In 1999, the League of the South sponsored the creation of the Southern Party which would, over the years, be little more than another minority party, obscure even, that would hold little clout in the American political system - at least in terms of voting and holding any true power in Federal government.
Across the South and mid-west, from states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri to Virginia, South Carolina and Florida, members of the Southern Party, or members once affiliated with it, hold positions of office at the state and local levels. Back in 1999 when the party was first commissioned by the League of the South, more members were actively in office, but no members successfully gained office in any truly important faculties such as governor or senator.
The tenants of the party have changed little in the eleven years since its inception: states rights, lower taxes, small Federal government, the right to bear arms, and peaceful secession of the southern states to name a few.
The ideas lie clear in the following quote. In a 1999, George Kalas, then the party's chairman, was quoted by CNN, saying, "We're kind of a nation within a nation. We had four years of independence as a nation to develop that separate culture. That is not co-optable. You can't co-opt our Southern heritage, you can't co-opt our Southern drawl, our Southern cooking, our Southern music, our deep religious faith."
To be more specific, the tenants are very similar to those subscribed to by the League of the South and truly, the League has become the new Southern Party and, most likely, always was. The League has stepped away from its figurehead role in more recent years and assumed a more active stance in the absence of the Southern Party proper - the party essentially dissolved in 2003 after years of infighting between leaders and several factional splits.
Today, the views and ideologies of what the party stood for can be heard through the voices of such individuals as Michael Hill, president of the League of the South, and Donnie Kennedy, a neo-Confederate who attempted to receive the 2008 presidential nomination of the Republican party.He left the campaign in December 2007 as he believed, having brought the issues of southern rights to the main stage, other matters would need his attention and the attention of the League during the election.It is possible to contend Kennedy and the League saw futility in the enterprise or simply were, as Kennedy suggests, wanting to bring the issues to the forefront that were close to their hearts. Either way, the League has seemed to garner little attention outside of the South as many, but not all, of their views coincide with those of the Republican party... and, moreover, the League may lose clout due to their perceived fanatical stances on many, many issues.
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In that I agree with Mike Hill in his constitutional observation that " Any of the Southern States (or any of the fifty) can assert sovereignty anytime it wishes by withdrawing from the voluntary union of the States united. By withdrawing (or seceding) through the action of its legislature or another body elected for that specific purpose, the State is on solid legal and moral ground", I agree more with Pvt. Sam R. Watkins, Company H, First Tennessee Regiment, "My kind friends, soldiers, comrades, brothers all; The curtain is rung down, the foot-lights are put out, the audience has left and gone home, the seats are vacant, and the cold walls are silent. Coming generations and historians will be the critics of how we have acted our parts. The past is buried in oblivion. The blood-red flag, with its cresent and cross, that we followed for four long years, has been folded never to be unfurled again. We have no regrets for what we did, but we mourn the loss of so many brave and gallant men who perished on the field of battle and honor....We remember no longer wrongs and injustice done us by anyone on earth. We are willing to forgive and forget the past. The historian will render true verdict, and a history will then be written in justification and vindication of those brave and noble boys who gave their all in fighting the battles of their homes, their country, and their God. The United States has no North, no South, no East, no West. We are all one and undivided." The soldiers who fought in the "War of Northern Agression" understood that the idea of secession, had been setted on the field of battle. Unlike Mike Hall, I am not a noted historian or author. I'm just a simple man with limited insight and understanding. But I do know one thing. The south will never be a sovereign nation without revolution, which would be a cause "lost from the beginning"; folly of infinite proportion. Because the Union will not be divided. I am happy to read the Southern Party does not advocate armed conflict, but rather change through legislative means. The Southern Party says it is looking for men who have "the spirit of the servant." Let it be so. The avenue of change can be accomplished through the rule of law, and the swaying of public opinion. I applaud those who would maintain, foster and promote their unique Southern culture. It would be a pity if we all walked, talked, and looked the same. But I believe, even with all our cultural and philosopical differences, we can all coexist in this great melting pot known as the United States of America. In the here and now, secession is not an option, and if attempted, is surely the path to destruction.
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