New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-01
ROOSEVELT IN THE SOUTH.


Mr.. Roosevelts attempt TO build up
the Progressive party in the South by
the exclusion of the Southern negro
from his counSelS does not seem TO
have been Il success. He split the
Republican vote there. as he did in
other sections. but there is no evidence
in the returns that he got any consid-
cradle number of votes which the Re
publicans under ordinary conditions
could not get The dream Of building
up strong opposition in the South by
the establishment of Il party which
deferred 10 Southern feeling on the
race question seems no nearer realiza-
ton than it was i'm the early 9Os.
when the radical revolt against the old
Democratic machines gave delusiye
prospect of permanent white divisions,
and in 1892 eliminated in POpulist
vote much larger than that cast for
Mr.. Roosevelt.
As the Republicans have in one re-
cent Presidential election or another
carried Delaware. Maryland. West Viz
ginia. Kentucky and Missouri. they are
not factor in this question of build
ing up an opposition party to the
Democracy In them the opposition is
strong and tie states are debatable III
their relation TO old party principles.
Confining our attention, then, to the
eleven really Southern, as distinguished
from border. states. i'm which the race
question has kept the Republicans in a
hopeless minority. we find. according to
the present imperfect returns, that Mr.
Wilson received 20 per cent Of the vote,
Mr.. Roosevelt II per cent and Mr.. Taft
13 per cent The progressiveS hail that
as a great achievement biz with the
promise Of Il strong and permanent OPP
position But If we turn back TO 1892
we shall find a much greater achieve
ment, even more in harmony with
Southern popular tendencies, which
speedily disappointed the political
prophets.
In that year Mr.. Cleveland received
only 80 per cent Of the popular vote
of those eleven states. General Harri-
son received % per cent, and General
Weaver. the POpulist candidate. re-
ceived Is per cent. BY the grandfather
clauses the negro vote in these states
has been greatly reduced since then.
so that the aggregate Republican vote
I'm 1905 was not rs great as in 1892.
lt'ngEnT
ceived would now. with the negroes
thus eliminated. make a larger per
centage of the total than Mr.. Boose-
welt secured Viewers vote was about
$4,000. while RooSevelts is 100000.
IN six of the eleven states Viewers
vote exceeded those of TAFT and ROose-
welt combined That was Il party
which really did invade the South and
got votes which the Republicans could
not get There was the chance for a
permanent Southern opposition spring
ing from the feelings of Southern
white people themselves unhampered
by old sectional issues. And II came
TO nothing. But not only is the RoOse-
welt vote this year smaller than Weav-
er's in 1892 but it and the Taft vote
combined are smaller than Mr.. Tafts
in 1908. Here as elsewhere Is evidence
Of a fractional split. but no evidence
Of a new growth. In the Roosevelt
vote is less promise of start toward
new political conditions in the South
and fairly even division Of the white
people than was contained in the
spectacular rise Of the Populist party
twenty years ago.