The Washington herald., 1909-02-28

lue IOtfoNlDE article. BH JutidA Elcl -
son Of the late Joel Chandler Harris. is
from the March number Of Uncle Remus'
the Home Magazine. and is reprinted
by permission OF the publishers:
There Is to-day before the South no
question more interesting or more vital
than that >presented as the caption Of
the views and comments that follow. Il
is not cur intention 70 intimate that our
opinions and deductions coincide with
those Of the majority Of the Southern
voters; but We confess to 8 belief that
many regard the question and its respon-
sihility in something OF our fashion. and
that others are in a receptive mood
In the South the discussion Of this
unique situation OF problem has seldom
been unreserved and frank; in fact. II is
a question usually discussed tiraiG!y o.
evasively, or ignored as a question IN
partyIike 10 the point Of treason. and.
therefore. 70 be ridiculed. frowned down.
or damned As suits the democratic mood.
Nevertheless. as Is will not retire from
the center Of the stage. It IS well 70 ex-
anime i TO discover q what stuff il is
made.
In the South the youth imbibes the doc
trine Of Democracy. as opposed 10 Re-
publicanism-not Democracy for the sake
Of its principles. but because it has
seemed the party 90 serve as a bulwsrk
against Republicanism, which IN the past
has always borne 20 Southern nostriis
the tainted suggestion Of equality for the
negro and reckless appointment 20 Office
where he might offend. To-day the ques-
tion is changed in aspect There has
been n more generous understanding or
the part Of the North. Commercial con
ditions have created new views and new
needs With this admitted We must al
the same time pay little heed 10 the IL
logical utterances on the subject by
some Southern white Republicans who in
their efforts 70 change the present poiiti-
cal status would have us believe -he
solid South can be smashed with a
pOssum or persimmon beer banquet
Must Be Done by the south
This must be borne I'm mind. Whatever
the solid South does or is 70 do must
come from within: II must be a condition
=
opnent working among her own people
This talk Of President-elect Taft winning
the South. or the South winning Mr
Taft. is absurd But Mr TAFT can and
viii be so understanding Of the South
erners that his interest and fair play
viii hasten the SOuth's effcrts to solve q
difficult problem.
With this forewOrd. let Us see what IS
the South-s political attitude What she
has had 20 combat what were heT meth
DDS. and whether they are now antiqUat-
ed and where Is their trend to-day Lei
US regard this situation sympatheticaliy
seriously. and. above all, honestly.
When the shackles Of slavery were
struck from the blacks and they Werf
given A vote 10 cast against their old mas
tiers ballot the Southern whites weT'
shocked. They had thought the war bai
enough. However. with Anglo-Sdx0u az
gressiveness they turned 10 their task
From that day IL has been IN the heart OF
every white man IN the South that ther'
never can be negro domination.
Commercial AvvakenInE.
In spite Of this determination d rule
the Southerner was confronted with IN,
danger Of the black ballot as power {,
draw on the Republican party for sym
pathy aid. and Office. The effort 10 over
come the power OF the ballot in III
hands Of the negro was the first step 10
ward the solid South" And since then
even IN party councils. the South hal
been as silent IS she IS solid. partisan
and therefore powerless-
Fr.E IL .-0r--r -re4aT --n0~o 81
twenty years ago-where she stood whel
the great Grady thrilled to tears aR'
cheers "A whole uatiou-these self-sough
party shackies would have remained un
chatting Dating from the delivery o
+ that speech the South began slowly Z
germinate the seed of her big possible
ties
Capital came and caught startling
+ glimpses Of a richness that commands
Z its cooperation Energy. made potentia
at the healing touch OF capital shook Of
3 the traditions against labor that SLAYER,
( fostered Energy flung itself into IN
work of the hour. and to-day the SOuti
i blooms with wonderful groves and or
! ChaTds. her map Is 2 maze Of railroads
the thrOb Of machinery. the Ciang o
manufactures. the whiTT Of her mills. In
gliSten Of her golden grain fields. III
wondrOus white Of her cotton patches
/ the uncoveTing of the myriad veins o
/ mineral wealth that mesh her confines
these. and many values more. presen
the picture OF now
Inevitably the South must so forward
/ She is impelIed by momentum whicl
must increase. or stsgnation viii set in
and stagnatiOn is paralysis, paralysis
death. And this activity must exist II
every phase of her growth. which is he
+ life. or some part OF some member Wi
become useless. atrophied.
Let US see where the South stands DO
/ litically. in this respect il IS patheti
/ figure she presents What tears hav
not been shed BY the shades Of thos
( great SOutherners - Washington. Jeffer
son. Clay. Jackson. Lee Davis. Stephens
( TOombs. Hill and 3 score more-at IN
/ sight Of this pitiably poIitics-ridden sec
/ ton; at the sight of this great shackle-
giantess-the South,
"SoIid" and PovverIcSS.
After the reconstruction period. whei
7 the South began to recover somewha
: from her unaccustomed poverty. whel
Z once again she found actual. gnawine
physical hunger somewhat appeased. sh
{ began to look over the political field
/ The negro who was young in slavery
! OF born in freedom. could not comprehen,
i the traditional tenderness that his fathe
and mother felt for "ol' marster,' AM
! ''ol' mistiss;" the younger white men. IN
chastened by war and missing the expert
/ ence OF their elders with the CID faith
/ ful negroes, helped 20 Increase betweei
/ the races the gradual distrust which &
rapidly taking the place Of that devotion
which often amounted 70 sn affection.
I Then from the North came men an,
+ women, &c teach and help the negro
( From the NCrth came funds 10 eiucat
and upbuild the negro. This philanthropy
I ostentatio5isly given. was regarded b,
/ Southerners with suspicion and anger
! They saw In these gifts the money thu
! SoutheTuers had paid New England
( slave traders for the slaves that late
I New Engiands stricken conscience