Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-07-17

TAFT IN THE SOUTH.


the Republicans of North Carolina on
the eve Of their state convention. His
speech dealt largely with current pc
litical questions. but US there wereS
of the Republicans carry
ing the state this fall. he dwelt upon
the importance of breaking up what
has been known as the solid south.
He said that nothing could happen in
the politics of this country that would
be of greater advantage to the country
at large and to the south in partlcu-
lar than it's accomplishment. He dis
dained any partisan spirit in making
the statement, as he did not think
that this result would necessarily IN
crease the probability of the contin-
uance in power of the Republican
party. THE solidity of the south,
said the secretary. has. in meas
ure, furnished its own antidote in re-
straining 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
The south. the secretary said, has
been kept solid by the spectre of negro
domination and by stirring up racial
prejudices and arousing unfounded
alarm over return to reconstruction
days.
The secretary said it is impossible
to frame a law establishing an educa-
tional qualification for suffrage which
will stand the test of the 18th amend
ment, and which will not operate III
timately to exclude impartially the
negroes and whites from the ballot
who lacked educational requirements
"A policy in the SOUTH he said
which excludes from the ballot i'm
partially black and white, when igno
rant and irresponsible, cannot be
criticised"
During the past decade. Mr.. Taft
pointed out. a period of unprecedent-
ed prosperity has come for the fair
southern states. Under the circum-
Stances he said, it is not to be eX-
pected that the sensible. clear-headed
business men of the south do not per
ceive the tremendous disadvantage I'M
der which the southern states labor
voice in their state governments, and
in being herded together always as
the hide-bound support of the Demo
cratic party of the country, no mat
ter what wild fallacies it may adopt
in it's platform nor what candidate
it may put before the country"
The question that should address
Itself to the great business interests
of the south, the secretary stated, rs
how much longer the spectre of things
past is to hold them to a political al
legiance that does them no good in
national politics, and deprives their
communities of the inestimable ben
eft Of the presence in local politics
of two parties. each of which. if il
does wrong. has real chance of be
ing punished for its misconduct"
In Straightforward and logica
manner Mr. Taft went on to show how
the policies of the Republican part.
had benefited the south and brough
that region the greatest prosperity /
had ever enjoyed. by the inyestmen
of capital and the establishment o
new industries
Mr.. Taft reviewed the achievement
of President Roosevelt and a Republi
can congress in passing laws to cor
rect the wrongs practiced by the rail
roads and the trusts.
sThe Investigations by the depart
ment of commerce and labor" salt
Mr.. Taft, 'have shown the methot
by which the Standard Oil compan.
has maintained its monopoly Of thu
oil business and prosecutions have
been ordered in many of the fedora
courts of the country in order not onl.
to vindicate the law for past viola
tons, but to bring about condition
of things in which the managers o
prosperous and successful corpora
tions of this country shall pay hee-
to injunctions of the statutes and no
allow temptations of immense profit
to blind them to the necessity 70
obedience to law"
Mr.. Taft's speech throughout wa
one that could have been expected
of the man. It dealt with facts in
stead Of theories. It was free from
demagogism and the tricks of the pol
itician bent on arousing hatred an,
prejudice He pays just tribute t,
President Roosevelt for his unflinch
ing devotion to duty and higher ideals
Theodore Roosevelt" he said, go
more than three years and half hal
discharged the duties of president
During that period Mr.. Roosevelt had
again and again. by word and by act
manifested to the people his determ