The Detroit times., 1909-01-05
TAFT PLAN TO MAKE
PET OF SOUTH A :.
MISTAKE
PEOPLE SHOULD EDUCATE NE.
GRO AND THUS ELEVATE THEM.
SELVES, SAYS WELL.kNoWN
WRITER.
BY ALFRED HENRY LEWIS.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-The local
eye, always a political and commonly
an ofice-holding eye, turns often TO
Georgia and TO Mr. Taft The lattor
is tho busiest president-elect that the
world has ever seen. Fears are eX-
pressed, however. that he may haul
more wood than he can saw and split
IL Is thought his exuberant enthus-
fasm. born perhaps OF the exultant
nearness OF an Inauguration that with
each dag draws nearer still may not
last through. New brooms sweep
clean, particularly White House
brooms, and yet the newness, the
youth of brooms Is OF the briefest.
In week or month they become
old brooms, and go about their sweep
ing I'm The old-time slipshod way.
The White House is a heavy load.
Most presidents don't WELD their
Office: their Office Yields them. I've
had personal experience OF four pres.-
dents. Only one of the four was
stronger than his Office. The other
three were as helpless as three ships
ashore three flies in amber.
For all Mr.. Taft anticipates SO much.
he apparently does not appreciate the
Office he is so soon TO be called TO In
NIL it's length and breadth. Replying
to General Rhoades, of the Birming-
ham delegation, he spoke repeatedly
of the party which | represent and
''the party TO which | belong Mr..
Taft should amend his attitude. He
is no longer 10 be a Republican, but
a president When his party offers
him TO the public as it's chief magis-
h. a
no longer belongs 10 the party. but 10
the people.
Would Be Error.
Also, Mr.. Taft's expressed inten-
ton of making a pet OF the south
would, were II carried out become
double error-error on his part, error
on the side OF the south He seems
to assume that injury has been done
the south. | do not know OF am
wrong the south has II such be the
fact she has been suffered from. but
| DO know that she is the architect
or her own grefs.
Nor can | think that there is any
apology. any explanation, any prom
Use due the south from the nation at
large. II you tramp rearward to the
Civil war you fnd II began, not by tbs
nation firing on the south, but the
south firing on the nation. And thus
has II continued ever since.
The south, so far from being mar
rowly. has been literally dealt with.
Go into congress and you will find, II
election rather than census returns
are 10 be- considered. the south with
double the representation compare
lively of the balance OF the country.
And yet NO one seriously considers
cutting that representation down.
Were the situation reversed you
would hear southern yell go up cal
culated t. make the walkin-what-
ever that may be--ring twice and ring
again.
No. If there's aught wrong with
the south the south is TO blame for
II. She has been her own chamber
maid: made her own bed. Her atti-
tude Of sentiment has been studiously
inimical. That OF the north has been
generous and fair.
A man In the north calls himself
an American" On the tropical side
of Mason and Dixon's line everybody
IA "southerner." The south forgets
that to speak OF region Is TO speak OF
regions. The term Ia never singular
snd always plural, and to create
force is but. by law OF nature, 20
invoke another to oppose It.
Too Much Shotgun.
The trouble with the south is meas
urably that she has relied too much
upon the shotgun, too little on the
spelling book She complains OF the
Negro as Of a cross which she bears
upon her shoulders, and yet she re-
sents and resists every effort to trans
late him to other parts. Only the
other day when certain gentlemen
crossed Their fver from Louisiana into
Mississippi for the purpose of hiring
a gang OF Negroes. they were politely
warned that to escape a lynching they
had better return home. Mississippi
wanted her own Negroes.
The south is not wise. She Insists
that the Negro is the lower race And
yet she would keep him as he is.
while using him as material with
which 20 construct her own founda-
lions. The south should reflect that
the lower house, and elevate the Ne.
NJ ehArf attra sole p1afhnH