The news & observer., 1905-11-05
Seats at Pie Counter May
Seduce a Few Young
Men.
But the Sensible Young Men of the
South Understand History and Con-
ditions Too Well to Accept the In
vitalions of the Republican
Spider to Walk into its
ParlOr.
Parlor.
(By B. F.sGRADY.)

By b. F.sGRADY.)
To the Editor: IT we could forget
the misunderstanding, the misrepfe-
sentations and the wrangles of the
past and give our whole attention to
mastering the problems of the future
our pathway would become more in
viting, our civic virtues would become
brighter. and we should be more eff
ficient agents in those fields of labor
to which the intellectual, moral and
industrial advancement of the South is
now inviting us. But we cannot for
get: something in the newspapers
almost every day reminds us that
the regretable past is a living force
today, and that the Misrepresentation
and the invectives which stirred the
passions of our fathers are still doing
duty in the field of partisan politics.
This unfortunate fact was brought
to my attention a few days ago when
gentleman handed me a marked
copy of newspaper, and asked me
to read it. 1t was the Daily Indus
trial News" of October S, 1905, and
the marked article was headed, "Re-
publican Party Welcomes Young
men," This was poser, for | was
not prepared to believe that even
the Republican party would launch
newspaper in North Carolina under
false colors, but after l read it |
would have hesitated to deny al
most any charge that party's oppo-
nents can prefer against it. The
writer of the article does not proceed
far before he reveals a lack of that
information about the past which IS
necessary to a thorough cOmprehen-
sion of present conditions, of which
the reader may be his own judge af-
ter examining the reasons given why
young men should ask to be welcom-
ed into the Republican party. And
L doubt not tha. the writer him
self would be pleased to have pointed
out the errors into which he has been
led:
l. He says that in 1S61-5 the South
ern Shareholders were in "the fighting
line of the Confederacy struggling to
perpetuate" slavery. But there is no
foundation for this charge; and it
is a gratuitous reflection on Robert
E. Lee who had freed his slaves;
jackson, Bragg, Pettigrew, Pender,
Fisher, ETC., and the noble band of
heroes who, under them, risked life
and fortune in the service of the Con-
federacy. And we may be sure that
no such reflection would have found
its way into this invitation to the
sons of these heroes if the writer
had known that President Lincoln,
when a Congressman in 1S49, intro
duced a bill to extend the old fugitive
slave law to the District of Columbia;
that in his inaugural address he de-
clared he had no purpose or Constitu-
tional right to interfere with slavery
in the South; that in April, 1852, he
revoked an abolition order of Gen.
Hunter, commander of the Southern
4 H. OfO1 Il
of August, 1852 he protested to
Horace Greeley that his purpose was
To save the Union, and not either to
save or destroy slavery Now add to
all of this the fact that the ConVen-
tion which nominated Mr.. Lincoln for
the Presidency declared in its plat
form that the maintenance inviolate
of the rights of the States, and es-
pecially the right of each State 10
order and control it's own domestic
institutions according to it's own Judg-
ment exclusively, is essential to that
balance of power on which the per-
fection and endurance of our political
fabric depends" and then let this
writer judge for himself whether the
intelligent leaders of the South could
expect the Republican party in 1860
or 1861 to inaugurate war for the
liberation of Southern slaves, unless
them as false and deceptive.
2. He lauds the Republican party,
and inferentially discredits the Dem
ocratic party, because foreign govern
mentS are now required to insure full
protection and preservation of Sndi-
vidual liberty" to IAN aggrieved
American citizen who has gone
abroad But. if he will read the story
OF Martin kostza, his party's claim
to hn col oh ,,,f< IL.
liberty will vanish along with some
others of its pretensions. Koszta was
a Hungarian, co-laborer with Kos
suth in the rebellion of 1S4S. He fled
to the United States, renounced his
allegiance to Austria, and declared
his purpose to become a citizen. Af-
ter % months he visited Turkey. was
seized in Smyrna by Austrian officers
and was confined in chains on board
an Austrian brig-of-war. After vain
protests from representatives of the
United States, Capt. Ingraham, of the
Sloop-Of-war, Saint Louis threatened
July 2. 1853, to open fire on the CITY
if Koszta were not released by 4
o'clock. The Austrian Consul-General
agreed to place him in charge of the
French Consul till an agreement could
be reached. The Austrian represel-
tative in Washington demanded that
Ingram be punished and an apology
for ''the outrage" be offered to Aus
tria. but on September 26 the Sec
retary of State brought Austria to
her senses and Koszta was released
Here are three important facts for
comparison with the boosted preten-
sionS of Republican newspapers: l.
Franklin Pierce, the President was
a Democrat: 2. William l.. Marcy.
the Secretary of State was a Demo-