The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1904-09-15
Roosevelt and Jefferson DAVIS.

Harper's Weekly, in the current is.
sue, comments briefly on an extensive
article appearing in the Brooklyn Ea-
gle, which escaped our notice, and
which can hardly fail to prove of inter
est to the people of the South. The
article in question relates to Theodore
Roosevelt's attitude towards Jefferson
Davis.
During the passionate days of tie
Civil War and for few years after
ward it was not to be wondered that
Southern leaders should have been re-
garded as villains in the North, or that
the Northern leaders should have been
execrated in the South. But rationsl
and fair-minded people we're not long
in coming to the conclusion that the
war was an inevitable conflict, reflect
ing no discredit on either side. There
was never anything immoral in seces-
sion. Especially where a number of
independent states form q confedera-
tion is there nothing discreditable in
the contemplated withdrawal of one or
more of them. Jefferson Davis was
chosen the chief of the Southern Con-
federacy, whose purpose was to secede
from the United States and establish
an independant government. If there
was anything infamous in secession,
then the American Revolutionists were
all infamous.
In Theodore Roosevelt's "Life of
Benton" he compares Jefferson Davis
with Benedict Arnold. A more infa-
nous perversion of the truth it would
be hard to conceive. Logically it
would place George Washington in the
same category as Arnold, for he, too,
like Davis, headed a secession move
ment, and had he failed he could have
been treated as traitor. But if to
Theodore Roosevelt there is something
inherently abhorrent in secession,
then he ought really to approve of the
course of Arnold. If secessionist is
traitor, then Arnold was q traitor
while he fought against the King, and
he only did what he could to repair his
treason when he betrayed the cause Of
the colonies. To such absurdities of
logic are we led, when we lend an ear
to the ratiocination of Mr.. Roosevelt.
But Harper's Weekly says that Mr..
Roosevelt, not content with denounc.
ing Mr.. Davis asa Benedict Arnold,
also accused Mr.. Davis of abetting
Mississippi's in the reputation of her
state debt. When this false charge
was called to Mr.. Davis attention the
old chieftain said: "Ohl They are
not true, but Mr.. Roosevelt made them
in the hot impulse of his prejudiced
faith"
Subsequently, because Mr.. Davis
had not publicly denied the truth of
Roosevelt's charge, the latter taunting-
ly reiterated it in a magazine article
and insinuated that Mr.. Davis did not
pay his debts. Thereupon, according
to the Brooklyn Eagle, "Mr. Davis
wrote to MIR. Roosevelt kind letter,
pointing out his error and offering evi
dence to the contrary" To this com
munication came the following reply il
Roosevelts handwriting:
"MR. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
DESIRES NO COMMUNICATION
WITH JEFFERSON DAVIS"
Yet this same "Mr." Roosevelt whc
treated an old man with such ungen
erous discourtesy, because that maj
had believed in the right of secession
has within the last year actively an(
directly assieted in the sec ession c
Panama from the United States of Col
ombia, because there had been a hitcl
in the negotiation of the canal treat
and Panama was inspired by the plai
patriotic purpose of getting $40, ,000,0 00
from the United States.
4. If the people of the United State
. have had any doubt as to the utter il
stability and unmanliness Of Theodor
Roosevelt, his treatmedt of Jefferso
y Davis ought to remove it.-Comme
cial-Appeal.