The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1904-12-09
Gov. yardaman's Side Of the Case.
Editor the Clarion Ledger:

Editor the Clarion Ledger:
1t seems to me you are unduly
severe in your condemnation of the
message sent by Governor Var
daman to President FraDcls of the
Exposition, relative to Theodore
Roosevelt's gracious appreciation
| of the Mississippi Exhibit and
Building.
There was no discourtesy to Pres
ident Francis. A calm perusal of
the massag- shows that; but when
! Governor Vardamau thought of
the desecrating spectacle of The
Odore Roosevelt entering the re-
plica of the home of Jefferson
Davis, that gentle old man whom he
DETAINED, about whom he told de-
liberate untruths, III his published
works to whom, when the poor
old Mississlpp!an, Ex- president If
the Confederacy, after being called
by this same Roosevelt "the arch
traitor" "chlef repudiationist, !"
one Of a brutal race" ventured to
call Roosevelt's attention, iii courle-
GUS terms, to a glaring mlsstatement
as 70 his being "repudlationlst"
received type written comlnunl
cation, not even signed, not even
addressed as an ordinary letter, as
follows: Theodore Roosevelt de-
slres no communication with jeff
ersOn Davis. / say, wien Gov
ernor Vardaman recalled all of
this, and thought of the blatant
Roosevelt stamping through the
room hallowed by the memories Of
the heart of the Confederacy, who,
when feeble, weak, old and broken
III heart and spirits, he had gratui.
tously insulted and wantonly de.
| famed, it was natural and human
as q Mlsslsslpplan. who resented
the Dissertation, to have given eX
preston 10 something not exactly
complimentary to the Rough
Rider.
True, the Governor could have
remained silent, but after Roose-
velt has insulted the South by say.
ing that the ''Southerners have d
stroug strain Of brutality in their
nature. after dining with nigger
as a wantoD defiance Of our tradI.
tions after forcing another bigger
down the throat of the Charleston
people as Collector and represen-
tative of the port: after Furnishing
a whole Continuity In this state
for the lawless acts of few men:
after Offering every malicious
wrong ne could to our most Illus
trIous citizen, the Preslden of the
Confederacy, Roosevelt graclously
consents to approve our exhibit
made at the exposition, and
though our executive, are we to
crawl to the feet of this errant
charlatan, and there lick the boot
which has time and again spuined
uss
Not if the Southern nature is
unchanged The Governor might
have carrolled joyfully over
this distinguishing mark of I'M
mortality conferred upon us. and
those who ''are ever ready to crook
the pregnant hinges of the knee
that thrift iaay fllow fawning"
would have cooed sweetly about
his 'broad sta'emanship" and the
material prosperity" which Ted
dy's dentiferous smile would
confer upou US A man who would
dAfame an old man like Jefferson
Davis is unworthy Of respect; If
he is shown his wrong and refuse
to right it, he merits contempt; if
he piles ossa and pelien in the
shape of futher wrongs, he is infa-
nous. These things Theod, re
Roosevelt has done. He has repeat
edly shown tha, he has no further
use for us than he had for j. fer
son Davis, and under the circum-
stances, | do not believe it calls
for turning of the other cheek,
nor for the ''tossing Of the ready
cap in air." nor hanging, lover like,
upon his grin, and taking our
moods therefrom, like Sweet Alice,
who "wept with delight, when be
l,or = cv,,,1o o,A t.1.xL1ol