Courier Democrat., 1904-12-22

prejudiciat. The southern massea are
Democrats from deep seated principle.
The student OF political history need
not be told why they are historically
Democrats. The origin and early his
tory Of the Republican party may ac-
centuate their pronounced leaning to
Democratic policies, but only in a cas-
ual way. We must hark back to the
clean cut conflict Of ideas as repre-
sented in the early political schools Of
Hamilton and Jefferson to find the
fundamental basis Of southern Democ-
racy. For more than q century the
men Of the south have sat at the feet
Of Jefferson, believing with every pull
sation Of brain and heart in the doc
trine Of local self government as ex-
pressed in state sovereignty, in con-
tradistinction and opposition to the
doctrine Of Capitalization as expressed
in the federal assumption Of powers
that trench on the more Democratic
principle. The war and the war born
Republican party may have played
havoc with some Of the old southern
ideals in this regard, but they have
made no conquest Of the sotltll's basic
convictions in the premises.
The south, casting aside oil sectional
feeling as the result of the civil war,
views the Republican party as party
of federal GENERALIZATION and usurpa-
ton. Southerners are students Of po-
litical history, and they know the con-
stitution of the republic. They are de-
liberately and earnestly opposed to the
Republican party because they are con-
vinced that it seeks to out-Hamilton
Hamilton in increasing the central au-
thority.
So far as concrete issues of national
politics are concerned the southern
white masses are uncompromisingly in
line with the Democratic party's plat
form enunciations. The sentiment Of
protection" in the Republican sub
sidy sense does not exist among south
ern Democrats They believe in tariff
for revenue only as general PROPOSE
ton and in tariff reduction to the point
Of healthy foreign competition in all
commodities and products monopolis-
tically controlled by domestic trusts.
Our friends Of the political opposi-
ton are reckoning without their host
If they think the south has been Com
mercialized" to the point where the
class policies Of the Republican party
will prove acceptable to considera-
able number of white southerners, even
with the ghost Of negro suffrage for
ever laid. The south is fully alive to
its material interests, but it is not in
politics to loot and plunder the gen.
erality Of the American people. It be-
lieves in progress, in the greater Ameri.
ca, in broad Americanism, but 1t be-
lieves the nation can grow and prosper
to the greatest good Of the greatest
number by a strict adherence to the
sound landmarks Of the early republic
and pure constitutionalism. It believes
in a free and unpurchasable ballot bas-
ed on intelligence and civic virtue. It
sees in the Republican party the an
ttthesis Of all that makes for really
popular and honest government.
The south - not daxzled by the
glamour Of the Roosevelt landslide at
the north. It understands as q student
of history and philosopher Of events
what is implied to the moral tone Of
American political life by the rest Of
the Onion going '.hell bent'' for what
the Republican party represents. The
south ia this regard win preserve itss
Democracy for the Inevitable day when
the disillusio TONED people shall turn from
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