Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-01

THE rrIx,Irlrs OF LEE ASp JACNspN AND
now TIE sorru TEACHES THEM 10 THE
CHILDREN.

=
1850 and purrorts to he of the eleventh
edition revised" We may fairly assume
therefore, that it enjoys an extensive circula-
ton in the region for which it is maniiestly
written and that it sets forth the latest
warnings for fraternity and Cancellation.
The authors believe that theirs is the only
school history of the United States which
meets ''lhc demands of the present occa-
sen."
Their object was 10. merely TO furnish
Southern schools with a book in which the
rallantry of Southern soldiers should receive
its due recognition, but to teach the young
that .hc Southern cause was ctcrnally right,
and that the Southern people are now crush
ed under vile depotism. The south was
beaten by variety Of errors and accidents ;
hut nothing whatever has been settled by the
war not slavery not even secession.
Such a history can have no other tendency,
of course, than TO encourage the next sener-
aiiops to try the lost cause again and that,
we do not doubt, is what the teachers all
over the South who have distributed ten edit
tious. and now call for an eleventh, hope
and expect from IT, Mcssrs. Blackburn and
Mcdonald begin with a Jealous defence OF
slavery in colonial days, as the natural
condition of the African" and a means OF
spreading the blessings of Christianity 1t
is true that there was in some places sen
timental prejudice against il, and osle,
thorpe in his Georgia plantation, prohibited
slavery and rum. Under this policy, how
ever, ''thc colony languished, anu there was
no prosperity III Georgia till the restrictions
were repealed ''and the inhabitants were
permitted to enjoy all the rights and privi-
,.,.r,a,,,p,r ~, rho rifizpnS of the other
colonies" Virginia was settled by gentle
men the Puritan colonies of New England,
on the contrary, belonged TO the
lower classes; hated their social
and official superiOrs = and provoked
the severity of the English govern
ment by their open defiance of all legtl-
mate authority" In the framing of the Con
stitution. the South waived he right TO a
full representation of her slaves" agreeing
that only three fifths OF them should 1T
counted. though none of them were allowed
to vote: and she consented to enter Gov
crnment in which the North had CONTROL
inr majority" only because she expected
soon TO ontstrip the North. The nullifica-
lion measures of 1882 would have led IL
civil war between South Carolina and the
General Government" if Mr.. Clay had not
carried a compromise measure, which was
accented by Mr.. Calhoun" The North,
however, after persuading South Carolina
not TO fight. soon violated her pledge Ii
Cen. jackson should hear this he would turn
over in his grave. The history of the strug-
Gle for the extesion of slavery is told briefly,
but with the set purpose of showing, IN deli
ancc of the facts, that the North was perpet-
ualy breaking pledges and invading South
crn rights. The Missouri compromise was
CLEARLY unconstitutional, and. therefore,
il was rightfully repealed-as soon as the
South had got all she could out of it.
The Republican party twas entirely Sc
tional in its principles, and had no adherents
in the slave States" The assent of the South
TO the exclusion of slavery from the north
west territory was a great mistake, since that
Jevcloped sectional antasonism" We
ought 10 have had slavery everywhere, and
then there would have been no scctionalism.
