The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-05-01
President Roosevelt Touched
Up" By Barlow Philosopher
HAS BOTH GOOD AND BAD TRAITS
William Would Willingly Forgive Him
If He Would Apologize For Hard
# Things Said of Southerners.

suner more and suffer longer, and then
II their enemy smiles on 'em and feeds
s'em with a little sugar, they will lick
his hand and forgive him.
Il l was Eliminating about this when
read OF the presidents visit to Charles
ton, and the grand ovation they gave
him. 1t hasn't been two months since
he said in public at banquet that our
secession was anarchy. 1t hasn't been
very long since he wrote in his life
of Tom Benton this sentence: Before
Jefferson Davis took his place among
tH arch traitors, he had already been
fown as one of the chief regulators
- his state, and it was but natural
that to dishonesty he should add
treachery to the public" Mississippi
did repudiate her public debt, and so
did Michigan and some other northern
states, but Mr.. Roosevelt singles out
a southern state to give slam at Mr..
Davis and the south. Now the truth is
that Mr. Davis had nothing in the
world to do with it. 1t was done before
he came into public life or had any
thing to do with public affairs. I
reckon Roosevelt got it from John Stu
art Mills's slanderous history when he
says, "Mr. Davis was governor of Mis-
sissippi, and when the legislature
passed a bill to pay the repudiated
bonds he vetoed it." What mon
sstroUs lie! Mr.. Davis never was gov
'ernor of Mississippi, and no such bill
was ever passed. Again, Mr.. Roosevelt
says in his book, The moral differ
'ence between Benedict Arnold on the
one hand and Aaron Burr or Jefferson
Davis on the other is the difference
between politician who sells his vote
for money and one who supports bad
measure to get high political posi-
ton" What malignant venom there
must be in a man who would class JEFF
ferson Davis with Arnold and Burr;
what amazing ignorance of historical
facts to call him an arch traitor and
a chief repudiator when at the very
time OF the reputation he was organic
ing a regiment to fight the battles of
his country on the soil of Mexico.
There he was desperately wounded,
and for five years went on crutches.
ur SOUTHERN people regard Jefferson
TDavfs-Tith emotions OF the highest ad-
miration, and have supreme contempt
for the ignorant or malignant histori-
4 ,hO
gratifies me immensely that the pres
ident and General Miles have fallen
out, and that Miles got the worst of it,
though / don't know who deserves the
most scorn, the president for SANDER
ing Mr.. Davis or Miles for putting
shackles on him.
Now if Roosevelt was man enough
to retract what he wrote and ascribe
1t to ignorance or misinformatiOn, he
could restore himself to some extent
to the favor of our people, for it is
fact that We are the most forgiveness
people on the earth, but | have never
yet known a Yankee politician to apol-
ogize for anything he did. They are
the saints. The G. A. RS invite our
boys to banquet with them but they
don't apologize, and they won't vote us
a pension to save our lives. l don't
understand the president. and my opin-
ion is he don't understand himself l
don't believe he has mind enough to
know his own mind. If he is really
for cival war reform and an honest
government what did he turn out Ev-
ans for and put in flgurehead, unless
1t was to tickle the G. A. RS (grab all
rascals) and get their influence in the
next nominating convention. Perhaps
he is himself the man who supports
a bad measure to get high political
position" Well, of course any son-of-
a-gun can get a pension now, and some
who never had a gun. | believe con
federate soldier can get one by greas-
ing the pension agent. Only last week
one of our esteemed fellow citizens
had business that called him to a city
in New York state and on being intro
duced to the pension agent a; Captain
- he was asked what service he was
in. He replied ''In the Virginia army"
So was l." said the agent. Have you
gotten a pension?" NO" said the
captain. well, let me make out your
application; it is time you had one"
The captain humored him for some
time while he was filling up the blank.
"Were you at the surrender" said
he. 81 was" said the captain. Whose
command were you in them" said the
agent General Wade Hamptons,"
said the captain. "The devil, you say;
you were a rebel, then. Gentlemen,
here is the first rebel have ever made
1T pension claim for, and he looks
Ae such a gentleman. I've good no.
7""a it up and get him one.
he could have got
off a log, if