The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-06-12
ROOseveIt,s Insults to the South.

The men who fail to condemn these
lynchings, and yet clamor about what
has been done in the Philippines, are
indeed guilty Of neglecting the beam in
their own eye while taunting their bro
ther about the mote in his. Understand
me. These lynchings afford us no ex-
cuse for failure to to stop cruelty in the
Philippines. Every effort is being
made, and will be made, to minimize
the chances OF cruelty occurring.
Your false friends then called Grant
butcher and spoke of you who are lis
tening to me as mercenaries, as Lincoln
hirelings Your open foes-as in the
resolution passed by the Confederate
congress in October, 1862 accused you,
at great length, and with much partic-
ularity, of contemptuous disregard of
the usagss of civilized war; of subject
ing women and children to 'baniShment
imprisonment and death; of murder,
of 'rapine, of 'outrages of women, Of
'lawless cruelty, of 'perpetrating atroc-
tiles which would be disgraceful to saw
ages and Abraham Lincoln was sim
gled ont for especial attack because Of
his spirit of barbarious ferocity.' Yer
lily, these men who thus foully SANDER
ed you have their heirs today in those
who traduced our armies in the Philip
pines, who fix their eyes on individual
deeds of wrong so keenly that at last
they become blind to the great work of
peace and freedom that has already
been accomplised. -Roosevelt's Memo
rial Day Speech.
President Roosevelt enormously as
sumes that the principal criticism Of
some officers and soldiers in the Philip
pine Islands comes from the south,
from those who do not condemn lynch
ings, he says, and the heirs of Confed-
crate soldiers "who tradnce our armies
in the Philippines. As matter of
fact, the resolution, under which the
investigation of the conduct of the ar
my in the Philippines proceeded, was
introduced and pressed by Senator
Hosr, the venerable republican senator
from Massachusetts. If the southern
people protest against the uniform of
an American soldier being a cloak to
hide and cover up wanton outrages, it
is all the more to their credit Such
conduct is condemned in other sections
of the country with the same degree Of
severity. Yet, the south does not con-
denim the American army as whole.
Southern boys, "the heirs who traduce
our armies in the Philippines" com
pose large portion of the American
army. They are ready and willing to
follow aud defend the flag when neces-
sary, andrespond quickly to the call tC
arms. When the Spanish-American
war broke out there were more volun'
teers in the south than could be used
in the army. From every quarter they
came to offer their services. There
were many southerners in the regimen
of Rough Riders, commanded by thu
nations own hero, Col. Theodore Roose
velt, now by foul deed of an assassin
president of the United States. TIL,
Soutern people can not be accused 0
making warranted attack upon TIL
army. President Roosevelt, when h
made this charge, realized that he wa
talking to an audience composed of q
A. r. men and their friends. Ever ol
the alert to give himself some clap-tra
notoriety, he seized this opportunity t
inhame the passions of his hearers b
referring in a contemptnous manner t
their old enemies of the civil war. Thi
is not the first time Roosevelt has don
this. 1t is fresh in the minds of tn
! people that at G. A. r. banquet i
Washington he referred to ConfederaI
soldiers as anarchists.
AS President Roosevent is in error i
the intimation that the chief criticisl
of the army comes from the south, jul
80 is he mistaken when he assumes thi
. southern people do not condemn lyncl
: ings. Southern people deplore th
5 conditions that make lynching a poss
! bility. They would that the law coul
take its course. Many attempts hay
9 been made in the south to prevel
n lynchings and the best sentiment
the south is against lynching. Pres
dent Roosevelt, himself, on one occ
sion, perhaps unwittingly, was a splel
did promoter Of lynching, BY his ov
n actions he made negroes to believe til
s they were the social equals of ii
Q whites. Nothing tends to foster Il
j. crime for which lynching is the peni
If ty so much as this idea on the part
Il negroes.
70 In his two filings at southern peor
le President Roosevelt was in error. II
al speech was entirely out of tune wi
q the spirit of the occasion on which
: was delivered. 1t was base sland
on the people of the south and unwort
of the most demagogic stump speak
~ in the country. 1t will only be mi
u ~ ter OF time when our unbribled pre-
"a dent will repeat the performance
~ ~ Nashville News.
=. Sweet Breath
,, | 20 Al oon,pa ninn IN a wall ordaraJ ot =,