The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-10-02
The South in History.
Teach the Children That we
Were Always Right.
fFrom the Richmond Times J


In the dedicatory ceremonies al
Chickamauga Governor Woodbury.,
of Vermont, said that the children ol
the country should be taught that the
South was wrong in the war. Gov.
ernor Tarney, of Tennessee, an old
Confederate soldier, replied to this.
He said that he believed that he was
right every day Of the four years and
nineteen days that he was in the Con
federste army, that he still believes
he was night and that he should teach
his children that he was right
This is the talk that should be
heard from Southern men upon every
occasion when the war is brought
under discussion. No fair-minded
man can make a study Of our Consti-
tuition and of the history of the
county when it was adopted and
doubt that the States adopting it un-
derstood that they would have a
right to withdraw from the Union if
they should find continued member
ship of it opposed to their interests
or the feelings of their people.
The ratification of the Constitution
by Virginia's Convention, for in
stance, was obtained with the great
est difficulty only. and it is absurd to
say that that ratification could have
been obtained at all if the friends OF
the Constitution had said openly to
the Convention that they were draw
ing the State into a compact from
which she could never withdraw
The Constitution would not have had
ghost of chance before Virginia's
Convention if that had been an.
nounced to it, and probably not be-
fore the Convention of any one of the
States.
We had right to withdraw from
the Onion. and the war which the
Northern States made upon US was
therefore war of aggression and
conquest, in which we had ali of the
right of the case and they had moth
ing but the wrong of it. We should
teach our children this, then. that
they may look upon their fathers as
honorable men. who bravely battled
for the right. rather than as traitors
and rebels, whose course in life can.
not be studied by their sons except
with shame. For this reason we are
glad to see the war that is being
made upon the use of Barnes His
tory of the United States in our pub
lie schools. 1t is written by North
ern man, whose sympathies were
with the North in the war. He has
given a Northern coIoring to all he
has said about the causes of the war
aud the war Itself We object to
Southern children being taught the
history of our struggle from any
such standpoint We want to see
the book excluded from our schools
aud Mrs Lees history adopted in its
place. That is fa!s. candid, truth
ful history Of the case. but from The
ppeep Of a writer WHO loves !he South
and idoliz-s Tic menoly Ct the gree.
men who secured deathless fame for
the South and her armies during the
four years Of the war.
A great part of the civilized world
outside of America has already learn.
ed the truth about our contest, aud
correct information concerning it is
making ,ts way in the North also.
For a long time after the war go
Northern man referred to it except in
the spirit of making treason
odions." But a great change has
already taken place in their manner
OF reference to the war, and that
change is growing all the time. 1t
was very noticeable that every
Northern speaker at the Chickamauga
exercises, whether soldier or poll
tician, spoke of the Confederate SOL
der and his cause respectfully and
considerably. Even that dyed-ln
the wool old South hater, Governor
Morton, of New York. an old stal-
wart of the stalwarts. said:
Although the great State of New
York wes not represented among the
troops who WON death'ess renown at
Chickama. ga, the Empire State hon
ors the soldiers Of ali ether States,
North and South, who brought here
sucl. a splendid example Of human
courage aud martial va,or in defence
and maintenance of what each side
believed to be a natural right aud
principle "
1t is a great stride for such man
as Governor Norton to make such
concession as this The world IS
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