St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-08-31
The Two Radical Colonies

Georgia, that he would accept (
third term If thereby he couIt
break the Solid South, a distincr
shive1 passed up and down the
splnes of all the candidates for the
Presidential Office, and the entire
country was shaken.
There were already many per-
sons who believed that in some
way or other Mr.. Roosevelt is to
be up before the American people
as candidate for their favor, and
when a few days ago Secretary
Taft made regular stump speech
to the Southern people, the Pie
ayune asked whether the Secretary
was electioneerlng for himself or
tor the President. The New York
Sun seems to have taken up some
such notion, when III its issue of
Sunday last 1t says ed1torlally:
The achievement nearest to Theodore
Roosevelt's heart. more precious than
the crash OF Constitutions and the wreck
of peace, is the dissolution of the Solid
South. He doesn't expect to do it all
at once. Modesty treads hard upon his
conquering heels, and Temperance,
wreathed in every charm Of novelty, dis
tracts him for the moment. 1t will not
last, and Secretary Taft is careful to
refrain from promises, but just now
there is reason to believe that the
President would rather add Kentucky,
Tennessee or Georgia to his "bag'
than paralyze another corporation or
usher in a panic. John Temple has
most unearthly music. The Secretary
of War repeats it in solemn and i'm |
impressive terms.
1t would be interesting, however, to
know something about the basis Of |
President Roosevelt's expectations. |
There was time when many thous- |
ands OF serious men, the representatives |
OF Southern Progress and rehabilitation |
looked kindly, even approYingly, upon
Republican policies as exempliied by |
William Mckinley. They had emerged |
from the ruin wrought by the carpet
bag regime and were beginning to re-
construct then PROSTATE prosperity.
In various parts of the so-called ''solid''
section the pioneers of industry and
enterprise had realized the Importance
to them of the protective system and
the perpGtuation of the national idea.
Moreover, they recognized in Mr.. Nc
hlnley the prophet of wholesome
gospel, the assurance of sympathetic
reconciliation, guarantee of their
own self-respect in adopting and pursu-
ing measures of cooperation. Had
Mckinley lived to the end of his term
the dream of disintegrated South
no less fondlY cherished in that section
than at the North would have passed
into the procession Of realities. But
where IS the South's temptation now
to forswear its ancient faith?
The South is nothing If not conserva-
tive. Upon its political affairs still
burn the fires of inherited ideals. In
the days of its distress and hopeless
ness it has been led astray by various
preten6ers and imposters, but those
days are gone never to return. The
vapors Of despair have been dispersed.
The bright sun of courage and assur-
ance rides the Southern sky. The
leaders who were attracted by William
Mckinley still lead. The old, accepted
institutions have survived, the time
honored standards of Anglo-Saxon
civilization have successfully def1ed
misfortune and disaster. In the South
as elsewhere in the realm of human
nature there are lovers of the strenuous
and apostles of disorder. The night
riders, the lynchers, the White Cappers
still practice violence and adore its
prophet. These, however, are only
makers of the hue and cry. They no
more represent the South than the
Black Hand, the Hunchakists and the
union labor ''Sympathizers" represent
the North.
Theodore Roosevelt longs to dislo-
cate the Solid South. John Temple
Graves has told us SO in sweetest song.
William Howard Taft has certified to
that announcement with weighty il
perfuuctory and languid eloquence.
But how does the President propose to
realize his hope? In what part of the
South will he look for his material?
While 1t is not to be thought of
that single Southern State will
be seduced into the Republican
column IN November, 1908, there
rs no question that Colonel Roose-
welt at this moment can claim with
reason in the South a large person.
al popularity. The radical ele-
ment will be divided between him
and Colonel Bryan. This is the
era of RadicaIism, and candidates
who will stand for radical doc
trines will be in demand. Whether
Radlcallsm will realize it's apotheo-
sis IN the GROWING next year of
the one OF the other Of its chief
priests who are colonies remains a
but the Conservatism of
the South cannot be too confident.
lY depended on.-Picayune.
With the development of new
mining industries and rapidly MI
ereasing manufacturing interests, of
that tender age when protection is
necessary; with those conditions
which have made a solid South
possible or desirable fast becoming
traditional, it does not seem ina
possible that an event which must
take place some time should occur
through confidence and faith in a
man who has exhibited the cour-
age, strength and unfaltering de-