The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-20
SOUTHERN TEXT BOOKS.
Nor.hern ca-pins ana ssa.hern oegeslI

Cte, tue organ Oh lHe NOTLneIn bapGSt
Church, in its issue of January the Sd,
criticised the use Of Calhoun's work on
Government as text book Ia tho de-
partments Of history and political
ecience in the University of Georgia. Pro-
iessor Browne, of the chair Of history and
political science, replied TO the Northern
critic. in . mastery and crushing re-
joinder, in justification OF the use Of the
text books complained OF. The E1afai-
f.er and Chronicle, as we are informed by
the Augusta Chronicle aud Sentinel, salts.
fed itself by publishing the "greater pdrf'
Of the reply under the heading, "Cal.
hounism in g Georgia College--A Letter
Defending It," which the Northern edi-
tor kindly attached to Professor Brownies
communication, interjecting at the same
time several headings into the body of
the professor's letter, which he did not
see fit to make for himself. The CAroni-
cie and Sentinel. in Saturdays issue, gives
as the whole reply Of the able professor,
the material part of which we publish
below, and the perusal of which will
richly repay our readers.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, DEPARTMENT
OF HISTORY And PoLIT' JAL SCIENCE,
ATHENS, GA, January 8, 1879.
Editor Of the Examincr and Chronicle.
To the first Of these textbooks you say,
prepared by Southerner, who certain
ly does accept the sitnation.' you make
no serious objection; but you sincerely
regret that Mr. Calhoun, whose political
heresies were tho very tap-root Of the re-
cent civil war, still furnishes the only
text book from which the students of tho
University of Georgia arc instructed res
pecting their duties as citizens of the
United States.
The political heresy which you charge
me with teaching consists in my instruct
ing the students as you suppose, "to re-
gard nation which has abundantly
vindicated its nationality, as q mere fed
deration Of sovereign and substantially
independent States" / hopo / have
stated fairly your charge and specifica.
tions.
I admit that the text book you have
named are those which / use in the Uni
versity of Georgia, and the only text
books that l use which bear on American
affairs. But ifyou make no serious OBJ
lection to the use Of those of which Hon.
Alexander Ii. Stephens is the author, you
cannot justly take exception to the use of
MIR. Calhoun's work, because Mr.. CAL
houn has never, by pen or word. more
emphatically asserted the doctrine that
the union of the Statcs is n federation of
sovereign and independent States, and
not u naiiou in the sense OF CONSOLIDATE
edrepublic, than does Mr.. Stephens in his
Constitutional Viag &C ..hs I,TTar 1e-
tween the States" If The doctrine of the
great statesman Of South Carolina as to
the nature of the Union is political here
sy, the great statesman of Georgia 10
equally guilty, for tho views of both Oh
the subject are precisely identical.
/ admit, further, that do teach the
students that the union of the States Is c.
federation of sovereign and independent
States, and not consolidated republic.
But is this political heFesy 2" do not
| teach those solely because Mr.. Calhoun
or Mr.. Stephens asserted it, though
have tho highest possible respect for their
| opinions, nov do teach it because It is
the view maintained by any political
party. believe do not allow party pol
itics or my individual party affiliations
| to affect in the least my teachings oi
what believe to be historical truth.
| Did 1 believe, as fully and as conscien.
tiously as | suppose you do, TINT the
fathers OF the republic made mistake
in their choice of form of government
that it would have been much better
had all The States been fused into one,
and had q national government been es.
| tablished-with the facts of history be.
fore me, do not see how I can teach
| otherwise than that purely Fedora!
government was established-a gov.
| ernment for States and By States
Whatever may be my individual opinion
as to the guilt of Charles I, whether do
or do not believe that he ought to have
been put to death, cannot teach STU
| dents that no was guilty of treason. as
| that crime was then defined in the statute.
book of England. Nor, whatever l NAV
think of the political treachery of Straf-
| ford, can / teach that means EMPLOYED -
convict and condemn him wore legally
or morally justifable. I may be the
| firmest believer in the wisdom, Justice
and good p licy of the alien and ssdition
| acts, but cannot teach that there were
not aagrant violations of the letter and
spirit Of the constitution Of the United
States.
! You quote three questions from nv
examination paper which you say, are
Especially suggestive" and "redolent Of
Calhounism." The first is:
"3. Show, by consecutive statement c;
historical facts, that the thirteen States
from the beginning of their dispute with
Great Britain to the ratification of the
constitution of 1887, always acted as sep.
crate and distinct political communities
and never as one nation"
| Allow me to cite few of the historical
facts which asked the students to state
and let US see whether or not they
show what the question demands.
bold it 20 be an historical fact that from
their original settlement 70 the declara.
ton Of independence the thirteen colo
uies were separate and distinct, seyerally
governed by laws of their own making
and, beyond the ties Of good neighbor
hood, having nothing in common except
that their inhabitants we're subjects O
the British sovereign.
The Congress of tho colonies which
i met IN iT15 was, hs inc opening lines O
its journal show, composed of "a mum
ber of delegates" chosen and appointes
by the Several colonies and provinces O
North America, to meet and hold Con
gress." The very first thing which thes,
delegates did after they organized, wa
to declare that they were Congress o
separate and distinct political bodies
aud that, in all their deliberations, eacl
colony should have one vote. In th,
credentials of the delegates do not fin,
even the shadnw ef b:as .ksas any Gioie
! gate represented anything but his owl
colony, that any delegate claimed to re
present any other people than the peopl
| Of that particular colony from whom b
derived his commission.
4 VI. a. -