The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-18
ELIMINATE THE NEGRO QUESTION
THIS is ONLY THING THAT PRE-
VENTS SOUTHERN STATES
FROM BEING REPUBLICAN.

which was SO vigorously advocated by
secretary Taft in his Greensboro
speech, is something that is bound to
occur sooner or later. It NAV not
come about in the present generation
but it will come later, and a partial
breakup is confidently looked for
within the next decade, is the report
that comes from Washington CITY.
The "solid south" of today is not the
solid south of old. Maryland and
West Virginia have broken awav per-
manently, and even Missouri could not
statnd in line in the campaign two
years ago. Missouri will probably find
her way back to the fold for a time
but she is one Of the states likely to go
republican on occasions when the
campaigns are fought out on issues
which directly touch her people.
Negro Question Principle Trouble.
AS Secretary Taft clearly pointed
out. the negro question is all that
makes the south solidly democratic.
Eliminate the negro, and a majority of
the southern states would go repub-
llcan tomorrow. The south, as much
as any other section, has prospered
under the republican protection laws
and it is to the interest of the south
as much as to he inerest of New Eng
land to keep up the tariff wall to a
reasonable height. Nobody knows this
better than the men who have invest
ed heavily in the manufacturing in
dustry and the mining industry and In
modern agriculture throughout the
south
But the negro boyle man is Haunted
IN the face of the southern voters in
every campaign, and they are told that
they must continue to vote the demo-
cratic ticket or submit to negro DOM
lnalon, so he same old story is writ
ten year after year. The south. ever
since the civil war, has been a section
OF one party, but has progressed in
spite of this fact, but only because the
republicans have been in control of the
government for these many years and
nave enacted legislation which car
rled its benefits to the democratic
south as well as to the republican
north and west.
What Capital Is Doino.
The phenomenal inf1uex of canita,
mo the southern states in late years
has developed resources that Law dor.
mant ever since the war. The cotton
mills of the south, which were not
dreamed Of in times past, are now
able to compete with the long estab-
llshed cotton mills of the New Eng
land states, thus giving the south the
profit not only on the production of
raw cotton but the additional profit
on manufactures of cotton. This
would never have happened but for the
protective tariff law
In the same way capital has been
flowing into those southern states
which have rich mineral deposits.
Until the republican protection was
firmly established these resources were
scarcely touched. Today the south is
producing its own fuel, is mining vast
quantities of iron, and it's other min
erals are being prospected and devel-
oped as they became better known.
Such vast section of the country
as is embraced in the states of the
"solid south cannot forever ignore
those governmental policies which
mean so much to it's own development
anG its own prosperity. The people of
the south are becoming better educat-
ed from year to year, the blacks as
well as tI.e whites, and as they begin
to realize the benefits that flow from
honest political strife they are bound
to break away from the old regime
and bury the negro boyle man.
Must Change Organization.
But before this reform takes place
there must be radical change in the
organization of the southern republic
ans. In many southern states the re-
publican organization Of today is alb
surd. Republican state committees
have been organized and maintained
solely to control patronage, and up to
3 the time Of Roosevelt these commit
! tees had things their own way. Pres
0 ident Roosevelt is aware of the prac-
s tice so common among southern re-
J publicans and has Slisregarded these
|. local organizations whenever he has
p been satisfied that they were kept alive
3 solely for the patronage they could
control. What the president wants
and what Secretary Taft advocated is
a republican party in the south that