Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-08
TAFT ON SOUTH.
Continued from Page One.)

luton rather than as an occasion for
elimination or recrimination with re-
spect to whose fault they may involve.
Il am not going to rehearse the
painful history of reconstruction, or
what followed it. l come at once to the
present condition of things, stated
from a constitutional and political
standpoint. And that is this: That in
all Southern states it is possible by
election laws prescribing proper quail
ifications for the suffrage, which square
with the 18th amendment, and which
shall be equally administered as be-
tween the black and white races, TO
prevent entirely the possibility OF a
domination OF Southern states, coun-
ty or municipal governments by an
ignorant electorate, white or black. 1t
is further true that the sooner such
laws. when adopted. are applied with
exact equality and justice to the two
races the better for the moral tone or
state and community concerned.
Negroes should be given an oppor-
tunity, equally with whites by educa-
ton and thrift to meet the require
ments of eligibility which the state
Legislatu ures in their wisdom snail lay
down in order to secure the safe eXer-
else of the electoral franchise. The Ne
gro should ask nothing other than an
eouai chance to qualify himself for
the franchise and when that is grant
ed nv law and not denied by Executive
discrimination he has nothing tc COM
plain of.
1.-THE proposal to repeal the 18th
amendment is utterly lmpractcabie
and should be relegated to the limbo
of forgotten issues. What we are con-
sidering is something practical. some
thing that means attainable progress.
Jr seems to me to follow, therefore,
that there is, or ought to be. a common
ground upon which we can all stand
in respect to the race question In the
South. The fear that in some way or
other a social equality between the
races shall be enforced by law or
brought about by political measures
really has no foundation except in the
imagination of those who fear such
result The federal government mas
nothing to do with social equality. Ihe
was amendments do not declare in ia
yor of social equality, all that the law
or constitution attempts TO secure Is
equality of opportunity before the law
and in the pursuit of happiness ana IN
the enjoyment of life, liberty and prop
erty. Social equality is something that
grows out of voluntary concessions py
the individuals forming society 1t is
now nearly 40 years since the South
acquired it's political solidity and the
intensity of feeling by which 1t was
maintained. and the ostracism and so.
cial prescription imposed on those
white Southerners who did not SYM
pathize with the necessity for such so
lidarity, could not but make lastihs
impression and create a permanent
bias that would naturally outlast the
reason for its original existence.
MIR, Taft referred to the trials of the
reconstruction period, and continued:
"put times change and men change
with them in any community, however
fixed it's thoughts or habits. ana many
circumstances have blessed us with
their influence in this matter. The
growth of the South since 1880 has been
marvellous.
THE South has become rich. and
only the surface of her wealth has been
scra tc;led.
again. the Democratic party has
not preserved inviolate its traditional
doctrines as to states rights and other
issues and has for the time adopted
new doctrines of possibly doubtful
economic truth and wisdom. Southern
men adhering to the party and the
name find themselves, through the IN
fuence of tradition and the fear OF
restoration of conditions which are now
impossible. supporting platform and
candidate whose political and economic
theories they distrust. Under these
conditions there was in the last cam
paign and there is today throughout
the South among many of its most in
telligent citizens an impatience, ner-
yousness and reStlessness in voting
for one ticket and rejoicing in the sue
cess of another.
Il believe that the movement away
from political solidity mas started and
ought to be encouraged and l think
one way to encourage it's to have
the South understand that the attitude
of the North and the Republican party
toward it is not one of hostility or crit
icsm or opposition, political or other
wise; that they believe in the main
tenance of the 18th amendment. hut
that as already explained. they do not
deem that amendment to be incon-
sistent with the Souths obtaining and
maintaining what is regarded as its
political safety from domination of an
ignorant electorate.