The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-27
TIE UNIVERSITY
 EXERCISES CLOSE Seventy-Eighth Annual Con- menCement Thing of Past DR. DABNEYS ADDRESS Discussed "The Solid South and the Nation"-Deerees Conferred On 93 Young Men and Women By
 pr. Abercrombie.
DR. DABNEYS ADDRESS
BY FRED G. sTIcKNEY.

1
 dress delivered by pr. Charles William
 Dabney, president of the University of
 Cincinnati and to see the graduating
 class receive their degrees
 President Dabney took for his sub ject one of more than passing interest.
 The Solid South and the Nation" and for about one hour held the closest at
 tention of his audience. That he voiced the sentiment of many present was shown by the frequent outbursts of applause with which the audience re- sponded to his remarks.
 The subject of Dr. Dabneys oration l for the occa sion was "The Solid South and the Nation" It was timely topic and the address was clear cut and can did-there was no mincing of words. l The speaker discussed with the young men of the south before him the future of this south which they love and which they are to make. Probably in no free government of an intelligent and patriotic people can be found in l this twentieth century of rapid com munication and intimate commercial re- lations political situation like that of the people of our southern states to- 1 day" were the opening words of the 1 speaker. Talking as southern man. Dr. Dabney felt free to question the l wisdom of maintaining an attitude which has served its purpose and is now threatening a reversal of it's good. It must be due to something more than sectional feeling he declared-it must have a fundamental cause.
 No Lack of Patriotism.
 There Is no lack of patriotism or love of the united country, he declared. in this attitude of the southern states too often has this been successfully shown. But, today" said he, many of us who have at heart the welfare of the south, believe that the time has come when thoughtful men should carefully consider the grounds of thls sectional political division and it's meaning to our country. The solid south had its reason for being, it had it's mission" What was this he asked. The speaker then reviewed briefly the l position of the south from the adoption 1 of the constitution down to the pres
 
 the nation and declared that no part of this country was, nor Is, more purely 1 American in blood and love of country. I The civil war;" said he, "was not l merely the means of uniting the nation, l but, paradoxical as it may seem, the means of determining the exact rights l of the states, and thus of establishing the essential Anglo Saxon principal of l the right of local elf-government." He baf of O fa a11t 1tc of constitution was in leaving the ques- ton of the relations of the states to to the federal government to be dis cussed for 75 years and finally to be settled only with the sword. Slavery was not the cause of the civil war" he stated, but only it's occasion" and | again, from the theory of the rights of | the states, the south deducted logically the right of secession. The south erner, | said he, never attemtped to break down the constitution, as some would ignor | antly teach, but to maintain it as 1t 1 was interpreted by it. The southern people accepted in good faith the ad verse decision of the sword. He here l took occasion to review the reasons l why it was, however, great blessing l that the tn heory of secession did not prevail, showing how that the intes- 1 rity and national force of America l ] such been the result.
 Wins Spiritually.
 l "But," said. he. 9th ough conquered 1 physically, the south won spiritually. | The great mistake of granting the suf- | frage to the ignorant negro has been 1 acknowledged, north as well as south. l 1t was disasterous mistake, it was the | mistake that 'crystalized the solid 1 south and made 1t for a generation l an imperative necessity. Today, how l ever, this condition has been remedied 1 by the constitutional law of most of l our southern states which, when fairly l and uniformly carried out will guar 1 antee peace security and prosperity 1 to both races. And this law has met, he stated the approval, not only of the 1 national Congress, but of the supreme l court of the United States as well and l may in all safety be considered final. l with the first establishment Sof the l rights of the states and with the passing l of the fear of ignorant negro domina l ton the chief incentive. the imperative
 need of solid south has thus been
 removed forever" said the speaker.
 What of the future?' he asked signfi- | cantly
 Independent Politics.
 "There can be no question" said he, | that the removal of the fundamental | reason for the existence of the solid | south clears the way for Independent | political action. It Is great thing to set | mems minds free, and 1t will be a good
 thing to have strong party opposition
 in every southern state.'
 l He here called attention to the disad- i yantages. and in some cases disasters, | which have followed the present condition
 to both parties. "I tis now apparent" |" he said, that no important issues any l longer separate the members of the two | great parties" He stressed the fact that | the party of the south has already aban-
 doned some of its traditional doctrines 1 that while the west has been strong 1 advocate of tariff revision downward,
 southern democratic congressmen are
 hanging around under the tariff pie table l trying to pick up few crumbs of pro- l tection. To-day" he said further. the | party of the south, without any fixed principles of it's own. except opposition to
 the government. has come into the cu- | rious position of having substituted for it's traditional platform a traditional can | didate"
 ''The time is ripe for a new political | alignment" he stated. Tt Is time for | the independent man wno will think
 decide and act for himself From inde- | pendent thinking and acting will again | arise leaders who will take over into the national consciousness the best vir- tuse of the old south And first of all | those virtues is the virtue of loyalty"
 Speaks as Southern Man.
 Dr. Dabney spoke as southern man l and with earnestness and conviction of the truth of what he said. His oration 1-ff-. f.. -k..1x