The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-10
rae SENFiNENf OF THE SoUTn
APe;Iy by a south Carsrn'sn TO the
ettef 60 Gen, Roger A. Fryer.

Ee9ig ~ = SCUM NNFplusu " WV
letter 50 Cen Roger A. Pryor.
To IHI Epiron cE-THE srS-Sr; vas
surprised, a. we're. suppose. many Soithetn-
ere, BY the lthsr n Sen. Roter A. hyor IN
THI srS Of May 2. 70 the republlca.
tlon Of hla excellent lotter Of oct. g. 1871. there
can BE- no oblecton. and that letter, barring
HE hope in a quiet Way TO repair the evil ]
contributed 10 bring Unob the Sorth.
would be heartily approves by my Southern
man OF sense.
II Ia to the folloWlnG parAusph Of ha letter
Is the slltoF n TIE Sun that would Ike TO
call attention. Ne eaya.
pr. james Ford Rhodes and other writer's Of
Nputs impuie 10 me . oonspieuous lnsirpmentallty
In the assault upon Fort sumter, universally reeoE'
niIsd a. the Immediate occasion OF the var Of Sc
ottslon. From the blame thus urged agtinst me
I shall attempt no eHculpAtion: but you VIII allow
me- trust, 10 chow IN sGtenuation that for The
wrong committed endssvoTtd 10 make all pos
sble reparaton b. . prompt avOwal Of devotion
70 the Integrity ofth TesS,abnshed union.
Confederate ten srals have accepted the
aTbltTament OF the sword. or what some cnll
the logic Of events. after Appamattox. in
various ways. The Lat OF those who thought
they thought Il their duty to join the Republi-
can party Included Generals James long
street Of Gsorga; Malone. Wiekham and
walker Of virginia; james n. Chalmers and
r. B. starke Of Mississippi; GeorEe Nancy Of
Tennessee. and W. n. Parsons Of Texas
Among ofnceTs Of lower rank who Joined
the Republican party were Col. j. s, Aosby
Of Virginia and Col. James l.. Orr Of South
Carolina.
Then there was smother class Of CoBfed-
crate Oeneran who appeared 20 be mors than
pleased with the result Of the stTuEgie, such
a. 0en. r. 2. Colston Of Virginia, who, be
lieve. expressed his surprise, II not gratitude,
az the raRRnanin,lty Of the Federal Uovern-
ment in not hanging or shooting the Con-
fedcrate leaders after the war; and the ven
cradle Gen. z. p. Alexander. Longstreet's
chief Of artillery. Who In HE eloquent speech
at West Point, about two years ago, lntlmated
that had the Cenfederacy succeeded the new
Iiovernment would have reSembled many
South American republics and would soon
have had internal revolutions and split into
fragments, a view universally accepted In this
section Of the Union.
There was stlll another class, to which
nearly ell the Confederate leaders belon ged
They were. and the few survivors are. en-
tlrely loyal 20 the restored Union; end they
we're glad and willing, like Fitzhugh Lee and
Wheeler and n. G. Butler, 10 hght for odd
tHory" A. calamity a. they bad fou ght gainst
Il: yet they wtTe not willing 20 "eXtenuate' or
make all possible PREPARATION for the wrong
they had committed, for they denied. and the
survivors still deny, having committed any
wrong In hEhtlng for constitutional liberty
ana states Rights and against the lust for
power and territorial domination. The
vlCws and principles Of these. gentlemen were
perhaps best expressed In the statement Of
Zen. Robert r. zee 20 Ten Wade Hampton.
be would act sEaln precisely A. he had done
In the war for Southern tndependence.N
may not quote the sIeo; words. but ! am Ger;
heard from Gen Hampton 5 lips IN his sd.
dress TO the United Confederate Veterans
Richmond s9mf y eSs ego "FS f 70 'h 10
belong until he expressed In TEE SrN last
Tuesday bis desire % make all poesibls repara-
IN his declining YEAR,, surrounded by ,all
tRs old , nSG Si.fssInE SSs sSSSG SSS
Tor bis participation in the boSn6ardment ind
capture Of Fort Sumter. Does he reject
dous lssues Involved in that bombardment
has not yet been made up; that the EnTld
may not accept the con elrslons q GoldEtn
Who believe az they do; that his it}en, Pryor'sj
s5aSE Se d. sy ss no se, Gf &
opening scene d ths; stuPendous tragedy
sSid that -his!cry may aeClsrs sS2Sihey, vs s:
be regarded a. the hrst rssh SCt IT a Wild and
Pryor's view, as well as that OF all the North
ern historians and some professor OF history
even in Southern colleges, such IS Prof Dodd
Of Randolph Macon Prof J 8 Bassett o.
Trinity and. possibly, OF Prof. Houston OF
the University OF Texas.
But who can say that the speculation Of
Mr. 1Tescot will certainly be reelizedl May
not the oratOrtcal night Of Gen. John s. Pres.
ton Of Virginia have signlncance in after
times that few Of US now eEpectf Gen. Pres.
ton said: The day will come when every ship
from every land which sails on toward the
shores OF Caroline will trail lie nag and toll
uncovered as they pass the ruins Of Fort
None Of Gen. Pryors oompatrlots at Fort
sumter Of whom I have heard ever made
such an apology for his acts. Certainly no
such explanation or e[tenuauon was ever
Elliott, Wigfsll, or Porcher Miles, OF from the
stu surviving OeneTals, Stephen D. Lee or
So muei W. Ferguson.
In closing let me commend, With all re-
spect, 20 Gen Pryor tie words o. a brother
lived In New YoIk for many years. and filed
here Federal once Of trust:
when 4 stepmother 10 Installed IN the
house. you may think her vastly superior. u
you vim With heI yslysts and her lace and
may perhaps win fame a. an original thinker
hy styinR so 70 the world but there IL q Ger,
tain distinct Of manhoo that would seal the
lips OF nnOst mo-. And I for my part. know
many .ry ! Ds1y ., SSr5TS SHs sp S,o SSI
m the dust and cry rSecovi Would II not
have been . disgrace 10 the en- - have spent,
with all their resources and odd. four Peafs
in subdung q race Of sntvellerBf No: let
Hs ssy % The end you wGs rSs, n sshHSs
FOR Ours The North viii. the North does
res meet ne all the more for it