The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-05-08
What Roosevelt Said. ,

cd Bishop Kelley as Dlackguard be-
cause of what he said about President
Roosevelt at Savannah. As there was
some curiosity to know what the bishop
said we reproduce it in these columns
the other day. The exciting cause of
the episcopal remarks was Mr.. Roose-
velt's attack upon Jefferson Davis.
Bishop Kelley accused the president of
maligning the character of the dead, of
indulging in envenomed malice and of
comparing Mr.. Davis to Benedict Ar
mold. For doing this the bishop de-
scribed him as the degenerate son of
southern mother. Now this is not
blackguardism at all, if it is true. In
order that there may be no doubt upon
the subject, we give what Roosevelt
wrote about Jefferson Davis
"Before Jefferson Davis took his
place among arch traitors, etc, it was
not unnatural that the dishonesty he
should add treachery to the public.
The moral difference between Benedict
Arnold, on the one hand, and Aaron
Burr and Jefferson Davis on the other,
is the difference between a politician
who sells his vote for money and one
who supports bad measure to get high
political position"
L
This is the language used by the
president of the United States of the
dead chieftain Of the Southern Confed-
eracy. 1t was quoted by Bishop Kei-
ley, and was the basis of his attack up
on Mr.. Roosevelt. No one ought to
know better than the latter that there
is no treason involved in the question
of secession. 1t is essentially ques-
tion of right. The man who withdraws
from business firm to go into business
for himself is not traitor to the firm.
When the American colonies seeded
from England it was not under the spur
of treason, but of independence.
There was no difference between the
secession of 1776 and the attempted Sc
cession Of 1861, except the Confederates
had different reasons for wishing to
withdraw from those which animated
the Continentals. In 1861 the right Of
secession was an open question. II
had been asserted in New England, but
not by force of arms. The motivel
which influence seceders. of course hal
nothing to do with the exercise of thu
right of secession. At the Hartford
convention a disruption of the Uniol
y was defended "by reason Of the multi
piled abuses of bad administration. |
the right exists at all, those who pro
pose to exercise it must be the sol
judges OF the advisability of exc cisinI
- it. In 1861, as we have said. this wa
an open question. The south wante,
, to go ont. The north wanted 10 kee
the south in. And so this oper ques
tion had to be settled by resort t
arms. There was no other tribunal t
y which it could be referred.
At this late day there is no need t
question the sincerity of those VIII
fought on either side. The old soldier
have long since abandoned that habit
There is no sense in dispara ;ing
r. brave foe. There is no excuse for cal
ing names. Jefferson Davis had hi
faults, for he was man. But he Wa
simply part of that great moyemeI
y in lhe south to start new cOnfederc
of states. Whe' Mr.. Roosevelt cha
n Jcterizes him as an arch traitor he d.
nounces every one of the 100000 boy
e in gray as a traitor. He slaps th
south in the face The people of til
section have cheerfully accepted I'll
verdict OF battle. Secession is no lonl
er a live issue; for 2,7OO, 900 FEEDER
soldier made 100000 Confederate wa
"' riors give up the right. The iIk
split, and that's all there is to it, RI
IS. while the southerners have bowt
cLeerfully to the inevitable, the do n
propose that the motives and the hon
of the Confederates shall be questione
Mr.. Roosevelt has characterized M
Davis as an arch traitor, has sccus,
d. him Of both dishonesty and treacher
= and has drawn only an invisible lii
between him and Benedict Arnol
Such utterances are we'll calculated
draw the fire OF southern orators, al
we leave it to those who read to s.
whether Bishop Kelley had or had n
I'd warrant for what he said. We do Il
w W. feel that there is any need on our pa
Tsi to add anything by way of person
20. comment ON the president. We la
is printed what Bishop Kelley said abe
Roosevelt, and we have laid before t
people of the south what Mr.. Roosev
said about Jefferson Davis. .-Comm'
cialAppeal
Won't Follow Advice After Paying For 1t