Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-11-09
THURSDAY, NOV. 8. 1905.
THE PRESIDENT AND
SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS.

The very remarkable change in the
feeling of Southern Democrats toward
President Roosevelt is hard to account
for by any one who is not'well acquaint-
ed with those who are the Democratic
leaders of this section. There is no
part of the Union where the political
views of the masses of the people are so
completely dominated by leaders as at
the South; and of the Southern States
Virginia is the most extreme example.
Occupying as it does that peculiar posi-
ton, the Democratic leaders and news
papers of the State have made them
selves ridiculous by the inconsistent
positions they have occupied toward
Theodore Roosevelt as a. man and as
President of the United States.
When Mr.. Roosevelt was the presi-
Dental candidate of the Republican
party last year he was more violently
abused by the Virginia Democrats than
by the opposition in any other State.
They insisted that RooseVelt's person
atty was the only issue involved and
that he was personally repulsive to the
people of the South. Some of the at
tacks made upon him by Virginia Dem
ocratic leaders and the press were abso-
lutely vile. But the recent visit made
by the President to Virginia has shown
how thoroughly inconsistent the Demo-
cracy of this State have been and can
be. The people of Richmond not only
gave the President an ovation when he
visited that city, but the political lead
ers ran over each other trying to see
which could be the most conspicuous in
showing their great regard for the dis
tinguished visitor. Less than twelve
months previous to that visit one OF
the Richmond papers had declared that
if Mr.. Roosevelt should come to the
city he ought not to and would not re-
ceive any social recognition or social
courtesies.
Now, why has this wonderful change
taken place in the sentiment Of the
Virginia Democracy. and why are they
so friendly to the man and distinguished
official they recently despised and
abused? He is precisely the same man
he was in 1904. There have been no
changes in his official policy and he
stands politically for the same things
he stood for when presidential candi-
date.
If the changed attitude of the Vir-
ginia Democracy toward the President
can be reasonably accounted for it can
only be done by studying the expressed
sentiments of the leaders and newspa-
pers. When we find man so conspic-
uous a Democrat as A. c. Braxton in
stump speech commencing the Presi-
dent and urging Southern representa-
tives to stand by him, we begin to have
a rational explanation of the situation.
1t is perfectly obvious that the Dem
ocrats of this State have no warmer
personal regard for Theodore Roose-
welt than they had last year. The Rich
mond Times-Dispatch says that the
people of Virginia (meaning the Demo-
crats) hate the name Republican. So
it is not personal regard for the man
nor respect for his party that caused
the Democrats to make such fuss
over the President when he visited
Richmond.
The fact is, the Southern Democrats
believe they can use Mr.. Roosevelt in
such way as to create rupture in the
Republican party. They have an idea
that there is prospect of the Presi-
dent trying to force certain policies
upon his party that will not be accept
able to majority of the Republicans
in Congress. And they believe if such
a thing should happen that the Demo
Gratis could unite with Republican mi
nority in Congress and defeat the Re
publican majority, thus making great
breach in the party. We apprehend,
however, that they have mistaken their
man. Mr.. Roosevelt did not make his
tour of the South for the purpose of
winning the Southern Democrats to the
support of any policy he expects to adj
vocate and that he believes will not be
approved by his own party. He came
to our section from a higher motive.
His greatest desire was to help remove
the bitter sectional feeling that still
prevails here, that feeling which makes
the newspapers and the Democratic
leaders hate policy simply because it