The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-07
The Duty And Opportunity Of
The South.

son of his views. to which we would give expression in the same unreserved way as Mfr. Roosevelt, and which he would seek to have incorporated fin the statutes and Constitution with the same strenuousness, he would fail ab- solutely to. win the confidence of the investment and business classes. More than that. the country would be kept in a State of perpetual turmoil. The result would be that very little cap ital would go into new undertakings of any kind. and. as consequence re- productive enterprise would remain at halt just as 1t is today. This. we are sure, would not accord with. the de- sires of the Southern. people. What the South wants. what every one else wants, is some speedy way of bring ing about a restoration of the pros perity which the whole country enjoy ed until recent periods.
 We think the nomination and cleo. tion of a conservative, yet progress i've Democrat-a Democrat of the Jeff fersonian type-would produce a re- vival of confidence, and be- followed by an almost immediate return of trade prosperity Judge George Gray of Delaware would meet the require nrent, although we mention him only as a type of a class.
 W . urge Ln0 COuIu 10 LnTOW lIS lns fluence in favor of such an accomp- lishment. Let the South for its own best interests and for the interests of the whole country turn from Mir. Bryan to some leader of Hnblemished repu- tation, commanding the support of the entire population, thereby putting the wheels of industry in motion again. Let the Democrats at the political con- ventions still to be held in the South refuse to instruct for MT. Bryan and then let the delegates go unpledged to the National Democratic Convention at Denver with their minds open, bent on selecting the right candidate. With a goodly portion of the delegates of the Southern States uncommitted. and with New York, New Jersey and Penn- sylvania and the bulk of New England adopting the same attitude Mir. Bry- ans nomination can be prevented and a combination be formed strong enough to insure the election of a man who will lead his party to victory and at the same time confer lasting beneft upon the whole community.
 There are also other considerations that should influence the Southern States in seeking the nomination of a Democrat who could command the sup port of all those, whatever their polit- ical affiliations who are opposed to NIT. f1ooSeNeltS doctrines. MT. HoOSes welt is seeking by every conceivable means to extend Federal authority and bring about further centralization in government. This is a departure from the principles of the fathers and fraught with serious political danger, tending slowly but surely to under mine the liberties of the people. The danger which would attend lodging power in the Central Government that belongs to the States is. well illustrat- ed by the course of recent railroad leg islation in the South. This legislation in some of the States was distinctly inimical to the roads. The United States Supreme Court has lately rend- cred much of 1t nugatory. but the point to which we wish to direct attention is that long before that Court an- nounced it's decision, most of the Southern States had begun to retrace their steps. They compromised with the roads by allowing the latter to charge higher rates than those, at first insisted on. The reason for this move