1.-The politicians, thirsting for distinction at
any price. sought that cmincncc which they
had failed TO get in an honorable way, by ap-
healing to the more selfish and more violent
passions of the people; and the conse-
uuencc was the election of Abraham Lin
coin, a sectional candidate as President of
the United States. "A large portion of the
Southern people regarded his election under
the circumstances as virtual commence
ment of hostilitics. They asserted that for
years they had been prevented by mob vic
lence from enjoying their constitutional
rights in the North that the spirit of abol-
tionism would now, under the countenance,
and by means of Federal power assume the
aggressive and that il was time for
them to abandon Government which
had fallen into the hands of
their avowcd enemies. 1t was al
legged that the right of secession was a
necessary part of the sovereignty OF each
State, and that ''thc property, lives and llb-
erty of the citizens were threatened by the
aggressive aspect of the incoming admins
tration." The authors Of this school-book
plainly intimate that the rcasonings and as
sumptions of the Southern people were en-
tircly right. Tn" Southern Senators and
Representatives who left their seats in Con
rress to take part in the rebellion were
driven to this last resort of honor by their
political enemies; = and their petitions, like
their threats, were answered by looks OF
luminosity"
In the narrative of military operations the
Confederates are so victorious against over
wheming odds that the final surrender at
Appomattox becomes incomprehensiblc. The
Federal hordes are almost invariably routed
bv a handful of heroes. Wade Hampton is
perpetually putting Sheridan to flight. Hood
regularly beats Sherman. Hancock is never
mentioned the battle of Williamsburg,
where McClellen says that llancock's bchav-
Tor was so brilliant, and Forney says that
Hancock entered "a sort of unconscious YES
thule" is converted into disgraccful defeat
of the Federal forces Rosecrans was thrash
ed nj Stone River Lee thrashcd Grant all
the way through the Wilderness Gettys-
burg was a dawn battle Butler at New Or
leans used the most studied modes of tyran-
nv and torture to bow the heads and break
the hearts of the defenseless citizens = he
and his officers pillagcd private houses I; and
he Informed the city by general order
that all females who in any way manifest
ed sympathy for the South would be exposed
to the insolence of his soldiers" an order for
which, ''hy the common consent OF Europe
and America" he received the name of
Beast" At the second battle Of Manassas
the Federal commander was IAN officer by
the name of John Pope" his troops ran
away, and lac himself never stopped until he
found himself safe in Washington. While
the Northern army is being massacrcd in
Fredericksburg, the hero Burnside is sitting
upon Il commanding cmnence two miles IN
the rear and across the river, calmly view
ing the whole scene with his telescope
Col Ellsworth was famous rough and cir
Gus rider"
The North recruited her armies 10y hiring
European merccnaries." The South had
nothing but her gallant children TO put in the
field, and thus she was condemned TO stake
her most precious Jewels against Tie rdsh Of
Euroge." The South was 4 nation of caval-
iers, peculiarly fitted by blood, climate, in
OF education a. contend
in defense of their rights with 4
world in arms" At the North 'hand
some youths joined the army for
the privilege of wearing the buttons and
every petty officer found himself II hero"
"A respectable portion Of the Democratic
party at the North were opposed TO the war,
and never ceased To cry ont against it. Il"
suppress this opposition harsh measures
were rcsortcd 10 by the Federal authorities,
and many Of the anti-w leaders were i'm
prisoncd. The opposition eliminated, how
ever when an attempt was made TO ill up
the ranks by means OF 4 general draft
The Northern soldiers being represented
in General "a base hirolinps, the authors al
this disgracclul book naturally find nothing
to praise in the Northern commanders. 1t
is Il fact that they have not one word of ap-
probation even for the purely military
achievements of our greatest leaders; not
one word to show that Grant, or Sherman,
or Sheridan, or Meade, or Farragut, or
Footc, or David ID. Porter, or Gilmore, or
Dupont, or George H. Thomas. or tosccrans,
ever did anything remarkable. Several OF
these historic names are not mentioned and
MS rule all subordinate officers on the
Northern side, no matter what their record
- Hancock, for instance, kcarney, Sumner,
W. +. Smith, Sedgwick, Franklin, Rey-
nolds, Mcpherson. Warren, Custcr-are
passed unnOticcd. In the eases of Grant,
Sherman, Farragut and Lincoln certainly
four of the greatest figures in the history of
our time the injustice of silence is carried
so far rs To he ludicrous. Very different is
the treatment accorded To the leaders OF the
South. They are all heroes of the first mag
nitudc Lee was not only great general
and good man, but 'hc was an officer of
the United States army above rcproach.
jefferson Davis was no extremist Cl, yet
rcsolu,c in defence of the rights OF his see
ton" The South could not have been con
qucrcd il She had not been weakened 10y in
tcrnal dsscnSions "In the history of the
world, a HhitSd people, struggling for liberty,
have hcr,r been subiugatcd.'