The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1913-07-11
SOUTHERMER ON PO.
L|T|CAL CONDITIONS
IN THE SOUTHLAND

A. an orator and a long political r,-,Or,l,
j. at present in Comden. Mr.. Manning
has been a forsefnl character. not only in
the politics Of the south. but OF the North
a. well, for his political activiti..s i'm the
South has won for him marcel recogni-
tion i'm the intelligent c~ntsrs of the
North.
Mr.. Manning has hes'n thorn in the
flesh Of the machine I,.,litirians of the
extreme South. and some y.-,-~ ago as
president of the Southern Ballot Rights
League. he was at the heal nl a mav,-
ment that caused the un-eating of forty
southern congressman on the grounds ol
gross frauds, which he had thoroughly
exposed through speeshr~ and newspa-
per interviews to the whole country.
Not long ago he visited New England
and made n sI-sS-h before the Twentieth
Century Club in Boston. ON The Re
pns~sd white s>pHth," that crrst,d. ~
Wa~ declare,l 10y the Boston Herald, a
great -rilsstion among his h.arers Of
his presence in New England, the Boston
Pet said: "Mr. Manning has made many
~I'fSS'lIes throughout New England and
haas stirred mp intense interest ia the
aslazing revelation he has made concern.
ing political and educational conditions
In the south. Some facts which he has
presented haVs caused great .t-tDnishment
Ia his hearers.
Mr.. Manning. in interview with a
Courier rrpn sentative. stated that be-
hind the intri. ne, beneath the cunning.
underneath the beclouding of the real
problem arising from the South there is
not to lee found all actual contest be-
tween the whites and the blacks
''It r. not any alleged race issue Of y, =
~" prol'lem.' he asserted The real,
the actual, the vital condition confront
ing the South. and efiecting the whole
IsoIle OF this country il the repression of
IOi'ular government i'm tlse South. The
sonthern states are dominated not 10y a
democracy but 10y an oligarchy, and this
Dligarchy before the war and since the
war has maintained minority govern
lneDt through one form isr another, ~
the requirement demanded, of political
repression. The. presence of the Negro
IA the SOuth J.. made Ia serve today Just
a. effectively ior the repression Of the
masses "i the ~hiis- a. dill the pr,-rncs.
"i the Negro . slave effect this result
war.
That the lave holding white minori-
ty dominated every condition in thr
~Onth during the regime of slavery. that
Tie les- than .AD,vD controllers Of slave-
ruled with an irpn de~potism at that
time H. not a lit more remarkable or as
founding than is this present condition
in the d"zen southern States which nov
although having an aggregate number 81
i"i,uo Whit male Of voting aye, ele~-
tei the entire southern REPRESENTATION in
the Congress Ia 1910 on sD.UD ballots
and dominated in the ele-tiOn of IsIs
with l.""."o votes. There Icing p
$500" blaek mah.~ of voting aye in the,-e
state, il viii i~- ol'servrd that the agyre-
gate Democratic vote l. MT a. great a
i- the nuinler Of blacks Of voting agr. ID
must le Observed that .OD,Oo voters,
sometimes ls-- than that number, ex.
ercise government fOr G,DpU,oDO Whit
and ilae K male citizens Of voting age.
1T occir, just here, 10 the voters 81
81. N.~.I. IL. 1 ta...n..
dozen states Of the South exercise a. great
a power I'm thc affairs 81 the nation A. !.
attained in the North on 6.DD.eD bal.
lot-. II the North can only -ee All ALE.
gs''i race i--ue in thi-. II the North. in tl,.
iac' of TIM showing of face, j. wiIlipr 1,
swallow down this trave-ty on govern
ment ~ q Negro question, then this con
dition j. hOTels-- for North A. it j. fol
tl'e rrprs--e'l Ina--- IN the South.
You will recall that there was quit.
an uprising of the white Ina--es II IA.
south during the yesr- from IsaS " IrH
a. against the oligarclry. There wa- grea
unrest on ti', part - the farmers am
tins unrest eliminated IN oiitical action
q fusion ~ all the opposition forces Va
eflsrtei. Jriler-onian Democrats. Pom
lists anil RrT'uilicaDr combinesI. Stat.
and c"unty tieket- were nominated. II
Alabama. 10 flir eiectiDn ~ Ixs2 ans
i-'l, al 81 the cs'untis-s in the state IN
most part populated by whites, wer,
earriei ~ tlii- movement. n vs. u
Is'l that J wa elected o. the l.-gi.latnr
a Aiai'ama a. leader Of tins t,.litics
cs'alitlOn 81 anti Democrsfic forces. Tier,
are D. cOuntie- IN Alsl,ama in which N.
ilack population presio1llnate- and TIM
section a tlir -tat. j. called the lIael
i'elt. Al thi- tune. Dslla- c..unty. ahl.cl
i'eit souniy. having z.Jo white male
81 voting ~ aud ".ssD biack- Il votin,
ars., would not hesitate to rrturn sOovote
lor tlIe i'ruorrstic party ard -t,~h ga
true ~ tl,e otller lisck lelt c.ssntie- !,
~hich tle ss.te vs. returned. arcordin,
% the numier required tO maintain 10
lIticsl supremacy over the majoritie- hon
c-tiy cast IN the white counties. Tb,
Democratic paTrrs IN the south. - wcl
a. -Dutuprn Ibrulosrrafic foltfirfan- uo.,l.