The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-30
MISUNDERSTANDING
AND THE sOUTH's
 FALLING OUT.
Judge Jacob M. Dickinson, Who Voted For Parker, Speaks for the
 Honesty of Mir. RoOse- velt'x Course.


 silon convention was called to order by Supreme Archon Levere today, and the
 general election of officers was an-
 nounced as follows:
 Eminent Supreme Archon, William ICollins Levere; Honorary Eminent Su- preme Archon, Judge Jacob M. Dick
 inson; Eminent Supreme Deputy Arr chon. Marvin F. -Iolderness; Eminent Supreme Recorder. Clarence Stoweil;
 Editor of The Record. official organ, H. Sydnor Harrison; Eminent Supreme Treasurer. Geo. D. Kimball; members of the Board of Trustees, H. c. Laken, Robert Gibson, Jr.. c. P. Layton. Two congratulatory telegrams were sent to the Greek Letter Societies, which are holding sessions In New York and New Orleans.
 Reports of various committees were heard and voted upon. The Commit tee on Chapter House Ownership re- commended plans whereby all chapters would be enabled to secure permanent homes. The Committee on Extensions recommended that chapters be grant ed bodies at George Washington Uni- versity. Washington, D. C., the Univer- sity of Iowa and Gates School at Cleve- land, O.
 Birmingham. Ala, was selected as the next meeting place of the frater- nity.
 The final session continued until af- ter nightfall. and was followed by a notable banquet, at which covers were laid for 300. The principal address of the evening was delivered by Jacob NJ Dickinson, formerly of Nashville. now of Chicago, who is general counsel of the Illinois Central Railroad, and who was leading counsel for the United States before the Alaskan Boundary Commission.
 Judge Dickinson. in the course of his address. reviewed the history of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity from its origin at the State University of Alabama in 1856. and dwe1t especially upon the efforts of the society to efface sectional feeling between the North and South. and the gratifying results accomplished In this direction. The speaker continued:
 To-day on the surface and politically. there is more sharp sectional feeling than existed five years ago. This is. I believely, largely the result of misun- derstanding an exaggeration. The President has gotten out with the South. or the South has gotten out with the President, or they have gotten out | with each other. The President touch ed a sensitive nerve in the South. The | response was prompt. and in the opin-
 
 rated.
 Issues were thought by many to he evoked which were tremendous and de- structive. I do not question the patrt- otism or good faith of others with | whom I differ. I never thought and do not now think that the civilization | of the South was in issue. I think that
 1t Is too vitalized and too strong and enduring to have any such dependence l fnr nvtG iM ct f.k. day as 1t was before President Roose- welt was elected. The President, In e | fearless, impulsive and honest way
 acted on abstract propositions and from l his point of view no man could success
 fully answer him.
 The South had to deal with the same
 question, not abstractly, but modified l by conditions of facts. that the outside world does not readily accept in the full sense that the people of the South l understand them. While the President | would not, 1 believe, sacrifice a princi- pie for mere expediency, yet he would
 not hesitate to take a i.rge view of
 conditions which he understands, and subordinate. if necessary, a principle if
 the working out of grander results. equally founded ip justice and right
 demanded 1t. He could see that where
 many forces operate and conflict, the | resultant may be right, although not | in line with one of the original forces | which self-abstractly was right. Now | that he is reelected. he renounces all | further aspirations for the Presidency, has nothing to fear and nothing to hope for politically except the honor
 or dishonor that will follow his name | as servant. his words and acts should be judged free from all partisan cap tiousness.
 "If a man would be moved in the dis charge of such a momentous duty as voting, by personal reasons. I would | have voted for President Roosevelt, for I am much his debtor, but voting for the Presidential office is not gift to be | offered at the shrine of friendship, but a sacred trust.
 While for political reasons I voted against MT. Roosevelt I nevor doubt ed for moment that his patriotism embraced the entire country and while I hold no brief for him. and am in no sense his spokesman. know and know it absolutely. that the bitter personal abuse heaped upon him by many who claimed and appeared to represent the South. has aroused in him no feeling of revenge or malice. He has shown himself great in many ways. but in no respect greater than rising above the petty feeling of men of little souls. T am confident that If he shall be met by the South with the same spirit that animates him. there will be q good understanding that will rebound to the welfare of the whole country. You, my brethren of the South, can do your country no higher service than by bringing about. so far as you can. such an era of good feeling and you. my brethren of the entire fraternity have no higher mission than that of pro- noting confidence and good feeling in all parts of our country" Sigma Nus Session. New Orleans, Dec. 29-The Sigma Nu college fraternity held their second days session al the St. Charles Hotel today. Quite volume of routine bus mess was considered The greater part of the session was devoted to consider ation of committee reports regarding the workings of the order.
 This evening the fraternity announce ed the election of following officers: Grand Regent. Dr. Isadore Dyer, of this city; Grand Vice Regen., Frank K. Keesling. San Francisco: Grand Treas urer. and editor of Catalogue, F. H. Haywood Columbus. O., elected for the sixth successive term.
 Grand Recorder. Clarence F. Woods. I Kentucky: Chaplain General Rt. Rev. Vim. NJ Walton, Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. Ind. | This latter Is a new office created at this session.
 St. Louis was named as the next meeting place.
 Delegates from every State in the Union have been in attendance.
 The days session was followed by |