticket,
it was due to the fact that he stood for
the welfal,s Of the many as against that
OF the few.
Col. HARVEY closed, as he began, with
reminding the mel. of the South that they
constituted the mainstay, the backbone,
the living reality OF Democracy. Many
Northern Democrats come so near to be-
ing Republican, in practice. and many
Western Democrats so near being Popu-
lists in theory, tn at the leadership OF the
party belongs riglrtfully to the only sec
tion Of it which has kept the faith with
out suffering conta mination. For that
reason he contendea1 that Northern and
Western Democrats should be willing
now to follow, should urge, indeed, their
Southern brethren to lead, to take up
the ark Of the cove enant and bear it TO
victory as Of old.
The only condition that Col. HARVEY
would impose upon the resumption of
leadership by the Southern Democrats
is that they would bear the banner of
their party along the broad path of toler-
anoe and enlightenment, OF progress
and Christianity. of belief in man and
faith in GOD, out Of the darkness Of
despair into the sunlight of hope and
confidence. By this, we suppose, Col
HARVEY means that the Solid South
should escape from it's political pro-
vincialism and become potent in de-
termining consistently and broadly ma
tional policies for the Democratic party,
instead of voting blindly and stubbornly
for any policies, no matter how con-
Trajectory, which may seem expedient
to Democratic conventions from election
to election.
1t must be borne in mind, however,
that the vast majority of Democratic
votes are cast at the North and in the
Border States outside of the Solid South,
as it is strictly defined.
In 1900 the eleven States of the old
Southern Confederacy contributed less
than 30 per cent. to the total Democratic
poll. Moreover, Southern solidity is due
solely to the race question. On strictly
national questions the South is only
nominally Democratic, as 80 many Of our
Southern correspondents have pointed
out. Before the civil war the Wing
party was powerful there and still the
policy of protection finds wide favor in
the South Can, then, the Democratic
party be called more homogeneous at
the South than at the North? Unques-
tionably, however, the spirit of the
South is hopefully conservative.