The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-20
GEN. ALExANDER,s SPEECH.

Mrs. w. H. FELTON, in Atlanta Jour-
nal: 1t is not surprising that Geor-
gias Confederate Veterans feel some
what hurt and chagrined at the re-
marks made at West Point, N. Y, at
its late commencement exercises by
Gen. E. P. Alexander, who was Sc
lected by the authorities to speak from
the Confederate standpoint. His sub
ject was the Confederate Veteran"
He spoke for the class. of 1857 and dur
ing the course of his remarks said:
Whose vision is now SO dull that he
does not recognize the blessing it is
to himself and to his children to live
in an undivided country? Who would
to-day relegate his own state to the
position it would hold in the world
were it declared a sovereign, as are the
states of Central and South America?
To ask these questions is to answer
them. And the answer is the acknowl-
edgment that it was best for the
South that the cause was lost. The
right to secede, the stake for which
we fought so desperately, were it now
offered us as a gift, we would reject,
as we would a proposition of suicide. ,"
1t is permissible that Gen. Alexander
should speak what he believes to be
the truth, but there are times when
silence is golden" If he felt what
he said to be the truth as he saw it.
1t was still poor policy to appear and
speak for class of our citizenship who
entirely disagree with the speakers
views on this subject, unless they had
authorized these statements and made
him their mouthpiece. bird that
befouls her own nest is a poor sort OF
bird as birds are reckoned, and while
the results of the war are bearable
it was poor time and poor place to
eat humble pie, and act like you were
trying to be very humble. 1 doubt
if the general would have made the
same speech in Savannah that he made
at West Point: but it must not be for
gotten that the general has been fav-
eyed with some remarkably good gov
eminent appointments, and so long as
he enjoys that sort of candy he NAV
be expected to praise 1t, regardless of
the coloring that the candy-makers use
in fixing it up. The people who may
be expected to praise the sweetening
on all such occasions will like more
candy when the present supply runs
low but it is a little hard on the cold
Confeds" here at home that are not
being supplied with any government
positions, and whose stomach sours on
humble pie" without any candy. Be
sides 1T is disputed question whether
the South would secede if the chance
was offered under conditions that prom
ised success. OF course nobody is fool
enough to crave for years of disaster
and defeat just to live through it, but
Gen. Alexander should be sure of the
ground he stands upon before he un-
dertakes to speak for ten states of this
union on question of such Importance
as he discussed at West Point. If lie
feels like he deserved his whipping and
got 1t where it was needed, we will
not contradict his assertions, but there
are lots of people in this country who
indulge the opinion that nothing is
ever settled that is not settled right.
and the burdens that were flung upon
the Southern states after the war was
over go to show that this business of
spiteful revenge was badly overdone
and negro suffrage was clearly a case
of spite when we see how vigorously
it is denied to the Indian, the Japanese
and the Chinaman by the very men
who were most anxious to put "black
heels on white necks." Gen. Alexan-
der is doubtless a fine speaker on gala
days, but somebody else should speak
for the Confederate Veterans,