The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-11
HS, ROOSEVELT AND TIE SOUTH.

President Roosevelt spoke generously OF
.bc Southern Coafederates in his speech
the other night at the Harlan dinner.
y can appeal with confidence TO the peo-
iii. address" he said, when say that
..cxI 10 the homage we pay TO the mei;
who proved the truth Of their endearor
as they batued in the blue uniform. Is
The homage we pay to the men who. with
equal sincerity, with equal devotion TO
the right. as it was given to them 10 see
the right. wore the gray.
That Is the nearest approach. so Tar as
we have observed, Of any Northern man
to the acknowledgment of the fact that
the South was right. Many Northern men
have said that the Southern people thought
they were RICH; and fought for what
they believed to be right, and all that,
i,ct the President says they were right
with the lights before them. By ana by
some man even more generous than Mr.
Roosevelt will rise up at the North and
say that the South was absolutely right
~ the course which she pursued, and that
she could not have done otherwise IN
honor and in self-respect. We shall not
stoI TO discuss the right Of slavery as an
institution. 1t is enough to say that the
Southern people had the legal right to
own slaves which they had bought from
the North and it was for them TO decide
Whether slavery should be maintained or
abolished. We have often expressed the
conviction that in time the South would
have abolished slavery and would have
settled this question far better than the
Northern fanatics settled it by Interior
ence But that is entirely apart from
the main question. The Southern people
had never made trouble for the Northern
,,eopls or for the Union. They had not at
tempted to Interfere in the affairs Of the
Northern States. they had not attempted
20 dictate. they had not tried to dissolve
the Union. They were attending TO their
cwn affairs and standing upon their con-
stl.utioaal rights. and all the troubie
came out Of the fact that the Northern fa-
rat;cs were determined to interfere and
NEEDLE in the affairs Of the South. with
which they had nothing to do. The South
stood this nagging and abuse as long as
she could, and by and by, when she saw
that is was impossible for her to remain
peaoeably in the Union. individual South
ern States exercised their rights as South
er1 states to withdraw from the Union
aud set up coafederacv OF their own
Some OF the States did not withdraw in
the beginning. notably Virginia, and they
would, perhaps. have remained n the
Union if the Northern States had let the
Southern Confederacy alone. But the
Northern people were determined thai
The Southern States should not so out.
they were determined that they should
remain in the Union and should remain
Upon the terms Of the North. Taking that
View they raised a mighty army and III
v-aded the territory Of the South without
right or warrant of The Constitution. and
declared that they were going to whip the
South back into the Union. That being
The case, there was nothing for the South
crn States already out to co but to pre-
rare to defend themselves against the at
tack, and there was nothing for Virginia
TO do but to join her sister States and
make common cause with them in resist
ing the invasion.
4 1t will be seen from this that the South
crn States were simply exercising their
coDst. tutional rights in withdra wing FROM
the Union and exercising the right OF self
defense in lighting the Northern foe. The
question of policy, the question OF eXpe-
diency, is 6ebatabie question, about
which there may be two opinions, and
men are honestly disagreed on that point.
There were people at the South who doubt
ed the expeaiency OF this move and want
ed 20 fight inside the Union. Eut as to
the question OF right, as TO the question
OF constitutional right, as to the question
OF divine right, there can be no two opir-
sons about secession.