The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-12-15
The Threat Against the South.


Richmond Times Dispatch.
Two notable delivcrances have re-
Gently been made by distinguished
Southern Democrats. Several days
ago Mr. John Sharp Williams, leader
Of the Democratic minority in the
House of Representatives,, made Il
speech at Spartanburg, S. e., i'll which
he said that ii the South's represent
tatiOn inCongress should lie reduced
as threatened by some OF the Repub-
hcans, the South should pursue Il
policy of pacific resistance: that it
should continue electing the same
number of representatives as before,
and sending them to Washington;
il they should be refused admission IL
case should be made up and carried
to the Supreme Court: if Congress
should undertake in consequence OF
this action by the South to direct
the election OF representatives with
out the authority of the several
States, Mr.. Williams would have the
Southern representatives elected I'LL
der a pledge not to take their seats
in the House or draw their salaries
until the question should be deter
mined by the Supreme Court.
The result said he, would be that
the several States affected would not be
represented at all in the House of Repre-
sentatlyes or in the electoral college as
long as the Republican political suprem-
acy continued. But the object lesson,
which the South would thus present to
the North would cause Il reaction at
some future day against the spectacle of
hall dozen States of the Union volun-
tarlly unrepresented in the national
councils rather than acknowledge the
rightfulness of political serfdom or the in
equality of the States within the Union"
More recently Senator A. O. Bacon,
OF Georgia, published a letter, a
synopsis of which was printed in the
Times-Dispatch of Sunday and the
sum and substance of which is CON
tanned in the following paragraphs:
Shall we, above all other things.
stand for white supremacy? If there are
any who will endeavor to conciliate
GeorgIans IN their opposition to the Re
publican party and to persuade them
that their interest lies in the advance
ment OF that party in the State, the issue
to be determined will be q very narrow
one, if not confused or disguised. 1t is
simply this: Does the Republican party
believe in and advocate white suprem
acy, and is it opposed to negro office
holding in the South? If yes, then the
Democratic party in the South will
ground its arms so far as concerns that
issue. But ii no, then the argument with
us is closed, because il the Republican
party is opposed to white supremacy in
the South and does favor negro office
holding, there are no considerations
which should be sufficient to induce the
white men OF Georgia to support that
party
1t is a disgrace to the nation that
the South be put into this embar-
RAISING. not to say humiliating, situ-
alton. When the ignorant negroes
OF this section were enfranchised it
was imperatiyely necessary, from
every point OF view that the South
ern whites should take drastic action
to prevent negro domination. 1t
was simply impossible that the white
race could supinely yield to the po-
litical domination of the negro race.
for such a surrender would have
meant ruin to property interests, the
overthrow OF law, utter demoraliza-
ton and destruction to civilization
itself. All sorts of obstructive meth
DDS were resorted to until finally a
means was discovered of disfranchis-
ing the great body of ignorant and
vicious negro voters without violat-
ing the expressed provisions of the
Federal Constituted 1t is that and
that alone which has kept the South
"soiid,' and the South will continue
to be "solid until the fear and
threat of negro domination have
been removed. President Roosevelt
may make all the friendly overtures
possible, but as Senator Bacon saws,
unless the Republican party is in
favor of white supremacy, it cannot
reasonably expect the utilization of
the Southern whites.
There is but one way to remove