The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
Roosevelt and Jefferson Davis.
(From Commercial Appeal

Harper's Weekly, in the cur
rent issue, comments briefly on
an extensive article appearing in
the Brooklyn Eagle, which escaped
our notice, and which can hardly
fail to prove of interest to the peo-
pie of the South. Tie article in
question relates to Theodore Roose-
velt's attitude towards Jefferson
Davis.
During the passionate days
of the Civil War and for a few
years afterwards it was not to be
wondered that Southern leaders
should have been regarded as
Williams in theeNorth, or that the
Northern leaders should have been
execrated in the South. But
rational and fair-minded people
we're not long in coming to the
conclusion that the war was an
inevitable conflict, rejecting no
discredit on either side. There
was never anything immoral in
secession. Especially where a
number of independent States
form a confederation is there
nothing discreditable in the con-
templated withdrawal of one or
more of them. Jefferson Davis
was cheson the chief Of the South
ern Confederacy, whose purpose
was to secede from the United
States and establish an independ-
ent government. If there was
anything Infamous in secession,
then the American Revolutionists
were all infamous.
In Theodore Rooseve't's "Life
of Benton he compares Jefferson
DAVIS with Benedict Arnold. "A
more Infamous pervlsion of the
truth it would beharo to conceive.
Logically it would place George
Washington in the same category
as Arnold, for he too, like. Davis,
headed a secession movement, and
had he failed he could have been
treated MS a traitor. But il to
Theodore Roosevelt there is some
thing inherently abhorrent in Sc
cession, then he ought really to
approve of the course Of Arnold.
If a secessionist is a traitor, then
Arnold was a 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 r we led,
when we lend an ear to the ratio
~cination of Mr.. Roosevelt.
But Harper's Weekly says that
Mr.. Roosevelt, not content with
denouncing Jefferson Davis as a
Benedict Arnold, also accused Mr..
Davis of abetting Mississippi's
reputation Of her State debt.
When this false charge was called
to Mr.. Davis attention the old
chieftain said: "Oh! They are
not true, but Mr.. Roosevelt made
them in the hot impulses OF preju-
diced faith"
Subsequently, because Mr.. Da-
Wis had not publicly denied the
truth Rof Roosevelt's charge, the
latter tauntingly reiterated it in a
magazine article and insinuated
that Mr.. Davis did dot pay his
debts. Thereupon, according to
the Brooklyn Eagle, "Mr. Davis
wrote to Mr.. Roosevelt a kind let
ter, pointing out his error and
offering evidence to the contrary"
10 this communication came the
following reply in Roosevelt's
handwriting:
"MR. THEODORE ROOSE.
WELT DESIRES NO GOMMUNI-
CATION WITH JEFFERSON
DAVIS"
Yet this same "Mr" Roosevelt
who treated an old man with such
ungenerous discourtesy, because
that man had believed in the right
of secession, has within the last
year actively and directly assisted
in the secession of Panama from
the United States of Colombia, be-
cause there had been a hitch in the
negotiation of the canal treaty and
Panama was inspired by the plain
patriotic purpose Of getting $lO,-
O0O, 900 from the United States.
If the people of tue United
States have had any doubt as to
the utter instability and nnmanli-
ness Of Theodore Roosevelt, his
treatment of Jefferson Davis
ought to remove 1t.