The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-20
SOUTHERN TEXT BOOKS.
Northern Carplng and southern cogene

! Inc New ork ItTdm1ner ana Chroni-
Gle, the organ of the Northern Baptist
Church, in its issue of January the Sd,
criticised the use of Calhoun's work on
Government as text book in the de-
partments of history and political
acience in the University Of Georgia. Pro.
lessor Browne, Of the chair Of history and
political science, replied TO tho Northern
critic, in masterly and crushing re.
joinder, in justification of the use Of tho
text books complained OF. The Efami-
iler and Chronicle, as we are Informed by
the Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel, salts.
fled itself by publishing the ''greater part'
of the reply under the heading, "Cal-
hounism in Georgia College-A Letter
Defending It," which the Northern ed-
tor kindly attached to Professor Brownies
communication, interecting at the same
time several headings into the body of
tho professors letter, which he did not
see fit to make for himself The Chroni-
! Gle and Sentinel. in Saturdays issue, gives
us the whole reply Of the able professor,
the material part Of which we publish
below, and tho perusal of which will
richly repay our readers.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, DEPARTMENT
OF History AND POLITICAL. SCIENCE.
ATHENS, Ga, January 9, 1879
Editor Of the Examiner and Chronicle:
To the first of these toxt-books you say.
prepared by Southerner, who certain
~ does accept the situation" you make
no serious objection; but you sincerely
regret that Mr.. Calhoun, whose political
heresies were the very tap root Of the re-
Couf civil xvor uf;ll f,,r,;,b,,
text book from which the students Of the
University of Georgia are instructed res
pecting their duties rs citizens Of the
United States.
The political heresy which you charge
me with teaching consists in my instruct
ing the students as you suppose, ITO re.
gard nation which has abundantly
vindcatcd its nationality, as a mere fed
dcration Of sovereign and substantially
Independent 'States.'" l hope | have
stated fairly your charge and spccifica-
tions.
admit that the tcxt book you have
named are those which / use in the Uni
versity Of Georgia, and the only text
books that use which bear OH 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
noun mas never, Dy pen or word. ,nure
emrhatically asserted tho doctrine that
the union of the States is federation of
sovereign and independent States, and
not nation in the sense of consolidat-
ed republic, than does Mr.. Stephens in his
Constitutional View of tho War Be-
tween the States" If the doctrine of the
great statesman Of South Carolina as 10
the nature Of the Union is political here
ny, the great statesman of Georgia 10
equally guilty, for the views OF both on
the subject are precisely identical.
admit, further, that 1 do teach the
atudents that the union of the States is a
federation of sovereign and independent
States, and not consolidated republic.
But is this political heresy7" / do not
! teach those solely because Mr.. Calhoun
or Mr.. Stephens asserted it, though
have the highest possible respect for their
| opinions, nor do teach it because it is
the view maintained by any political
| party. believe I do not allow party pol-
itica or my individual party affiliations
to affect il, the least my teachings of
what believe to be historical truth
| Did believe, nc fully and as conscien-
tiously as l suppose you do, that the
fathers of the republic made a mistake
in their choice of form of government
| that il would have been much better
had ali he States been fused into one.
| and had a national government been es.
tablished-with the facts of history be-.
fore me, I do not see how ] can teach
otherwise than that purely Federal
government was establishcd-a gov
ernment for States and by States.
Whatever may be my individual opinion
rs to the guilt of Charles /, whether do
or do not believe that ho ought to have
been put to death, cannot teach stu-
dents that he 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 l teach that means employed to
convict and condemn him were legally
o: morally justifable. may be the
firmest believer in the wisdom, Justice
and good policy of the alien and sedition
acts, but 1 cannot teach that there were
not fragrant violations of the letter and
spirit Of tho constitution OF tho United
States.
| You quote three questions from my
examination paper which you say, arc
Especially suggestive" and "redolent ol
Calhounism." Tho first is:
SO, Show, by q consecutive statement OF
historical facts, that the thirteen States
from tho 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 rs one nation."
Allow mo 10 cite few of the historical
facts which asked tho students to state
and let us sec whether or not the,
show what tho question demands.
hold it to be al historical fact that from
their original settlement TO the declara.
tion of independence the thirteen colo
MES were separate and distinct, severall,
governed by laws Of their own making
and, beyond the ties of good neighbor
hood, having nothing in common excep
that their inhabitants were subjects O
the British sovereign.
The Congress Of tho colonies which
.,cs i; 1874 seae ee, es the cnen;ns i;nes .
its journal show, composed of "a mum
ber of delegates" chosen ari sppointe;
by the several colonies and provinces O
North America, TO meet and hold Con
gress." The very frat thing which thes
delegates did after they organized, wa
to declare that they were o Congress O
separate and distinct political bodies
and that, in all their deliberations. eacl
colony should have one vote. In th,
credentials of the delegates do no. fin,
even the shadow of hint that any dele
gate opreseE:sd anything but hia owl
co!.a,, that any delegate claimed to re
present any other people than the peopl
OF that particular colony from whom h.