The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-07-12

Greensboro, N. c., Specialize
most interesting feature of the Repub-
lican State convention here was the
address by Secretary of War, William
III. Taft. The address was in part as
follows:
"Republicans of North Carolina:
when your committee did me the
honor to ask me to address the Re
publican convention of North Caro-
lima, they advised me that the politi-
cal situation was such that if a prop
er effort were made at the coming
election, it would be possible to carry
the State for the Republican party,
and that in that effort they felt they
were entitled to the sympathy and
assistance of Republicans throughout
the country. The appeal had con-
vincing weight with me, for I be-
lleve that nothing that could hap
pen in the politics of this country
would work greater advantage to the
country at large, and to the South in
particular, than the breaking up of
what has been properly known as the
"Solid South" l say this in no par
tlsan spirit, for / am not one of those
who think that this result would
necessarily increase the probability
of the continuance in power of the
Republican party. The solidity of the
South while it has assured to the
Democratic party a certain number
OF congressman and a certain num-
Der Of electoral votes, has In a meas
ure furnished its own antidote by re-
Strpining many voters III the North
who might have left the Republican
party bat for what they regard as
the injustice and danger Of Southern
political conditions"
Here Secretary Taft referred to the
Acknowledgement of the negro, show
ing that this was not approved by the
people of the north. Concerning the
present day South he said:
"The white people of the South are
a homogeneous people. much more
likely to cherish traditions and re-
tain customs and opinion of the past
than the people of the North of more
mixed descent. Hence it takes a long
time to convince the white people of
the South, intelligent, c~lear-headed
and energetic as they are, that the
cry OF negro domination, so often
raised by politicians among them, is
merely for the purpose of solidifying
their vote on the Democratic side
and has no real jurisdiction in fact.
As long as the years Immediately fol-
lowing the war, their agriculture Ian
9ulShed, their mines remained I'M
opened, their factories were few in
number, and the prosperity Of the
country seemed confined to that part
of it lying north of Mason's and Dix
on's line, it was easy, by appeals to
re~celleetions of the civil wal. and the
unfortunate sequence of reconstruc-
ton, to fill the ranks of the Demo-
cratic army and maintain the solid
ty of the South. But NV, during
the last decade, an unprecedented pc
Rod of prosperity has come for the
fair Southern States"
The Secretary then led off into the
body of his speech, showing what the
present administration and the past
congress have done for the country.
He argued that it is now time for a
break in the solidity of the South,
that the best interests of the whole
country demands it, and that North
Carolina is good republican ground.
Concerning the republican position
on the trust question he said:
cit has been the habit of the Dem
ocratic party to attack the Republi-
can party as ~favOring trusts and cor
porations, and opposed to the labor
ing man. Nothing could be farther
from the fact. The record of that
party shows that the only substantial
steps which have been really taken
to stop the abuses and oppression at
tempted by the irresponsible hold
ers of the great wealth and corporate
power, have been by the Republican
party and there is no more brilliant
and successful exponent o fthis policy
than Theodore Roosevelt. His declar-
atoms made before the election are
being enforced and put into practice
after the election
Mr.. Taft argued that the republi-
cans were not to be criticised for the
seeming extravaganza of the past
congress; that the expenditures made