The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1904-11-26
THE PRESIDENTS SOUTHERN POLICY.

The people Of the South, after the Republican
landslide OF few weeks ago. electing a Repubi-
can Congress as we'll Republican President,
had about agreed that OF the first things Con-
lfess would do, after organization, would be to
ry 10 reduce the Souths representation at the Ma
cons capital according the vote polled in the
last election because OF dsfranchisement OF the
.lliterate negro vote.
But the South has prepared itself to accept the
ungrateful act or any other ndignity placed upon
it by the party in power and will only await the
day when it the other cheek to its tormen-
tors However the recent utterings of the Presi-
.,: protesting friendly feeling for the South.
I'd the expression Of this deep feeling in his Mos
" letter may prevent the act that few would like
% pass
TIL. Washington Post, which has always OPP
posed the Republican scheme to reduce the South's
{ ,resentaton in Congress, says that 1t was on
the card thata Republican victory this year would
lead to such an effort but it does not believe that
it will succeed. 1t says
After all, however, it does. not strike us as
probable that the consttutionality of the suffrage
laws in any OF ae states will be can be decided
by partisan ma IN Congress Even suppos-
ing that the handIu Of incendares now proclaim pr,
ING the crusade sho:. Z Give so much as the mega
five support of the f.t hcans in that body, we
ind II difficult TO lat - the last resort the
courts will be ignored Tx IL, iciary branch Of the
government was or ~ lated for the purpose
of meeting just sucE ons ana securing then
adjudication outside passionate arena OF par,
ty politics. We ic, that the Constitution VIII
not be ignored by those who are sworn 10 oelenu
"Ihe simple fact OF the mater is that the whole
country, especially the Southern section thereof
will be benefited by judicial and therefore ie-
gitimate inquiry into these matters. The hfteenth
amendment-whch evidently supersedes and re-
peals the fourteenth-explicitly PROMPTS legisla-
ton that deprives individual of the elective iran
chse on account of race, color, or previous con-
dition of servitude. IT, therefore, there has been
any such legislation is necessarily nva tha smt
after referring the question to the proper authori-
ty-the courts of the United States. There is no
occasion for debate in Congress or IN the newSpa
1t belongs to the tribunal provided IN the Cohsti-
tnton." ~,
ern States have enacted statutes restrictive OF the
suffrage. and very properly and wisely, because
society and civilization cannot be too carefully
protected against the ignorant, irresponsible and
criminal classes hence it declares that unless 1t
can be shown that Southern States have made this
pretext for illegal discrimination against the
negroes the Mississippi and Alabama laws are as
righteous as those of Massachusetts and New
York We are inclined to think that our Wash
ington contemporary is correct in its OPINION that
the Supreme Court and not Congress will be the
authority to determine the validity and constitu-
tionality of the suffrage laws OF the southern
States
There are many Republicans in Congress and
great many more out of it who are opposed to
any agitation of the matter whatever, and support
ing them are nearly all the large business interests
of the North who are opposed to any acton by
Congress hostile to the South They know that II
the South's representation is reduced the resus
will be revival of sectional bitterness that will be
harmful to the whole country, and that 1t VIII
be followed by retaliatory action on the part Oh
Southern legislatures which will disturb existing
trade relations, and perhaps prove disastrous to
| Northern investments and enterprises in the
| South.
These great business interests, which have
much at stake which realize that the now peace
full and prosperous South is their customer,wi
not stand for any action that threatens to dis
turb existing conditions They want good feel
ing between the North and the South to contn-
ue and grow stronger, hence it is quite safe to
say that when the Crumpackers in Congress
take up the work Of reducing the Souths repre-
sentaton the voices of hundreds of powerful
business and financial in the North will be
heard laundering mighty protest