New-York tribune., 1905-02-18
THE SOUTH AND THE PRESIDENT

1t is gratifying to note the quick and cordial
response made by leaders Of opinion at the
South TO President Roosevelt's Lincoln Day
speech in this city. The South has mistrusted
the Presidents views on the race question be-
cause it has never fully understood them. 1t
has attributed to him ideas and purposes wholly
subversive of what it held to be its truest in
terests. But the South is open to reason and
honest enough to retract unjust judgment.
In the Presidents latest deliverance it recog-
nizes a broad and generous purpose with which
it has been loath to credit him. 1t sees that he
stands ready to deal with the race problem in
exactly the same spirit of helpfulness and fair
mndedness as he has shown in dealing with
any and every other problem of the day.
"The New-Orleans Times Democrat" one of
the ablest and most representative of Southern
newspapers. has this to say of the Presidents
Waldorf-Astoria address:
There are some minor points in the speech in
which the whole people of the South do not
tions laid down by him all can unite, and he
proposes broad platform, adapted to the South
well the North. His speech throughout
is patriotic and national free from the slightest
suspicion Of that sectionalism with which he
credited It's tone is friendly. and the
good wishes he expresses for the South, the
sympathy for it in the difficult problems it has
to solve and his strong protest against any in
reference that would tend TO render these prob
lens more difficult should be and will be appre-
ciated by the Southern people. If he can per
suade the party whose head he is TO follow the
sectional or political complications can be
brought to a satisfactory settlement far sooner
than had hoped for, and with far less fric-
tion
Considering the Souths recent attitude tow
ard the President, and remembering the sting
ing articles and speeches levelled at him from
that quarter during the last campaign, this trib-
ute is significant. 1t marks the abandonment
of those unjust and injurious prejudices which
blinded the South TO President Roosevelts real
character and which in n measure inspired its
egregious underestimate Of him both as a man
and a statesman. Now that Southerners are
beginning to realize their error and to put aside
their prepossessions there seems to be no rea-
son why President Roosevelt should not win
the south's full confidence and enjoy among
its people that exceptional popularity which
President Mckinley once enjoyed.
1t was one Of President AlcKinleys great
achievements that he broke down old sectional
barriers and finally banished the sectional issue
from politics His aims and policies were thor
oughly national. He welcomed the South once
more to a full share in the political life of the
nation President Roosevet's aims are equally
unsectional Under his leadership the people of
the North are turning away from the dead
issues of the reconstruction period and are at
tempting to deal with the more urgent and
more vital democratic problems. The South
should lay the ghosts of the past and turn like
wise to the labors of the present. Its awaken
ing TO the bollowness of its recent fears is an
uraging sign. Ere long, perhaps, II may De
ready TO forego its isolation and play its nor
nal and proper role in the nations develop
ment.