The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-26
CORPORAL TANNERS Words
A Red Hot Confederate Replies to inc
visitors Speech.
/, tho Editor of The Times:

To the Editor OF The Times:
l was struck with the cool assuianvo
OF CORPORAL Tanner. as reported III your
noner ~ tho 18th. in his remarks 10 the
ronfo1erate veterans: "You thought you
were right" he is stated to have saiu'
eve knew we were right, ana boo mas
nroyed il So" No one, apparently ~
svered Mr.. Tanner. was II from a nus.
,,ken sense of courtecy TO a guest! but
should such an assertion be allowed 10
go unchaIlenged2 Certainly we NOT onS
believed ne were right III lSoi' put W
believe Il row n we may say conn
Sonttv "cod has proved itc So" or. IN
other words, time and events nave Vmy
made more apparent the im~pregnaplhty
Of orr position on moral and constl.u-
tional grounds. Mr.. Tanner is apparently
of the opinion that God is on fhe sIu VI
the heaviest artillery. Any tyraht' hI
FORE who invades a. free State and MAKES
war upon its people, if he finds hlmsei,
strong enough to s~ubjugate the ihNaueu
country. nay say: Il knew i was IlSnn,
and God has proved 1t so. Nusnt sho
RIGHT" is his creed, and success Is tue
tay, NJ tho meritorious cause. ORDER
reions in Warsaw"-what more "ouiu
,,on have2 But II is a weighty truth thae
s.,vrono never becomes right Ana IL
RIGHT and wrong nave any significance III
noiitfce. II was wrong both leSaily anu
officially for one set or states 10 man"
vor i'm iS6l-'65 against another SCI VI
states. IL was wrong to conhsCate a. ,uo
close OF that war five thousah! lhliIo,
doIlare, worth of property in the invaded
onntrv-nroner which had been sol
omnIv ured to its owners by the con-
%stituti compact which was SAID 10 oe
still binoing over the people OF the Sou.h-
orn con federacy. II was wrong 10 AFTER
that constitution at the point or the payo-
net. as was done in the case OF tne aiheHu
uents. And what can be sald III ~
tonuation Of those Infamous reconsttuD.
ton" acts, which. as Ihohlas NelnoI
Page SAYS. were "violatlVe OF the .elm9
on which the South had SURRENDERED dnu
disbsnded her broken armies, ana pre-
otni,ated for the purpose Of securing. not
neace not safety. not righteous KIN"
edonent Of lawfully constituted authorl-
80 hut nersonal power to the leaders OF
rho marty which at that time was uoIhl-
nant. power with all that II lmpieu vi
gain and revenge. CO.
Yes 1--WE knew we were right, ana 'Tod
has proyed IL so" The party tnaI Was
r~esponsible for the war OF coerclon' loi
the Wholesale robbery of Southern slaves
for negro suffrage. for force bills ana al
findred denominations, Tor the mo"s'i"u9
pcnsion and tariff legislation Oh uHS
country has run its evil course, ana We
go in mower to-day In every brauch or
the Federal Government the party OF Jel-
fsrson-ond of jefferson Davis. For -FOUR
hrief but glorious years, the )eople OF
the South lived under the best constith-
ZION this continent has ever seen-'9he
Constitution of the Confederate STATES
And their Executive, the great soldier
statesman, who's last ~resting-piace Is 10
be. after next May, in your peautituI
and historic city, yet speaks 10 us "orus
of wisdom and of warning, when the
Democracy of both the Nortn hhu the
South would do we'll to he.d. the prece-
dents set within the past thirty years
by the Government OF the United states
have inflicted serious. perhaps inetace-
able wounds upon the Constitution Oh
17S9. II remains for the Democratic
marty 10 restore it, as far as ma be. TO
its pristine purity. And We or the oouth
ran rejoice that the new era has at
length opened upon a long suffering peo-
rle. or one wrong" however, We inay
vet sadly ask will any future legislation
right il? This is the wrong which inhlct-
ed upon us the race question, changing
the old friendly relations between master
and servant, and planting In their place
seeds of suspicion and distrust. IN
doubtedly the Southern Confederacy IN
working out it's destiny would have pro-
vided for gradual emancipation, like Bra
I'll. The slaves then having reason to
regard their former masters as their
benefactors, mutual confidence would
have prevailed. But by the unwarralt-
able and totally unjustiiable interfer-
ence Of the Northern States. Southern
social and Industrial conditions suffered
violent and sudden change which has
been so prejudicial to the subordinate
race-so full OF grave perils to the civill-
cation of the Southern States, and which
has entailed upon us an injury ana a
menace Of which no man can see the con-
clusion. X. NJ. B.
Washington, ID. G.