The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-05

Unfortunate. But Not Infamous.
One Reverend Doctor Joseph IwtcheA
q divine" OF some prominence up
North. cAaractclizes General Robert f.
Leo as "a good man. but loyal 10 an III
famous cause" That section Is full OF mis-
guided men who still constantly UTTER
and no doubt sincerely feel, such extreme
and unjust sentiments as this expressed
by the divine Dr. Is~itcheH. Sucn men
are not only misguided, but they are un-
iuformed-chock-fuL IN short OF gross.
Grass Ignorance. The "cruel war is over,
and We are glad it is forever ended. we
are back in the Union, and there we IN
tend to stay while slow moving history
comes in this petty pace from day 10 day
10 the last syllable Of recorded time.
But for all that we are also here PACK
ia the Union. 10 assert, ahd from day TO
day reitsrate 10 tie last syllable ot Ie-
cordad time. or 20 so much thereof as
may be- allotted 20 Us with power TO hold
a pen. that there never was any mia
nous cause" TO which General lee was
loval. The cause was indeed an unsuccess-
ful one. and We arc even willing 10 say
a deplorable one. but an Infamous one
il most positively was not and all the
reverend Twitche.ls Ia Chnsieudom, or
out of 10. can never make IT so. whether
il was cxpcdient OF not for the South 10
eecedo IS one question and a question on
which there may he an honest difference
OF opinion. But as 10 whether or not 10
was Infamous can no longer be qucs-
ton with well-informed and honest peo-
pie. 10 is not necessary 10 thrash the oid
straw all over again. The whirlisis or
time which. according 10 the proVerp,
brings all things right. has brought TINS
right We need no longer 20 20 Southern
auoiogists FOR slavery and seccssion' our
quondam opponents upon this question are
now the only witnesses we need. Perhaps
the most authentic gnd best-insormcd of
these Is Senator cabot Lodge. of Massa-
chusetts. de is the author Of the force
bin. and be now occupies the seat IN the
United States Senate 10 which Daniel
Webster once sat. Tie has written for
"The American Series Of Statesmen" a LIE
OF his iuustrious predecessor. and In Sat
biography Doe plainly and expressly says
that upon tho question OF the abstract
right OF secession the opinion held and
maintained by Mr.. Webster was wrong
and that maintained by Calhoun AID
Hayne was right. lie says that II Mr..
Webster could have had access 20 the Sc
cret debates OF the stitutonal Congress
OF 1857. kept by Mr. Cadison and post
humously published, he never would have
asserted the view OF his constitutional
right in the great debate with Haync
That great debate. which occurred In
January. 1880. was a discussion Of the
true nature Of our gOvernment-whether
81 was a national government. formed by
the people without particular reference 10
state lines. with powers consolidated in a
general head, or whether it was con-
federation OF equal States. with certain
powers delegated TO a Federal head. and
those not delegated reserved 10 the people
OF the several States. respectively, and
not TO the people In the aggregate. Mr..
Hayne contendel for the latter view. Mr.
Webster for the former. As 20 which
view the trainers OF the Constitution held
and meant to insraft into that instru-
ment. is unanswerably shown by full
and accurate memorandum OF the secret
debates" OF the Federal convention I'm l7s1,
which formed the Constitution, made by
Mr. Madison. member Of the body. as
the discussions progressed. and published
after his death, which occurred in 1896.
This publication cleared up all doubt.
and since then TO weil-informod man has
contonded that IL was reasonable or "in-
famous IN a State 10 secede from the
Union until after the adoption OF the
amendments 10 the Constitution. made
after the war. and the Reconstruction
acts. 10y which the Southern States ac-
ceped the terms imposed upon them for
-eadmissiOn into the Union. Even Mr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, in his Life OF
Webster gives IL up, as We said above.
But perhaps Rev. Mr.. Twitchell re-
CARDS the cause" TO which General Lee
was Loyal as Infamous" I'm being for
the preservation OF African slavery. Here,
again. he Is of. The Southern States
did not secede FOR the preservation or ex-
tension Of slavery and the civil war was
not fought for that purpose. The object
was 10 resist what they considered dam
gerous aggression by the Federal Govern
nent. AT the behest OF Northern aboli-
tionists, upon the constitutional rights
Of the tates. But even II the preservation
OF slavery was IN part. or In whole. the
cause" where does the "infamy" come
IN? We deny that there was any 'infamy"
In II. but that's too big a question 20
open here. There is an aspect Of the
question. however 20 which we Will for
moment advert. The "slaye trade with
all the horrors OF the "middle-passage -
the hold OF the vessel where the wretch
cd creatures were huddled together and
half OF them suffocated 10 death-thls
was an Infamous business" Charles
Sumner said that african slavery is tho
sum OF all villalnies." That was not true.
But the sentiment OF the great Whitfield.
which Sumner half plagiricd anu grossly
perverted. was true. nancy. that the
"slave trade" was villslnOIs. Whnr6d's
language was: That sum OF all Ill i'nies
called the slave-trade." Now. Virginia
was earnest IN her endeavor IN the con .
vontion OF 1877 10 put In the Constitu-
ton that the slave trade should
be at once abolished. But the Puritan
State OF New England. namely. Massachu-
sets. opposed its immediate abolition.
being engaged IN that lucrative trade.
They built the vessels and loaded them