Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-16
JEFFERSON DAVIS.

Col. Smiths Views ON the South's
Position.
EDiToRs HRRALD-The tributes of re-
spect to the memory of President Davis,
appearing in your columns today, are ex-
pressed with much good taste and feel
ing, and feel it to be a somewhat un-
gracious task to criticize any Of them ;
but think there is expressed in one OF
them an opinion that does injustice to
the southern people and incidentally to
Mr.. Davis. refer to the statement that
ssevery true eoutherner will admit that
his country was in the wrong," which l
think is altogether mistake. l have a
very wide acquaintance with southern
people, and think 1 understand their
sentiments we'll, and am sure that very
few could be found ready to make such
an sdmission. On the contrary, most of
them not only believed they were right
during the war, but have seen no reason
since to change their opinion. On
this point / think the prevailing
sentiment among the old soldiers ofsthe
Confederacy was we'll expressed by one of
their distinguished Generals, now in
Congress, in an address to an association
Of Confederate veterans at Richmond.
"I am tired" he said, "of hearing
southern men say, we thought We were
right We knew We were right" In
this respect the southern people were en-
tirely at one with Mr.. Davis, and / think
that what he has said in his public ut
terances since the war has in general
found an echo in their hearts, and at all
k<,: I< u.
of those who served on the Confederate
side during the war who have ceased to
believe that their cause was Just one.
The failure Of some OF our northern
friends to understand this seems to me to
be the principal cause of the endurance
of the passions OF the war. In some way
at the close Of the war they conceived
the notion that the southern people had
come to repent of the supposed error Of
their ways, and to admit the appropri-
"traitors, so freely bestowed upon them.
Under the political exisencies Of the
times, we did not think it wise to discuss
an admission of it's justice. Hence the
when any one in his public utterances
has always excited renewed access of
anger; and hence the Indignation al.
ways excited against Mr.. Davis, when in
addressing his old friends and comrades
he has given utterance to sentiments
common to them all.
There is also another assumption con-
tanned in the communication upon
which / am commenting that I do not
think is we'll founded, viz, that the Bit
ter and malignant attacks upon MIR.
Davis, aud through him upon the south.
ern people, are calculated "to wound the
hearts" of those who have lost sons or
fathers or husbands in the war, and of
other southern people. I do not thirk
they have had such an effect. They
have long since ceased even to excite
indignation. They are to be regretted
simply as showing a lack of good taste,
good feeling and good sense in those
who make them. Otherwise do not
know that they do any harm. For the
southern people have dearned forbear-
ance in adversely, and have no
objection at all either to such
sentiments being entertained BY
some Of our countrymen or to their ex-
preston. We have no objection to
being called traitors" either directly or
vicariously, through Mr.. Davis. provided
we are left free to deny it. What over
comes our equanimity is the evident
surprise and indignation excited by our
denial. In this some of our enthusiastic
fellow citizens, who are still proud to
boast of voting as they shot, remind me
of man once knew, who not only
called another liar, but beat him for
saying he was not.
These remarks are made in the in
terests Of peace and good will. The
sooner the fact is understood that the
southern people. believed they were
right in the war, still believe it, and will
probably continue TO believe it, the bet
ter it will be for all parties. If this is
appreciated all at once, bitter as may be
the indignation excited, it will soon be
over. Otherwise we will be subject to
constantly recurring paroxysms of wrath,
as the truth little by y,little comes to be
appreciated. Very truly yours,
at GEORGE H. SMITH.
Los Angeles, December Is, 1889.