The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1902-05-16
A Half Told Tale We're Better
Left Alone.


spoken.
In presenting to the public the
language of either friend or foe, we
should bear in mind that time honor
ed injunction of law to tell 1.-THE
truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the1truth. "
Hon. Murray f. Smith, for whom
we have great respect, in responding
to the toast, "The President, at the
Schley banquet, repeats with seeming
pride and satisfaction the compli-
ment paid by Author Roosevelt to
Lee, Jackson and the soldiers who
followed them. Why did not Mr.
Smith read further and tell us also
what Author Roosevelt said about
Jefferson Davis?
In this same book from which Mr.
Smith quotes, Roosevelt says; "Be-
fore Jefferson Davis took his place
among the ARCH TRAITORS, he
had already been known as one Of the
chief repudiators of his State, and it
was not unnatural that to DISHON-
ESTY he should add TREACHERY
to the public"
Again this myopic, spec tacled,
trough rider" bookmaker says: "The
moral difference between Benedict
Arnold on the one hand and Jefferson
Davis on the other lis the difference
between a politician who sells his
vote for money and one who supports
a bad measure to get high political
position" And yet Mr.. Smith says,
in his eulogy Of this myOpic presi-
dent, "every impartial man must ac-
cord to him the highest and lOftiest
patriotism and purpose. Mr.. Smith
in the fervor of his admiration, tells
us that "the South should feel that
he is a president broad enough to un-
derstand our motives and sufficiently
liberal and brave to pronounce JUST
ESTIMATE of our ''heroes.r Was
Jefferson Davis one of our "heroes"?
If so, is his comparison to Benedict
Arnold by this myOpic braggart a
'just estimate? Is it a ''just esti-
mate" of Mr.. Davis character to
parallel him with the low, venal poll
tician who "sells his vote for money!?
The man, whether of low or high
degree, who bellies Mr.. Davis, bellies
the Southern people, with whom he
was thoroughly and intensely identi-
fed and whom he fully and faithfully
represented in hope, in purpose, in
deed and in conviction of right. The
man, whether of high or low degree,
who ISLANDERS Mr.. Davis insults the
six hundred thousand Confederate
soldiers who stood by him as he stag
gered under the burden which the
Southern people had laid upon him
and asked him to bear in their be-
half, and under which he never, for a
moment, murmered, nor faltered, nor
finched, even when the cold iron of
ingratitude entered his soul and the
manacles of Of cruel despotism wore
the flesh from his withering limbs.
Jefferson Davis is one of the few
exalted and immortal figures Of his
tory. Proud, invincible and unbend-
ing in his dungeon as when his
matchless elequence electrified the
Senate chamber of the nation, or his
genius and valor wrested victory from
defeat on the plains of Mexico, when
sitting his war horse, erect as mar
BILE statue, with blood streaming from
his wounds till his cheeks were
blanched, unmoved and undismayed
by the flying fragments Of the Amer
ican army, without a tremor in his
voice he called to his unwaVering
line, "Steady, Mississlppians; Steady"
A Republican editor in Chicago, a
relentless political and partisan foe,
writing Of Mr.. Davis few days after
his death, said; "Whatever else may
be said Of Jefferson Davis, no shadow
of unworthiness rests upon the purity
and magnidcence Of his private and
public career. Lofty in character,
grand in intellect he was great in
all things, little in nothing, and ma