The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-07-10
July 10, 1906.
BREAK THE "SOLLD SOUTH'
...fss Is THE MESSAGE, OF TAFT


Greensboro, N. c., July 10:-Secreta-
ry Of War William H. Taft tonight, be-
fore ar meeting of North Carolina re-
publicans,, on the eve Of their state con.
generally anticipated as the opening gun
Of the congressional campaign of 1905.
The speech dealt with current polit-
ical questions and opening with advice
to the rank and file of the party in
North Carolina and the south, particu-
larly referred to the achievements of
the, party, in the session Of congress
just closed. - 'as, - -.,:' =,
The operahouse was packed to over
moving by q throng eager to hear the
secretary Of war and hundreds Of per-
50 sons were turned away because Of the
limited size Of the hall I
Secretary Taft, in opening, said that
when he was invited to address this
meeting. q committee informed him
that the political situation was such
that if proper effort was made at the
the state for the republican party. The
secretary, added 8" .
81 believe that nothing that could
happen in the politics Of this country
that would be Of greater advantage to
the country, the south in paticular,
than. the breaking up Of what has been
properly known as the solid SOUTH I
say this in no partizan spirit, for am
not one Of those who think that this
reason necessarily would increase the
probability Of the continuance in power
Of the republican party.
The solidity Of the south has, in a
measure, furnished it's own antidote in
restraining many voters in the north
who might have left the republican
party but for what they regarded as
the. injustice and danger of southern
political conditions. = 4
Blames Race Prejudice u
"The south has been kept solid by
by the stirring up Of racial preju dices
and the arousing Of unfounded alarm
over an impossible return to reconstruc-
ton days. :.
"During the long struggle the ne
groes' vote was made to count for moth
ing, and then the leaders Of the dom
tnant party came to realize that dread
full disqualification of all society that
follows in a government if the law
sis. They cast about to make the law
square with existing conditions by
property and educational qualifications
which should exclude the negro. They
adopted amendments to the state con
stitution with the so-called grand.
father clauses intended to apply the
nsT Exaq qualifications to the negroand not
| The secretary said that it is imp
sible to frame. a law esta blishing an
educational qualification for .'suffra &c
which will stand the test ofSsthe if
teenth amendment and yet not Operate
ultimately to exclude impartially the
negroes and whites who lack educa;
tional requirement from the ballot. /:
Exclude Ignorant Whites, Too.
- policy which excludes black and
cannot be criticized,' he declared.
During the past decade, Mr.. Taft
pointed out, a period of unprecedented
prosperity has come for the southern
states. E
"Under the circumstances, he said
lit is not to be expected that the sen
sible, clear-headed business men of the
south 90 net perceive the tremendous
ern states labor in having only ont
party with any voice in their stat'
government and in being herded to
| gether always as the hide-bound sup
port Of the democratic party of thu
country, no matter what wild fallacie
it may adopt in its platf orm nor VIVA
candidate 1t may put before the coun
try y;rh. .ffs.t ~ the ohanaa - indus
trial conditions in eliminating the or,
of negro domination from the <politici
of the former slave-owning states ha4
manifested itself first in the border
states. West Virginia has become per
4 manently republican and Maryland ant
Missouri put them in the republican
column in the last presidential election
while Kentucky nearly brought fortl
Mckinley campaign. ''.~,1s4%
HsThe question which should address
4 itself stoqthe great business interests 0:
the SOUTH" the secretary stated, g" il
how much longer the specter of thing
past is to hold them to a political al
1egiance that does them no good in ma
tional politics, and deprives their com
munities of the inestimable benefit O.
the presence in local politics of tw'
has a real chance of being punished
for it's misconduct
l Right on the Tariff.
! He said that altho much Of tn
1wealth Of the south is dependent upo1
| a protective tariff, it's representative
in a national, convention vote unhesi
tatlngly TOR the proposition That pro
tective tariff is robbery of the man,
for the benefit Of few; that altho
great majority Of the southern peopl
are strongly In favor Of maintaininj
the flag in the Philippines untilss5;th
sacred trust imposed by circumstance
shall have been: highly and fully dis
charged, they - nevertheless permit tn
democratic party in the chase afte
northern votes, TO formulate the falls
cry of u: anti-imperialism' for whic
they have no sympathy whatever an
on which they were twice led to humi
iating, national defeat. 49,.
} HAgain, continued the secretar,
emo part Of this country Is vitality il