The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-16
DETERMINED TO HUNIILIATE THE
SOUTH.

1t '.sticks in the craw' of the wor-
shippers of Teddy the First that he
did not get an electoral vote South
of the Potomac 1t is their belief
that if all the negroes had been per-
mitted to vote Roosevelt would have
been able to break the solid South.
According to the Washington Star.
which often speaks for the Republican
administration, the Republican leaders
are determined either to reduce South
ern representation or to force the
South to let every negro vote. In or
der to show the spirit of the ReDuo-
licans, the article of the Star is print
ed elsewhere in to-days paper. 1t
shows that the Republicans have been
getting ready for the fight they in
tend to Wage-carrying on a cam
paign of education as they arrayed
the North against the South in the
campaign of 1904.
There is but one hope for the
South, and that is in a possible divis-
ion of opinion among the Republi
cans themselves. There are not few
old-time Republicans who oppose re-
ducing Southern representation on
the ground that it would be ADAM
doning the right Of the negro to vote
and acquiescing in his disfranchise-
ment. Mr.. Roosevelt has felt the force
of that sentiment in the party for, in
RESPONSE to an appeal to him to throw
!. the weight of his influence to secure
"a law reducing representation, the
President is quoted as asking: Can
we afford to abandon the black man
when. his suffrage has been taken away
from him? Would that be just the
thing for the Republican party to do?'
That element of the party will insist
upon a fight to declare the amend
ment unconstitutional, to the end that
every negro in the South may vote.
The Crumpackers will reply: Very
we'll. That suits us, but in order 70
facilitate that and help the Republi-
can party in the meantime, let us
cut off the Southern representation |
first and then that will help to restore |
the ballot to every negro in the South. "
1t will be observed that the Star |
which doubtless speaks from inspra- |
ton, says 1.-The Northern Republicans |
have been demanding that one of two |
things shall be done-and they don't |
care very much which is adopted, |
namely that the negro vote in the |
South be counted or when excluded |
the representation in Congress shall |
conform to the actual vote cast" Ic |
the alternative should be presented -
an alternative that cannot in law or |
justice be presented to the South I'M |
less the Northern States be deprived |
of representation when their vote is
not polled-the South would not hest
tate to prefer to submit to the rapo
OF its representation tlfan>to be re-
stored to such home government as
North Carolina was cursed with less
than six years ago.
In the last Congress it was generally
understood that Speaker Cannon (who
was born in North Carolina and has
never shown that he felt kinship with
the State in anything) opposed the
Crumpacker bill. His speeches, sound
ing the keynote of the Republican cam
paign, however, were largely devoted |
to bloody shirt waving and intoxicating
resentment against the South, and |
there is belief that he was sowing
the seed for more sectional legisla-
ton.
Whatever may be the course the
Republicans take. whether they at
tempt to punish the South by reducing
it's representation, or to destroy the
suffrage amendments To the Constitu-
ton in the Southern States-the
South will maintain its position with
out apology. retraction or regret. If |
representation is reduced. it will sub |
nit to that wrong as it has submitted |
to being exploited and maligned and !
treated on a Semi-colony whenever
such treatment seemed necessary to
continued Republican success. If the |
plan should be to destroy the suffrage |
amendments, the versatility of South |
ern craftsmanship is not yet exhaust |
ed and way will be found to pre-
vent a return to negro rule in any
Southern State. The Southern people |
will never again submit to it in any
town, county or State. and he is a
short-sighted political leader who
would attempt in the early days of
the twentieth century to seek to re-
establish Reconstruction conditions in
the South. 1t has been defeated every
time ii has been attempted and a way
will be found to defeat it if partisan
malevoIence should again undertake
it.