The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-24
REPUBLICAN PLAN
OF CAMPAIGN
HOPE is IN BLACK DISTRICTS.
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES IN
EVERY DISTRICT IN SOUTH.

ways and Means Provided to In
npIre Southern Republicans-Enort
VIII He Made to Carry the Black
districts and Retain Control in
House of Representatives-SOu
ern COngressmen DenOunce At
tempt of Republican Leaders to
Force Fight on Race Issue-JudsOn
Lyons Compromise Proposition.
By r. M. Larner.
washington, Feb, 23.-Republican
candidates for Congress are to be
placed in the field in every district
throughout the South. With a view
n retaining control of the House of
representatives in the next national
election an effort will be made to car
~ several of the overwhelmingly
"black" districts in South Carolina,
Mississippi and Georgia, by contest or
otherwise.
Southern congressman who hope for
reelection are notified by their friends
at home that an unusually large num-
Der of negro voters are qualifying, or
seeking to qualify, under the existing
election laws in all of the Southern
states. Men who have been coming
to Congress for several years without
opposition from the Republican party,
are to be confronted with opponents
next fall.
Negroes Qualifying to Vote.
In many of the Southern states it
is now seasonable for new voters to
qualify, and in Georgia, South Caro-
lima, Florida, Mississippi, Virginia and
Maryland, the county and state rec
ords show a remarkable increase in
the number of colored men seeking
election qualifications. 1t will be re-
called that a delegation of Southern
Republicans called upon President
Roosevelt recently to talk over the
political situation in their respective
localities, and incidentally dictate the
distribution of federal patronage
among their friends. At that time the
President directed the party manag-
ers to make a fight in every congress
sional district, and vigorously de-
nounced the apathy and indifference
displayed by Republicans at congress
sonal elections in the South.
Ways and Means Provided.
Acting upon the Presidents sugges-
ton, the ways and means have been
provided to inspire Southern Republi-
cans with greater interest in the next
congressional election. Democratic
congressman, whose nominations have
heretofore been equivalent to election,
because of the absence of political OPP
ponents,. are required to not only face
a fight at home, but they are to be met
with a contested election struggle be-
fore the House.
Southern congressman denounce the
attempt of the Republican leaders to
force a fight on the race issue, which
is inevitable if the proposed programme
is carried out. The most conservative
men in the South assert that they will
resist to the last extremity the effort
to force negro domination upon the
white people of the South.
JudsOn Lyons Scheme.
Some of the colored leaders of the
South. when consulted on the subject,
suggest that a compromise might be
reached, to prevent a bitter race con-
fict. Judson Lyons, register of the
treasury, the most conspicuous repre-
sentative of the colored race under the
present administration, proposes that
in order to give the thousands of negro
voters in the South representation in
Congress, a few districts might be made
up in certain states where the negro
population is in the majority. He said
three or four districts, specially ar
ranged, would in his Judgment. go
great way to wiping out the race issue
in the South.