The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-27

Southern people are the most forgiveness
people in the world" They will suffer
more and suffer longer, and then if their
enemy smiles on 'em and feeds EN- with
little sugar, they will lick his hand and
forgive him.
! was Eliminating about this when 7
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 JEFF
ferson Davis took his place among the
frch traitors, he had already been known
as one of the chief regulators of his
State, and it was not unnatural that to
dishonesty he should add treachery to the
Iublic." Mississippi did repudiate her
Tubiic debt, and so did Michigan and some
other Northern States, but Mr.. Roosevelt
singles out a Southern State to give a
slan 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
anything to do with public affairs. 1
Ieckon Roosevelt got it from John Stuart
Mills slanderous history when he says
Mr.. Davis was Governor of Mississippi
and wheI the Legislature passed a bill
to pay the repudiated bonds he vetoed
it, What a monstrous lie! Mr.. Davis
never was Governor of Mississippi, and
no such bill was ever passed. Again
Mr.. Roosevelt says in his book, 1.-THE
moral difference between Benedict Ar
mold on the one hand and Aaron Burr or
Jefferson Davis on the other is the diff
ference between a politician who sells
his vote for money and one who supports
bad measure to get q high political
position" What malignant venom there
must be in man who would class Jeffer-
son Davis with Arnold and Burr; what
amazing ignorance of historical facts to
call him an arch traitor and a chief re-
Tudiator when at the very time OF the
reputation he was organizing a regi
ment to fight the battles of his country
on the soil of Mexico. There he was
desperately wounded, and for five years
went on crutches. Our Southern people
regard Jefferson Davis with emotions of
the highest admiration, and / have SUI
preme contempt for the ignorant or ma
lignant historians and politicians who
assail him. 1t gratifies me immensely
that the President and Gen. Miles have
fallen out, and that Miles got the worst
of it, though l don't know who deserves
the most scorn, the President for SIAN
dering Mr. Davis or Miles for putting
shackles on him.
Now if Roosevelt was man enough to
retract what he wrote and ascrbe it
to ignorance or misinformation, he could
restore himself to some extent to the
favor of our people, for it is a fact that
we are the most forgiveness people on
the earth, but l have never yet known a
Yankee politician to apologize for any
thing he did. They are the saints. The
G. A. RS invite our boys to banquet
with them, but they don't apologize, and
they wouldn't vote us pension to save
our lives. / don't understand the Presi-
dent, and my opinion is he don't under
stand himself. ! don't believe he has
mind enough to know his own mind.
If he is really for civil war reform
and an honest government, what did he
turn cut Evans for and put in a figure
head, unless it was to tickle the G. A.
RS (grab all rascals) and get their in
f1uence in the next nominating conven-
ton? Perhaps he himself is the man
"who supports a bad measure to get high
political position" Well, of course any
SON. gun can get a pension now and
some who never had gun. / believe a
Confederate 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 introduced
to the pension agent as Captain - he
was asked what service he was in. He
replied, I'm the Virginia army $50
was l." said the agent. "Have you got
ten pension?" mo" said the captain.
well. let me make out your applica-
ton; it is time you had one" The cap
tain hundred 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. |
Gen. Wade Hamptons,' said the cap
tain. 1.-THE devil you say; you were
rebel. then. Gentlemen, here is the first |!
rebel l have ever made out a pension |
claim for and he looks like such a gen.
tleman, I've good notiuon to send it |
up and get him one." The captain says |
falling off a log, if he had Just lied a |
little. Newt Tomlin told me a long time
ago that the only way to get even with |
the Republicans was to grease 'em or
jine 'em, but it was safer to do both.
But our people will forgive Teddy IL he |
will apologize for the past and behave in |
the future. He has some good traits
which he inherited from his mother. but
his impulses and emotions ore not we'll |
balanced. His gun goes off half cooked |
and he shoots with the double wabbles |
think he has about let the niger alone
and so has the North generally. We |
lynched one in Rome the other day and |
have never seen any mention of it in
their papers. Our Governor didn't even
offer reward nor has the circuit judge |
made any fuss about it. l reckon the |
towns and cities will now sympathize |
with the country people, for the crime in |
this case was committed in the very cen
tire of the city and so was the lynching, |
and nobody was disguised I have been |
in favor of lynching ever since they |
burned that negro in Dallas, Texas, and
am still. When they lynch one they |
ought to pick out about dozen bad |
ones and whip them and make them |
leave the country THAT'S tho wav they