The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-02-12
SQUARE DEAL FOR SOUTH.
Few Southerners Hold Consular Posi-
tions-Taft Expected to Re-
medy Injustice.

medy injustice.
A Washington dispatch to the News
and Courier says:
As the days Of the Taft admlnlstra-
tion draw nigh, Southern people here
and elsewhere are entertaining their
imaginations with hopes Of better
things for their homeland than have
come to it from the present occupant
of the executive office in the White
House. They have been persuaded to
expect that they will be accorded a
slightly larger participation in the
responsibilities Of THE general govern
ment, and thereby reap a little more
of the benefits which come with such
responsibility. They are observing
that in this interesting respect MIR.
Taft will find vast room and rich op-
portuniky> for Improvement upon has
Republican predecessors, especially
his last.
The Southern people. exclusive Of
the little groups Of of1iee-holders, Fed
eral referees and their eSpectant
henollmen. have given scant attention
to the lure of Federal patronage. and
have only spoken out on the subject
when they thought best to protest
against the appointment Of bad and
incompetent men to transact the Fed
eral business. Objections have been
urged only when such appointments
were notoricusly in the face of pre-
vailing public sentiment. and detrl-
mental to the public welfare of the
community. Southern people have not
worried Mr.. Roosevelt with Emporium
titles for any Of the numerous prizes
and honors within his gift, nor IS
there the slightest evidence that they
will bothe?, NJ. Taft about Federal
patronage.
The South Shared Out.
Doing little for the South save to
give offence in the character OF the
patronage which HE has dispensed IN
the States, there is one branch Of the
Federal service which is presumed to
be conducted without regard to party
advantage, and for the good Of the
country at large, in which President
Roosevelt has ignored the South. That
is the patronage under the State de-
partment, with its diplomatic and
consular service. Early IN. Mr.. Roose-
velt's administration, when he was
reminded Of the meagre share the
South had in the representation OF the
United States abroad in the diploma
tic and consular services. he declared
that he would look into the question
and see that the South had fair play.
He has done nothing Of the kind. He
has taken away much of the httle
that the South had. The few small
posts held by men from Southern
States were obtained by them either
through original. appointment by
President Cleveland or through ex-
aminations prescribed in the State
departments own civil service regu-
lations. When congress, at Mr..
Roosevelt's instance, enacted a law
classifying the consular service and
embracing those already in office un-
der its protection, Mr.. Roosevelt had
filled nearly every desirable place
with persons Of his own choice and
party. As it is, the Sourth has less
representation in the State depart
ment, at home and abroad, than it has
had at any time in the history Of the
government. Lincoln, Grant, Hayes,
Garfield, Arthur, McKinley-all-
did far better by the South than has
President Roosevelt. With frequent
and excellent and attractive oppor-
tunities to keep his word and win the
GOOD will of the Southern people, he
has almost entirely ignored them. ex-
cept when he named Luke E. Wright
as ambassador to Japan. That post
has been filled by Northern man.
The South now has as little proper
tionate share in the relations Of this
government with foreign countries as
have our dusky wards on the Indian
reservations or the slaves of the Sui