The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-12
rAsT,s IRIpsscsNT pREAM.


There is something amusing to one
who knows the south, in any serious
discussion of Mr.. Taft's notion that he
can reclaim to Republieanism the states
south OF Mason and Dixon's line. What
makes il more ridiculous is the assump-
ton of the Taft propagandists that the
movement is a highly moral affair, q
sort of missionary effort in behalf Of be-
uighted heather. an altruistic endeavor
to save the political souls of some mil
lions of people who have been wander
ing in darkness.
The south is undoubtedly in need of
light in a political way. 1t is still the
custom down there TO elect men to rep
resent them because they have ability.
Whether millionaire or poor man, the
southern officeholder is almost invaria-
bly, a man of ability, of high integrity
and y fine sense of responsibility.
The Flats and Depews. the Aldriches
and Paynes and Dalzells have, so far,
found no counterpart in the south.
which of itself is ample evidence that
the southern people are far behind the
times and need enlightenment.
If we remember Alright. no southern
city. excerting possibly New Orleans,
which Is unique, has ever offered for
public edification the uplifting specta-
Gle Of a Philadelphia, a San Francisco.
or a New York I'm the wholesale rob-
berry of a municipality on the modern
plan. II is plain that the cities of the
south need instruction. and thai the
Introduction of few Republicans, say
from the president-elect's home, Cincin-
natl. would do much toward giving
them stancing in the eyes of the Taft
missionaries.
Still further proof of the unciyilized
status of the south is the fact that a
man who betrsys his constituents.
steals from the public, is actually re-
gsrded with contempt and ostracised
socially. To one familiar with north
ern methods, this is enough of itself to
show that the southern standard is anti
quated, a relic of the dark ages when
public Office was a public trust to be
administered as such.
Indeed. the south is so benighted that
we doubt whether the Taft program
viii ever get beyond the highly honor
able gentlemen who represent the Re
publican party there and deliver quad
renniaIly for a consideration. of course,
the eolored delegates to national con-
ventions. Possibly, also, the movement
may include those New England phil
anthropists who have moved their cot
ton mill machinery into the south so
they may have the blessings of child
labor and escape factory laws which
protect employees in dangerous occupa-
tons. Beyond these there will be no
Republican south so long as New Eng
land is solidly Republican, and the
privilege of plundering the people by
government favor is limited to the pro-
tected interests Of the north affiliated
with :he Republican marty.
MAY should Mississippi Tor instance.
vote the Republican ticket any more
than Iowa or Pennsylvania should go
Democratic? What is there more
solid" about Alabama AMI Georsia
than there is about Vermont and New
Hampshire? What has the Republican
party ever done in legislative or execu-
tive action that has been in the least
friendly to the south or its interests?
OF ali the iridescent dreams that
ever deluded a fat man in his slumber,
ar. Taft's vision OF Republican south
is the most extravagant, has the least
foundation in historical probability. He
couldn't even get the negroes of Atlanta
70 agree among themselves on a pro-
gram in which he was TO appear, and
had TO abandon the idea OF addressing
them, much less find enough white men
70 form even a respectable minority
party that would stand for anything
but the hope of Office and a life of cas-
at government expense.