The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-11-08
THEDAuGHTERs ANDTHE SLAVES

At recent meeting of the Georgia
Branch OF the Daughters Of the Confed-
eracv at Athens, Mrs. NJ. A. LpscOmb,
principal of Lucy Cobb Institute, intro
duced a series Of resolutions calling upon
the United States Government to COM
pensate owners for slaves which were
freed under Lncoln's emancipation
proclamation. In noting the incl
dent at the time We expressed
the hope that the Daughters Of
the Confederacy would not press the reso-
lutions. as slavery was dead, and we did
not think it we'll to resurrect the slavery
question in any form.
Mrs. Lipscomb has issued an address to
the United Daughters OF the Confederacy,
now in session in Richmond, in which she
declares that the time has come for tie
women Of the South to bring this matter
to the attention Of Congress. She has
kindly sent TO The Times copy Of her
address. in which are embodied the reso-
lutions offered at Athens, and she &C
companies the same with polite note
requesting that we give the address and
resolutions careful study. This We have
done. but our opinion has not been
changed. We have a profound respect for
the Daughters of the Confederacy, ana
we are predisposed to champion any
measure that they may promulgate, but
in this we are quite clear that Mrs.
Lipscomb is wrong.
We dare not trust ourselves TO talk
about the injustice done the South in free
ing the slaves and then putting the bal
lot into their hands, but for all that we
are unwilling that the South shall be
put in the position Of asking compensa-
ton for this outrage in dollars and cents.
No amount Of money could compensate
the South for the injury thus inflicted,
nor right the wrong which has been
done. We prefer to put the whole wretch
ed business behind US and think about
It as little as possible.
But this aside, we cannot agree that
the Southern States may fairly claim,
under the rules Of war, compensation for
the slaves that were set free. When these
States seeded they set up an independent
government and their soldiers fought TO es-
tablish and maintain it. We did not fight
for slavery, but for the rights of sovereign
States. We did not fight in the Union,
but as an independent nation, and we
committed ourselves to the fortunes and
misfortunes of war. AS a war measure,
the Northern forces laid waste our fields
and destroyed our stores, and as a war
measure MIR. Lincoln issued his emancipa-
ton proclamation. We staked and lost,
and we may as well ask Congress TO
compensate US for the property that Sheri-
dan destroyed and for the spoons that
Ben Butler stole as for the slaves that
were liberated by Lincoln's proclamation.
The South asks no favors of the rational
government We are not handing around
the hat. We simply ask to be treated as
other States in the Union are treated, end
as for the negro question, all that we
ask is that the government and the
fanatics Of New England will not mcdde
but leave the South TO solve in it's own
way, and as best it may. the iniquitous
problem Of negro suffrage which the North
foisted upon US.
But, apart from all other considerations.
Mrs Ilpscomb fully understands that the
constitutional obstacles In the way of
her proposal are insurmountable.