The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-24
DID THE SOUTH FIGHT FOR MUS.
JICE?

4
the twenty-eighth annual reunion of the
Society Of the Army Of the Army Of the
Potomac at Troy. New York. A Federal
officer who served through the war, Ma
| jor c. A. Woodruff was the chosen ora
tor OF the occasion. and he made a speech
which was kindly in tone towards his
old foes, but which contained one pas
sage that we cannot permit to pass with
out notice II was as follows:
"The valor of those who fought to sub
vert our Government must not blind any
| of us to the fact that their cause was
unjust and un-American; unjust, because
the civilization and enlightenment Of to-
day brands slavery a crime against man
kind; un-American, because the exercise
of the principle OF secession meant ma
tonal suicide.
"As the future Of our country depends
upon the moral fibre OF each successive
generation Of its young manhood and
womanhood, they should understand, In
studying our great civil war, these facts.
and while we do not match the valor OF
the Confederate against the valor of the
Union soldier, for each gave bloody proof
of their honorable equality Of sacrifice and
citizen of this Government can admit that
there was any equality Of flags; for true
Americans there was but one national
flag. and that the one the Union soldiers
bore to complete victory; nor that there
was any co-honor OF causes; for true
Americans there was hut one just cause.
and that the preservation Of the Federal
Union"
IT is plain TO be seen that Major Wood
that the cause for which the Confederacy
man. Men like him need only to see
that they entertain an erroneous i'm
preston for them TO give IL up. Fair
and moderate discussion with such hhen
IS. therefore. not time wasted. Such
discussion holds ont every promise Of
good results. We ask Major Woodruff
this. in all candor and sincerity II the
justice or the injustice Of the Confederate
cause is TO be judged by the fact that
slavery was one of the institutions Of
the States composing the Confederacy
Even though the civilization and en-
lightenment Of to-day brands slavery
crime against mankind" does it follow
the cause for which the Confederacy
fought was an unjust one?
When this question is under considera-
ton the way in which the Southern
States came to be slave states must also
be considered. II must be borne in
mind that those who owned slaves in
the Southern States acquired them by
investing their money in the slaves under
the promises and assurances Of the laws
of the country. that their investments
would be safe, and Major Woodruff
part Of the country assented to those
laws and were in morals and conscience
bound by them therefore. Not only so,
but thousands OF citizens Of the part
OF the country from which Major Wood
ruff comes sold their slaves TO the citi-
zens of the Confederate States, and they
thereby became doubly bound TO guar
antee the Southern people the safety
of their investment. They were bound
as having taken part in enacting the
laws under which the slaves were ac-
CURED and they were bound as guaran-
tors Of the title of the property that
they had sold. Slavery might, therefore,
have been a "crime against mankind"
and still the people Of the Confederacy
might not have been engaged in an unjust
war in lighting the North to prevent her
from forclbly freeing the slaves. The
North was under every obligation Of con-
science and morals not 10 undertake to
forcibly deprive the people of the South
of their slaves. II slavery was 'crime
against mankind" then tho Northern
people were bound to try and put an end
TO slavery, perhaps. but 1t was by fair
and open bargaining whereby the people
of the South would be repaid the i'm
mense investments they had made in
their slaves under the guarantees and
assurances of the laws Of the land. II
was entirely just. therefore that the
people of the South should resist the
attempt OF the people OF the North TO
wrest their slaves from them by VIC
lence.
Major Woodruff would say. however,
that the war was not undertaken to wrest
the slaves from the people OF the South.
In fact, the North did not proclaim that
that was its purpose. but the people OF
the South knew very well that that
was in fact the purpose that lay benhind.
They wisely. therefore. disregarded the
lip declarations OF the Northern people.
and addressed themselves 10 the real
purpose that lay back in their hearts;
and the result proved that they had
penetrated the real design OF their adj
versaries, for. as soon as the contest had
waxed warm. President Lincoln issued
his proclamation, declaring all the slaves
free. 1t was, therefore. from the begin
ming war OF aggression upon the part
of the North TO forcioly wrest our slaves
from us, and 1t could not be said that
we were lighting an unjust war when
we resisted that aggression.
Nor can Major Woodruff maintain his
proposition that secession was un-Ameri-
can, because II meant national suicide.
Even though that was what It meaLt.