Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-05-08

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a dinner of the South Carolinians, at
the Hotel Knickerbocke- last night.
answered the argument OF President
Taft that the South should no longer
remain solid in it's devotion to the
Democratic Party and declared that
the South is solfdiy democratic "be-
cause the democratic party is the on
ly white mans party" At the same
timo he declared there had been a
great change in the North during the
last decade on this subject.
we are often asked he said.
why we of the South vote the dem
ocratic ticket Ny answer is that
the democratic party is the only
white mans party to-day and I am a
democrat because / am a white man s
man. In our state there are $4,000
more Negro voters. II they were al
lowed to vote. than white voters.
We have had eight years of Negro
domination. and so long as democra-
cy means the rule of the white man
so long viii we remain democratic 3"
According to the Tillman prescrip-
ton, the way TO break the solid
South" is to make the Democratic
Party something else than a white
mans party. II the North is in love
with demagogery. it certainly should
continue to welcome Senator Tillman
He is not exactly a freak. but he is
the closest thing to #. without being
the genuine article. He is quoted
further:
/ am thinking OF a recent utter
ance of our President. President
whose presence in the White House
lis a comfort rather than a distress.
He tried TO show you people of New
York that we of the South should
become Republicans, Join in the great
game OF grab at Washington and be-
come one of the assets OF the Re
publican Party He said that we
should forget the past and join the
rest of the Union
We do not see anything wrong in
that proposition. But we do not
think that President Taft had Sena-
tor Tillman in mind. when he made
the statements with which he is &C
credited. He was speaking OF the
liberal, rejuvenated South and not
that element known as the bourbon.
moss-back Democratic contingent
with which Mr. Tnlman amiates.
We agree with the Southern Senator
though when he says that President
Taft's occupancy of the White House
is a comfort rather than a distress as
compared TO another distinguished
official who is now on a hunting ex-
petition among a class OF people.
whom he does not love so well. He
said:
We are not out OF the Union be-
cause we were whipped back, but
am. as I said before. a white mans
man, and believe that God Almighty
made white people out OF better clay
than he ever put in the best niger
on earth. And believing that am
Tor the civilization that produced
John G. Calhoun and Robert Z. Lee.
Now the above is buneombe. pure
and single. with not one thread Of
biblical history 10 support the same.
But then this is Senator Tiuman from
South Carolina and he Is saying these
things in order 70 increase the 'bump
of conceit' in the head OF the aver
age white man. who would be simple
enough TO approve OF his utterances.
Senator Tillman is quoted further:
The South ciings 10 the democratic
party, and until the republican party
gives up the doctrine that the Negro
Is as good as the white man there
Is nothing for us of the South to do
but to cling 20 the faith OF our faith
ers.
Evidently the auditors of the Sen
ator had not thought OF the fact that
the doctrine OF civil equality was
first enunciated by a Virginian, who
has worldwide renown as the wri-
ter OF the Declaration OF Indepen-
dence. He did not tell those who
listened to him that this doctrine OF
equality did not relate TO the inner
ent abilities existent in a man so
much as it did to his recognition as
an equal before the law.
One white man is not the equal
OF some other white man, but when
IL comes before the bar OF justice. his
rights must be safe-guarded and his
interests protected on a basis of e.
quality sharply in keeping with the
declaration of equality before set
forth.
1t seems to us that for the same
reason Senator Tillman will discount
the Scriptures and refuse 20 accept
the teachings of the Saviour. And
yet why should we be surprised, for
in this world at least, "the Devil
takes care of his own" Mr.. T1nman
said further