The Detroit times., 1908-12-26
REAL REPUBLICAN
PARTY IN SOUTH,
TAFT'S IDEA
CONFERENCES PLANNED WITH
LEADERS IN, AUGUSTA TO OUT.
LINE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROBLEM MAY BE BLOCK.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-Accord-
ing to reports received by southern
coAgressmen, Judge Taft will hold,
during his stay at Augusta. important
conferences with Republican leaders
of southern states with a view TO out
lining a fixed policy for the building
mp of a real Republican party in tie
south. That the president-elect ls In
earnest in his efforts to accomplish
something In this direction is now be-
iieved by leading southern politicians.
Democrats and Republicans alike. To
a certain element of Republicans the
outlook Is encouraging, while to many
of the Democrats IL Is causing uneasi-
ness.
According to prominent Louisiana
Republican who saw Taft in Washing
ton during his recent visit here there
Is every reason to believe that II Tat
pursues q wise policy toward southern
politics he can force an enterirg
wedge that will eventually cause "a
split In the south, even II that sptt
does not occur four years from now.
Southern business men believe the
time Is ripe for the breaking up of tie
solid south and. during the recent SEES
sions OF the national rivers and har-
oors congress, which were attended by
many OF the south's leading men OF al
fairs, several OF them went direct to
Taft on the subject
They assured the future president
that they were with him. but frankly
insisted that they should be left alone
in the management OF their anairs.
rhey told Taft plainly that the trouble
with the Republican party in the soutL
at the present time was that II had
been and is being run from Washing
ton Their idea is that IL should be
Iun from the various state capitals, as
IL is elsewhere in the country.
AS to the running Of the party TAFT
did not commit himself, but on the
question OF leaving the south TO work
cut its own problems In its own way
he was as frank as his visitors lie
.old them that the time was not ripe
for him To make an open declaration
etn this subject, and that ii would be
exceedingly unwise for him TO shout
his views from the housetops just
now. but that they might rest assured
they would have nothing TO complain
OF as result OF that policy. This
was enough for the southern business
men. who went away greatly encour-
aged by Judge Taft's statement and
confident that the growth and progress
OF the south will be benefited to Il
much greater extent by the Taft az
ministration than 1t has been by the
Roosevelt administration.
While the subject has not yet been
opened, IL is known that the serious
underlying problem that will confront
Taft and those southerners who want
10 see the south split politically is the
Negro question. ii Taft follows the
policy of appointing Negroes TO iu:-
portant federal positions In the south
ern states. the independent Democrats
and leading Republicans say, all hope
OF building up his party in the south
may as well be abandoned.
The view OF the Independents and
Lily Whites Is simply this: The south
prn states have adopted suffrage laws
which exclude illiterate Negroes from
the use of the ballot. These laws have
stood the test OF the courts and are
now on the statute books to stay.
Nothing that Taft or any other Repub-
lean president can do will change
them. Therefore, Taft should accept
these suffrage laws and not defy hem
by implication. by the appointment OF
Negroes To ONCE.
In recent years. the southerneTs
claim, it has been the practice Of Re-
publican presidents TO cater to the Ne
groes Of the south merely for the sake
of the effect II would have on the Ne.
groes of the north. What Taft should