The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-12-26
4 piea for Southern Political
independence.

1fGSlQe1bsG IGcb ait mas E6tGSI dtSu
since the election his earnest and we'll
considered desire to see sectional Ines
obliterated in the politics and govern
ment of the nation, and has en-
phasized his conviction that the break
i iEg up of "the solid south" as polit-
| ical entity will be of immense benefit,
primarily to the people of the south
) and condarily to those of the eoun-
try at large. His views on this import
/ ant subject were given new currency
and added force by an address OF ad-
mirable temper and clear conviction
which he delivered at the annual din
ner of the North Carolina Society OF
New York city in the Hotel Astor on
Monday night, Dec. 7.
The audience, composed of 500 mem
bers and guests of the society and IN
Guiding prominent men from all parts
of the south, gave the distinguished
speaker "a tumultuous reception,
and there was no mistaking the en-
thusiastic reciprocity and approval
which his kindly sentiments and sound
logic kindled in the hearts and minds
of his hearers.
Mr.. Taft began his speech with
tribute to North Carolina as present
ing an admirable type OF present con-
ditions in the south, the public spirit
of its citizens, the progress of its in
dustries and the charming companion,
ship which the northener always finds
there: he announced the text ofbis dis
cussion in The question, stWhat is it
that sets the south apart and takes
from the southern people the response
! bilities which the members of repub-
| lie ought to share in respect to the
conduct of the national government?
/ Why is it that what is done at Wash
/ ington seems TO be the work OF the
north and west, and not OF the south?'h
Among the things the speaker said in
reply to these questions we quote the
! following:
"We can answer these questions as
the historian would, and we can ex-
plain the situation as it is; but | don't
| think we can justify or excuse a con-
tinuance of it. Looking back into the
past, of course, the explanation of
the differences between the south and
the other two sections was in the insti-
tuition of slavery. It is of no purpose
to point out that early in the history
of the country the north was as re-
sponsible for bringing slaves here as
| the south, because we are not con-
cerped with whose fault it was that
there was such an institution as
] slavery. Nor are we concerned with
the probability that, had the northern
ers been interested in slaves they
would have viewed the institution ex-
actly as the southerners viewed it, and
would have fought to defend it, be-
cause it was as sacred as the institu
tion of private property itself. It does
not help in the slightest degree in the
present day to stir up the embers OF
the controyersy of the past by at
tempting to fix blame on one part Of
the country or the other in respect to
an Institution which has gone.
"I am not going to rebearse the
painful story of reconstruction, or
what followed it. I come at once to
the present condition Of things, stated
from constitutional and political
standpoint. And that is this: That
in ali southern states it is possible,
by election laws prescribing proper
qualifications for the suffrage, which
square with The fifteenth amendment
and which shall be equally admins
tered as between the black and white
RACES, to prevent entirely the possibil
| ity of a domination of southern state,
county or municipal government by an
ignorant eleetorates white Or black.
It 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 of
the state and community concerned.
Negroes should be given an opportu-
nifty equaling with whites by education
and thrift to meet the requirements OF
eligibility which the state legislatures
In their wisdom shall lay down in order
to secure the safe exercise of the
electoral franchise. The negro should
ask nothing other than an equal chance
to qualify himself for the franchise,
and when that is granted by law, and
notaenied by executive discrimination,
he has nothing to complain of.
TIE proposal to repeal The fifteenth
amsadnent is utterly impracticable,
and should be relegated to the limbo
OF forgotten Issues. What we are con
sideripg is something practical, some
thing that means attainable progress. /
It seems to me to follow, therefore. |
that the Is, or ought TO be, a com
mon ground upon which we can all
stand in respect 10 The race question in /
the south, and It's political bearing,
that takes away any Justification for
maintaining the continued solidity of
the south to prevent the so called me-
gro domination.
THE fear that in some way or other
a sanial Pn11a Iitv hetusoaS,sN,ha rooas