The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-07-28
Yours very truly.
JNO. VI. MOREHEAD.


Congress serving his first term Is
very seldom heard from outside OF
4 number of terms without doing any
thing beyond drawing their salary
and keeping a weather eye open for
reelection.
Therefore, when a young man, SER
wing his first term, makes a speech
that attracts national attention, he
must possess some degree of merit.
The speech delivered by Congressman
Morehead, which is now appearing in
the columns of The Caucasian, has
aroused considerable comment, not
only in his native State, but all over
the country. Harper's Weekly, a
great national paper, commends it
highly. Naturally it differs with Mr..
Morehead in his attitude on the tar
if, but for his fearless and incisive
handling of the Southern situation, it
heartily commends him. We give the
article in full:
There would seem to be but
two ways to make an end of this
practice, which is now generally
conceded to be not merely anon
alous, but hurtful to the South
itself, which it deprives of influ-
ence at Washington, and also de-
moralizing to both the national
parties. One way is for the South
to adopt the same criterion of
Democracy that is elsewhere
prevalent, and send to Washing
ton as Democrats only men who
would be recognized as Demo-
Gratis in quarters where there is
no negro question. The other is
for those States and communities
in the South that prefer Republi
can representative at Washing
ton to send them there as Re-
publicans, wearing the regular
label. On this point one of the
set speeches which crowd the
Congressional Record Of the last
day of the session-and most of
which were probably never actu-
ally spOken-is Of decided inter-
est and pertinency. 1t is a speech
by Mr.. Morehead of North Caro-
lima, Republican, the cotton
manufacturer who two years ago
won a surprising victory by over
coming a big Democratic MAORI
ty in the Observation-Disclosures
district, which has many cotton
mills. Clearly intended for cam
paign use, it is in the main
recital of the old high-protection
arguments, with which we do not
agree, but in part very candid
criticism of the Solid South,
with which we do agree. 1t is
candid because Mr.. MOrehead
does not hesitate to hold his own
party largely responsible for the
state of things he is attacking.
Two things, he said, are respon-
sible for the Solid South. One
is the old DOGGY of niger and
Reconstruction; the other is
the Republican pie counter
machines.' headed by the So
called referees The first ap-
peals to the ignorant and timid
and the bitterly prejudiced; the
second deters the intelligent and
self-respecting from asserting
their independence. He believes,
however, that the Southern peo-
pie are daily growing more and
more FESTIVE concerning both and
that the end of both is not far
off. We sincerely trust he is
right; for while, of course, we
have no desire to see high pro-
lection gain strength in the
South or anywhere else, we hold
it desirable, from all points of
view, that such protection senti-
ment as there is in the South
should be represented by avowed
Republicans like Mr.. Morehead
rather than by Democrats like
Senator McEnery. AS for the
Republican pie-counter machines
and the Democratic forced revlv-
ais of race prejudice as partl-
san political device, the only
question is as to which is the
more inexcusable, the more de-
testable, the more inim1cal 10
the South's own welfare and
progress