The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1902-05-16

dies and gentlemen, that I may endeav-
or to answer them,
The South will never be able to di-
vorce itself from it's past. However
much it might be desired, we can never
escape its influence upon our charac
ter and life. What the influence upon
us of that past shall be, and whether
for good or evil, must depend largely
upon our own attitude toward il, the
conception we form Of it, and the SEN
timents with which we and our chill
dren after us shall come to regard it,
The greatest epoch in the history of
the South, overtopping and dwarfing
all others, is, of course, the war between
the States. This was the elimination
of the life of the Old South. 1t reused
her to the putting forth of her nigh
tiest energies It tried at once and ex-
hibited upon the broadest possible the
atre her distinctive character and tenn.
per, her faiths and aspirations.
If we desired so to do, which may
God forbid, neither we nor our children
after us to remotest generations, win
ever be permitted to forget it.
1t looms too large, it fills too vast
space in the perspective of history moth.
ing that has occurred, nothing that is
likely to occur upon this Western Hem
isphere can ever dwarf it, OF relegate it
to second place.
Its issues were momentous, and its
results stupendoue and far reaching. 1t
was the long delayed but inevitable
death struggle between conflicting
ideas Of government, and opposing
ideals of civil and social life 1t is too
early fully to estimate its results. But
among them place the utter subver
sion of the true sovereignty of the
States, that great principle upon which
the Union was originally established,
and without full recognition of which
it could never have been formed; this
upon the one hand; on the other
the thrustiug into our politics Of
a great race problem, whose ultimate
solution no man can forsee, but which
will doubtless yet be wrought out to
definite issue, maybe in fire and blood
For her part in this conflict the South
is sought by her triumphant antagon
ist to be arraigned at the bar of the
the worlds opinion, before the august
tribunal of history, and in the court of
of her own conscience.
1t is averred against us that we waged
an unrighteous war, traitors to those
great principles Of freedom which our
fathers had done so much to promote,
and rebels against the just authority of
a benign government whose sovereignty
we as a people had aided to establish.
These are weighty charges. A decis-
ion against us in either Of the great
forums before which they are urged
would indeed be grlevous and greatly
to be deplored.
But it could be better borne that we
should be condemned by the concurrent
opinion of the ciyilizel' world, or the
calm voice of History, in the final sum
moning up, should pronounce against
us than that we should stand convicted
before our own conscience and should
come to look upon our past with suspi
cion, shame or repentance. For this
would involve loss, not slight indeed
in its results to the world at large, but
to us incalculable. 1t would mean for
the coming generations of the south the
loss of reverence for their ancestry, of
faith in the honor and integrity of their
fathers and of pride in their herOlsm
and their magnificent achievements;
and worse than all, it would msGu in
evitably the lowering, if not the aban
donment of those distinctive ideals up
on which Southern life has been formed
and Southern character grounded. Aud
yet, just here lies very present and
real danger, for this is an end which
millions Of our fellow Americans earn
estly desire, and which thousand in
sidious influences are tending to &C
complish.
Unless the truth itself will condemn
us l can conceive no higher duty we
can owe to ourselves and our posterity
than to preserve, proclaim and trans
NIT the truth touching our part in the
great war between the states. If the
truth will vindicate and not convict us;
if it will honor and not shame us, we
will be recreant to a solemn duty if we
do not proclaim it, if we do not com
memorate it with honors and solemn