The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-05-21
BILL ARP WANTS APOLOGY
RoOseve1t's Remarks About
Jefferson Davis Were Wrong.

10 ROOSeYe1t's Remarks AbOt
,r Jefferson Davis Were Wrong.
~ Atlanta Constitution.
y "Once more unto the breach, goC
:, friends-once more" L would like
~ know about what time PresideI
=, Roosevelt is going to retract what b
70 wrote about President Davis. 1t he
Il now been proven by the official record
- at jackson, Miss, that Mr.. Davis neve
was Governor, nor was he ever men
Der of the Legislature of that State
and in a public address made after tn
;, act of reputation, he declared he wa
J opposed to it and the debt ought to b
0 paid, and this amateur historian de
nOunces him in his book as an arcl
traitor and repudiator. Mr.. Davi
) fought in Mexico for the honor of th'
flag; won the victory at Buena Vista
, was desperately wounded and for dv'
!, years walked with ciutches; married
General Taylor's daughter for his frs
wife and didn't run away with her
either; was secretary of war under
Franklin Pierce, remodeled the currl
culum at West Point and it stands to-
day as he framed il; was a memb> r OF
the United States Senate when his
State seeded and, like General Lee,
he went with his people. He did not
seek the presidency of the Confederacy
and insisted that another be chosen.
Now all this has long since been
established, and if Mr.. Roosevelt did
not know 1T he could have known it..
He certainly knows it now, and if he
isa gentleman he will retract 1t and
apologize to Mrs. Davis and the family
and to the sainted shade Of Miss
Winnie and to the people of the South.
He called him an arch traitor and
arch repudiator, and compared him to
Benedict Arnold, and that slanderous
libel is In print in book of 80 called
history and has poisoned the minds of
all the fools, fanatics and idiots who
have read il. When is he going to re.
tract?
The International Cyclopedia, edited
by distinguished professors of Colum-
bla University and Dartmouth College,
says of Mr.. Davis: "He was ripe
scholar, a vigorous writer, splendid
orator, brave soldier, true gentle
man, an accomplished statesman, a
sturdy champion, a proud, true patriot,
lover of liberty, a Christian hero
this is the Jefferson Davis that history
will cherish" General Lee was his
bosom friend and confidant and yet
this so-called historian, this rough rider
and bear hunter, praises Lee while he
defames his friend, q man infinitely
his superior in every moral attribute
and every noble emotion. But maybe
he will retract and apologize, though
Tom Moore, says:
But faith, fanatic faith, once welded
fast
To some dear falsehood hugs it to the
last"
He had better retract, for some of our
old soldiers are very mad about it.
They are talking about suing him for
SANDER and garnisheeing the govern
ment for his salary. killing bears in
the wilderness won't save him nor will
that little brush we had IN Cuba. That
Is perhaps the biggest little war we
have ever had, and every small pOliti-
clan and stump orator who wants an
office jumps up and says we are all
brethren now. We fit and fout and
blel together at San Juan and Santiago,
and then we crossed the wide ocean to
whip out some niggers and we will
soon all be on the pension roll. An
old veteran said to me, That little
Spanish war reminds me Of the fellow
who was drowned at Johnstown, and
when he knocked at the gate st. Peter
didn't recognize him and refused to let
him in. why, my dear SIR said he,
Il am one of the Johns:own sufferers.
l was drowned in that hood.' So the
good saint relented and let him IN. He
wandered about heaven, looking at the
beautiful things and after while came
across an old man and said, Good
morning, old gentleman; glad to see
you. Been here long time, reckon2'
The old man said nothing. II am one
of the Johnstown sufferers. / was
drowned in that great flood.' The old
man did not reply, but turned and
walked slowly away. So the fellow
went to st. Peter and asked who that
old man was. 'He would not speak to
me,' said he, though told HIM was
in the great flood at Johnstown.' And
st. Peter replied, sThat old man, sir,
is Noah and he had a flood of his own
to think about"
Aud now we read that all the hor-
rors of our civil war are being repeated
in the Philippines. In our war it was
the white Yankees who made war hell
for us, but now they are making it hell
for the negroes in the Philippines.
We were trying to smother what our
people suffered, but they won't let us
and now boast that General Sherman
iound 1t the best way to shorten the
, war. No, we old men and women
can't forget, and hope that our chil.
dren and grandchildren will learn it al
IN some Southern history. The civil
lied world has not forgotten Herod
, nor Nero nor the Duke of Alva mol
the massacre of st. Bartholomew
, where 10000 FroiesIants were butch
, cred IN night. But when wi
! Teddy repent, retract and apologizei
: He has got IL to do sooner or later o.
I go down In history as malicious de
famer of one whose shoes he was no
] worthy to unloose. He and Miles vii
Q get together some time and some where
: Now, why does not Teddy consider tn,
e feelings of our people in his appoint
ments to Southern offices? Why di'
he not give Savannah white man fo
a collcctor9 Appointments OF negroe
to be postmasters and revenue cOlleC
o tors are an insult TO us, and he know