The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-08-30
SOUTH URGED
TO BREAK UP
Taft Bids for Votes in the States
of Dixie Land.
SOLIDITY is DRAWBACK
ROosevolt's Candidate Opens Kentucky
State Republican Campaign in
Speech at Lexington.

With a discussion of the race prob
lem and Of general political issues, and
with an appeal to Kentuckians and
other southern men to come to the aid
Of the republican party in support
of those principles, which he believed
they favored, Secretary of War Taft,
Thursday, opened the republican state
campaign in Kentucky at Lexing-
ton Calling attention to what he call
ed the souths lack of representation,
in the councils of the nation, he de.
clared that this was true because one
single issue has made it the perpetual
tail Of the democratic party, so that,
however small the northern head it
ways that TAIL
"The south has permitted the shad-
ows of an issue that circumstance
ought long ago to have removed from
political controversy to bind it solidly
to the democratic party, no matter
what principles or candidates that par
ty has adopted"
He called attention to the prosperity
of Kentucky, it's developing industries
and agricultural wealth, and express
ed the belief that Kentuckians who
favored protective tariff had blindly
voted the democratic ticket because of
the feeling of the race issue.
Then, taking up The race question,
he said:
Il am not pessinnist with respect
to the race question. Lam convinced
that it is working itself out, and I am
convinced that nothing has SO much
contributed to its gradual solution as
the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments"
After mentioning the various means
Of DISTINGUISHING voters, declaring that
such laws were proper if applied with
equal fairness to both white and black
he expressed the hope that the colored
citizens, under the leadership of such
men as Booker T. Washington, would
become respected business men Of
communities in which they live The
secretarv continued.
"And when they exercise independ-
ence of judgment in respect to polti-
cal issues we may be sure that grad
ually the right to vote will be accorded
them, and they will exercise a far
more useful influence as int lligent and
solid members of the community for
the benefit of their race than the ig-
norant members Of their race would
have exercised had they been allowed
to vote. In this way through devious
ways, which cannot be justified or
approved, we may still reach result
that will square with the requirement
of the federal constitution, and will
give to the negro every political and
economic right, and will confer great
benefit upon the colored race.
1.-THE negro is necessary to the south
as a laborer, skilled and unskilled
Were the negro to be withdrawn from
the south, the difficulties agriculture
would labor under can hardly be over
stated. The negro is an American, he
has no other country than this and
can have no other country than this,
and when called upon to offend It
lays down his life with the same free.
dom that the white man sacrifices his.
It is our duty to see to it that his
path is made as easy as we can and
that his progress is as incessant as
proper encouragement can make it. His
best friends-the one that can do most
for him and the one IN many respects
who sympathizes with him most-is
who sympathizes with him most--is
the southern white man."