The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-15
THE CONFEDERATES NOT
GUILTY OF SANDER.

A distinguished citizen of the State, a
man of affairs who was a brave Confed-
crate soldier. sends the editor the fol-
lowing temperate criticism of President
Roosevelt's speech at Arlington, for
which space is made in these columns.
1t is as follows:
President Roosevelt is quoted as say
ing in his Arlington address:
There were abuses and to spare in
the civil war. Your false friends then
called Grant butcher and spoke of
you who are listening to me as merce-
naries, as 'Lincoln's hirelings.' Your
open foes-as in the resolution passed
by the Confederate Congress in October.
1S62-accused you, at great length, and
with much particularly, of 'contemptu-
Gus disregard of the usageS of civilized
war; of subjecting women and children
to Punishment, Imprisonment and deaths
of murder of rapine. of 'Outrages on
women, of 1awless cruelty, of 'perpe
trating atrocities which would be dis
graceful to savages; and Abraham Lin
coin was singled out for especial attack
because of his spirit of barbarous fero-
city Verify, these men who thus foully
slandered you have their heirs today in
those who traduce our armies in the
Philippines, who fix their eye on indvid-
ual deeds of wrong so keenly that at
last they become blind to the great work
of peace and freedom that has already
been accomplished.
This part of the Presidents address
has led to certain structures upon him.
For our part, it does not seem unnatural
that he should have made this appeal
for a lenent judgment as to the out
RACES committed in the Philippine Is
lands.
Publicity being given to those outrages.
the officers there justified them under the
recent republication by the War Depart
ment of General Order No 100, issued by
President Lincoln during our war here
at home.
And naturally enough, in order to sus-
tain his administration, Roosevelt Jugs
in Lincoln, taking the view that the
American people will generally sustain
whatever Lincoln did, and whatever was
done On the Federal side during that
war. General Order No. 100 was right;
Buffers order at New Orleans was right;
Popes order in Virginia was right; Sher-
mans burning, plundering and murder
ing was right; the devastation of the
valley was right, ETC., etc. Everything
on that side was right; and SO every
thing in the Philippines is right. You
can't condemn one-is the suggestion of
the President-without condemning the
other; and who will be found to hurl a
stone at Lincoln!
1t is not material what the facts are.
1t is true the Confederate Congress with
great particularly set forth certain mat
ters which they protested were contrary
to the usages of civilized warfare; but
without stopping to enquire whether
those matters were correctly stated or
not. they ''foully slandercd US" So says
Roosevelt.
Oh, well, we may expect them to
scuirm.
mo rogue ere felt the halter draw
With good opinion of the law
1t were more manly to confess and
avoid 1t is ignoble to scuirm when
squirming involves evasion or pervarica-
ton.
The excuses of war are bad enough, but
for succeeding generation to ignobly
seek to evade the odium of bad conduct
in war Isl still worse
We did not 'foully SANDER" our
friends, the enemy
One can cordially assent to the sug-
gestion that individual cases of wrong
Ioing ought not to involve the good
fame of an army; but where civilized
usage is violated under General Orders.
and the violation has the sanction of
authority, then the service, the flag. the
government and the whole country be-
come involved in the shame.
Southern gentlemen contended that the
North was not conducting the war on
he plane of civilized warfare. If pos
.erity shall choose to enquire into the
matter, they will pay no attention what
ever to President Roosevelt's assertion
chat it was foul Islander. OF the
verdict, there can be no doubt; and the
Southern people need not feel annoyed
1t any little squirming now.
This is all l wished to say; but being
low in 1.-The lean and slippered panta-
CON- and becoming garrulous, | will add
"reminiscences that will tend to
Illustrate how a very fierce man of war
an sometimes wear a pleasant counte-
rance
When Pope took command of the Fed
raj army in Virginia near Washington,
re issued such stringent orders concern