The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-19
TAFT PROVES A
FRIEND OF SOUTH
President Elect Wins Cheers of South
Carolina Men at
Banquet.
SPEAKS FREELY OF NEGRO.
Intimates That the Fifteenth Amend
ment was a Mis-
take.

cones and branches of the resinous
trees forming the background for more
fragrant blooms which were scattered
everywhere over snowy linens and
fiagdraped walls.
Taft, in the course of an address,
which was confined entirely to the
country and its problems did not hes
itate to follow up what he regards as
the advantages of his trip through the
South during the recent campaign, and
urged again that the voters of that
! section should break away from the
outlived sentiment and traditions of
their past political affiliations and cast
their ballots in accordance with their
economic and real political beliefs.
Taft declared that nothing would
give him greater pride during his
coming term in the Chief Executives
Office than to so direct the policy Of
the National Government with respect
to the Southern states as to convince
the intelligent citizens of the South of
the desire of his administration to aid
them in working out satisfactorily the
serious problems before them and OF
bringing them and their Northern fell
low citizens closer and closer in SYM
pathy and point of view.
During the last decade" said Taft,
"in common with all lovers of our
country, have watched with delight
and thanksgiving the bond of union
between the two sections grow firmer.
1 pray that it may be given to me to
strengthen the sympathy, to obliterate
all sectional lines and leave nothing
of difference between the North and
South save friendly emulation for
the benefit of our common country"
At the conclusion of practically ev-
cry one of his pointed sentences Taft
was interrupted with applause and
cheering. He frankly expressed him
sci regarding the so-called negro
=. question" and declared that neither
he nor the Republican party had any
intention of imposing upon the South
the domination of an ignorant class.
Taft declared that the North yearns
for a close associations with the South,
and quoted statistics to show that the
industries of the South had grown and
prospered more during the past decade
than any other section of the country.
In his address Taft said
Southern men adhering to the De-
mocratic party and the name find
themselves, through the influence of
tradition and the fear of restoration
of conditions which are now impos-
sible, supporting a platform and can
didates 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 it's most
intelligent citizens, an Impotence, a
nervousness and a restlessness in vot-
ing for one ticket and in rejoicing in
the success of another.
Now, l am not one of those who
are disposed to criticise or emphasize
the inconsistency of the position in
which these gentlemen find themselv-
es. / believe it would be wiser If al
who sympathize with one party and
: its principles were to vote it's ticket
: but can readily understand the weight
Z and inertia of the tradition and the
social considerations that make them
: hesitate.
IT believe that the movement away
5 from political solidarity has beer
z started and ought to be encouraged
and l think one way to encourage i
: is to have the South understand tina
z the attitude of the North and the Re
publican party toward it is not one o
hostility or criticism or opposition, pc
E litical or otherwise; that they believ'
in the maintenance of the Fifteenth
8 amendment, but, as already explained
they deem that amendment to be in
consistent with the South's obtainin
: and maintaining what it regards a
it's political safety from domination
: of an ignorant electorate; that tn
Z North yearns for closer association
= with the South; that it's citizens de
3 precate that reserve in the otherwis
delightful social relations betwee
Southerners and Northerners as the
are much more frequently thrown ia
gether.
I'm welcoming TO a change of part
r afnliatlon many Southerners who hay
been Democrats, We are brought fac
TO face with a delicate situation
which we can only meet with franz
ness and justice, In our anxiety
bring the Democratic southerner inf
new political relations we should haN
and can have no desire 20 pass by
Ignore the comparatively few viii
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