The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1902-05-16
KR. COMMANDER and Gen.
wv tlemen of the Stephen D.
- Lee Cann of Sons of Vet-

Cl duos-1 dLu hNAS eOhA6 hV Nv ONA ~
quest, and to show my appreciation
Of the honor you have shown ia nam
ing your camp after me.
l sincerely thank you for the COM
pliment, and consider it the greater
as you are all my neighbors and
friends and show by your act that
you feel that 1 have performed nv
duty to my state and section. 1 con-
gratulate you that now we live in the
era Of good feeling, when every Sec
tion Of our great republic is desirous
of relegating to the past all sectional
and partisan views and working as
far as possible for sectional harmony
and unity. AS far as have been
able to do this, without being false
to history and my native South, I
have always done.
In the great upheayal of the war
between the states, and under the
influence Of sectional feeling, authen-
tic records Of official acts have been
forgotten or obscured, and it is we'll
at times to refresh the memories Of
the younger generation as to their
forefathers and the parts they played
in the building up Of our great repub-
lie. Especially is this the case with
the part Of the country known as the
South as contrasted with the North.
1t is not my purpose tonight to say
anything detracting an iota from the
part played by the northern colonies
or people in the upbuilding Of this
nation, but rather to emphasize GER
tain facts in the past taken by the
ancestry of southern people in the
settlement, progress and development
of our common country. 1 wish to
show that to the South, more than
any other section, is this union in
debted for the genius, wisdom, enter
prise, patriotism and valOr that have
given it so proud an eminence among
the nations of the earth.
AS part of our country, the south
has suffered much at the hands Of
school Histories, especially in the
treatment of state sovereignty, nulli-
fication, slavery and secession. Since
the north won in the great war, and
the south was conquered, it has been
the practice to a great extent for
northern writer's to isolate or set
apart the period Of the war and either
uphold the specific acts Of the south
in withdrawing from the union as
political crime, using as term Of re-
proach the term of rebellion, or to
infer from the fact that southern in
dependence was not maintained, that
secession was morally wrong.
1t is fortunate that there are great
epOchs or facts in the growth Of the
republic, authentic records in good
shape, to guide impartial historians
and preserve the truth Of history. 1t
is fact that while the south, from
the settlement of the first colony in
Virginia to the present moment, has
been a most important factor in max
ing the history Of the United States,
in increasing its area, in fighting its
battles and in controlling and govern
ing, it has left the writing Of its his
tory to northern historians, many Of
whom have shown a sectional bias
and prejudice in favor Of the north
and few Of whom have fairly present.
e1 the sentiments and motives Of the
south. The nation cannot afford to
have the people of the south lose their
Self-respecJ or the future citizens Of
that large and most promising section
of the country brought up without
their pride in their ancestors which
leads to noble and patriotic action.
Those who endeavor to undermine
the faith Of the southern youth in
their ancestors, and to perpetuate
teaching in this country which in
diets noble people, an integral part
of the nation, for treason and rebel
lion ale the real enemies Of the re-
public, the plotters against its glory
aud the perpetuatiOn of its liberties.
So, gentlemen, am glad that you
have formed a camp at my home to
work with other camps elsewhere, and