The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-11-01
STORIES OF OUR SOUTHLAND
Why the South Remains Solidiy
Democratic-The Days of Negro
Domination

Domination
President Harding, so it is said,
will. make an attempt to break the
"Solid South" by eliminating the ne
gro and trying to build up respect
able white Republican party among
! US. He may succeed, and we some
times think it would be best for the
South were we to split up and divide
our vote between the two parties. So
far as National politics are concerned,
the South is about in the same con-
dition and wields about as much pow
er as the negro does in controlling the
governments of South Carolina.
{ Georgia and most other Southern
States. Even when the Democrats
are in control-and which they are
only when there is division in the
Republican ranks-the only recogni-
ton we receive are a few fat jobs for
political leaders. The result is that
the North has been favored and given
special privileges that have transfer
red to that section the wealth of the
nation. All the South can do is to
pay taxes and vote the Democratic
ticket.
But if the Solid South is broken, it
must be by the votes of the younger
generation grown up since the days
of reconstruction, for no one who
lived in our Southland during those
trying times can ever get his consent
! to vote a ticket labelled "Repubii-
can," it matters not how sugar-coated
it may be. That ticket and name, to
such man, is too odorous of negro
rule, carpet-baggerism, 'robbery and
oppression of his own people and with
ali else that spells tyranny and mis-
government, for such a man to sWal-
! low, To get an old-line Southern
Democrat to cast such a ballot, you
would have to blindfold and then back
him up to the polls.
l will do President Harding the
Justice to say that I believe him hon
est and sincere in his desire to elm
mate sectional lines and to accord
justice to the South-at least so far
as he can from a Republican stand
point ard view point. He realizes
! that in the South only he can find
| 100 per cent. Americans and the Re-
public needs our section to hold in
check the mongrel and alien masses
tnat dominate the East and West,
and to restore the Government Of
our country to the condition as enun-
ciated by it's founders. The President
and all other long g-sighted and patriot
ic Americans see the danger that
threatens this nation by the importa-
ton of anarchistic and other dogmas
from the Old World, and the ore un-
contaminated spot in our great Re-
public lies South of Mason and Dix
on's line. Again, while the Republi-
cans apparently won very great
victory and buried their political
enemies too deep for resurrection,
Mr.. Harding is too astute politician
not to know that the triumph of his
party is more apparent than real, that
it is made up of discordant elements
and like rope Of sand, is likely t.
90 to pieces at any time from inter
nal malformation. HIS majority is
made up of Rocsevelt's Progressives,
each with a dagger up his sleeve for
stand-patters. The President knows
that if he can bring into his ranks
enough Southern votes to give his par
ty balance Of power, that he will
have following of real and true
Americans upon whom he can always
rely to check any movement threaten
ing or enea1gering the country.
But let NE briefly review the caus-
es that have kept the Southern States
solidly Democratic and will keep our
section in line so long as memory en-
dures. 1t is said that "a rose by any
other name will smell as sweet. "
To secure enough self-respecting
Southern votes to control any State,
the name of Republican must be
changed and every taint removed.
To our Southern ncstrils, so long as
the name of "Republican" endures,
the odor of the negro domination, and
all the shame and degradations the