The Washington herald., 1909-03-30
AssauItinp the Solid South. +.

ASSaulflng the Solid South
We have read with no little interest Mr..
Julian Harris recent remarks In UncIe
Remus' The Home Magazine anent the po-
liticaI desirability of the solid South"
ceasing to be; that it would be to it's ma
terial benefit to go to pieces. and at the
same time do no violence 10 its integrity
BON honestly Democratic ideals.
with much that Mr.. Harris says we
find ourselves in sympathy. We think
the time has passed when Democratic
solidity is necessary to the South's actual
welfare. however much it may have been
at oneF time. We find no fault in the
South's old-time loyalty to Democracy or
it's sentimental attachment to the party.
For years the Democracy was the South's
pillar Of cloud by day and it's pillar Of
fire by night. We can understand how q
large section OF IL may view with grave
misgivings the thought Of encouraging
the growth Of Republicanism in its midst.
The South. however IS not in common
sense or patriotism bound to-day TO fash
ion its policies along lines applicable TO
erstwhile conditions and environment. Let
the dead past bury its dead Neither
Democracy nor Republicanism means the
same thing to-day that It meant twenty
FIVE years ago. and IN the philosophy Of
many-though. we think. misguided-clti-
Zens neither is an improvement over its
ancient self. And II follows that no rock
ribbed adherent Of either party in any
section will be converted 20 a new faith
without something OF a struggle.
And this leads US 10 suggest 10 Mr..
Harris the. 20 our way OF thinking.
greatest danger confronting him in this
crusade he has inaugurated: the danger
OF being misunderstood. In Mr. Harris
last article. for instance. we note this:
we charged that the South Is corarily-which
means that the majority of the voters the majority
o. the editors and all the politicians who are
selected TO and pretend 70 represent TIE highest
ideals u the South. are coWarily: else the South
long ago would have shaken authority ard recogni-
ton from the gasp q the hands that cat'sraw her
every four years in the Democratic national con-
venti0n."
"Cowardly" is an ugly word. and its
wholesale application to the men who
have shaped the South's destinies Is
harsh and unpleasant; and we do not
think It rings true. We do not enter
tain the idea that Mr.. Harris means II
that way. Of course. but we suspect
many viii so construe It. notwithstand-
ing. Julian Harris is worthy son OF a
noble sire-nobody who knows him viii
doubt that He IS entirely patriotic in
this agitation. and. we think. moved by
eminent observation-disclosures primarily. But
IL he permits himself TO assume an at
titude in discussion susceptible Of Sc
rious misconsruction. We fear his cause
is doomed 10 failure in its incipiency. SO
far as he is concerned. Already he is
tengaged in somewhat bitter debate with
the editor OF the Macon Telegraph. q real
man, and an old-school Democrat. whose
honesty Of purpose is not to be cues
toned, but who dissents violently from
the conclusion that the day has come
for the solid South" 10 disintegrate.
nevertheless. Mr.. Pendleton, Of the Tel
egrsph, Is TO fraction OF a coward"
not from any possible point of view.
Neither was Capt Evan P. Howell. an
old Democratic war horse now. passed
away. and, perhaps. the very best friend
Bir. Harris father. the lamented Uncle
Remus." ever had in this world. And of
such men was the solid South" cherished
and loved through its darkest days. No;
"cowardly'' is not a word that may be
properly connected with the South. or
things Southern. we believe
No newspaper in all this broad land is
watching the trend of events in the South
more iuterestedly than The Washington
Herald We hope to see a great
and lasting benefit come to Dixie
through possible readjustment Of its 10
litical eyeglasses. We think Mr.. Harris
has the right idea. in its essentials. but
that we shall have TO establish the right
eousness Of that view in broad tolerance.
and with high respect for the opinions
Of those who have inclined, and may
still incline. to see things differently.
we have no doubt And so. let US drop
the word "cowardly'' from the argument,
just as quietly and as inconspicuously as
we may.