The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-02-12
slI Of 1 GUN.


zAuKs OF NIGGIcR AMEND
xrBNTs.
'Dlscussrs ruolebpal Conditiosss In the
osueh - Ensn,erasss Party Poh-
c1ee-Gevs - F1fttenth Amend
nens Ahs Nee Besa - snccessfs,
"a ~ 1savsssasb aad Foprteenth.
Jfnonas CITY. Feb. lo.--wm. n.
1U1l scorstary of war. tonight wss
& oo>A g honor and chief spoAesman
~ ) 6anqust ssvso In Convention hall
- l,3ee psrsons hy the Associatisa Of
yesas Republicans oe NisDsrs. He
f, Nes given great reception.
SECRETARY Tafrs speech wss a sen-
oeal des4nss Of the -Hstub,icAn par ty
pn0 sspsoially Of shs policies brought
'oo.ths tore by the s6ufpistrution Of
1Asodors Roosevelt.
Secretary Thft spoke OF the three
war Amendments of thcr cons titution.
~ 18th. l4ta ass 1Sth. The opera
tion of the 18th pmendment. that
4, which forbade sny state to deprive
4 tne negro Of his vote on account of
~ color or previous condition Of
ssfvitude. had not no said. been as
@ucce><ful a. that OF the 18th and
1lth. The leaders OF the South had.
= many ssates. however. cast about
nHake ths' law square With the .ex.
n&ing condition BY property ami ed
. focsuonnl qualifications whicf should
vefy>ds Wost OF the negro vote: '"rhia
avo}d the hoRid tho speaker, Ito
were wont q, .overccme the color vote
y ns South. itself indicates a turn
f"r the better. II Is said. however,
and With truth. that tbs Sc eiec.;,p
/. laws are intended 10 be enforced by
mears Of the discretion v,st-s In
election nnicers 50 as to exclude the
meliEibSe oolcred man with ,,gor ana
to allow the Ineligible whites wac
ought also 10 be excluded. r.. the in
tsry ef the franchise. Depl .rable as
tor y. stili the s;tration is oy no
means hopeless enc for the Southern
4 negro
"rhr grcatrst friend the South.rn
'eesro Is likely to have IN the broad
minded Southern white man who
VUpsthises with tho coiored man
s ane knows his value 20 the south.
Nor - II unreasonable to hope that
the pen who have already sought to
come within the law. and avoid vio-
1ence. ~til ultimately see the wisdom
and rishteoumcss Of the equal en-
.forcemesf OF thu law Of eligibility
Aasaiust white and black"
Secretary Taft said that he was
confident thsf In the end tho 18th
Amendmsnt .~Kiii prove to be . bull
XArk sqrnliy peneniciai with that
~ <hs isth ana 18th amendments to
Al subordinate. Aowntroddeu. strug-
cling race"
Secretary TAFT saumerated the vari-
svs pql(cies OF the party In the past
and said that only twice in all that
rsmarksbie history OF - years have
We Iose the confidence Of the people
,of the Unsssd States to ta.s point Of
their turning over tho goversment to
Democratic executive.
"By reason os circumstances I need
not detail" no coptinu.d. "vhe .nfu-
snce of tho Rspsblican rarty has
teen little felt South OF Mason and
o;xon's line. II II true that m Mary
land. West Virginia. Kentucky and
13iseouri. tho Republican party has
teen .ften In the majority. but In the
ether s. uthern States contest has
seemed hopeless. The time has come.
in my judgement. when Il Is tho duty
q our party TO maize an earn, st effort
90 win to our party SUPPORT the
many sorthcrners who think with US
on every living national issue and
have only bcsn kept from our ranks
BY the ghost cf the past
In concluding. Secretary Taft said:
vigorous atti"; AMI measures TO
stamp out existing abuses ard effect
ne reforms are necessary to vindi-
cate society as at present con stituted.
Otherwise we must yieyia tn those
!. vho seek 10 introduce q new order Of
n1fnss I'm n sociAlistio basis'