Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1905-05-18


vanced education Is useless for the
negro. President Theodore Roosevelt
Is well known 10 entertain ideas quite
the opposite. Governor vardaman ia
best known in the North-ln a cheap.
unjust and erroneous belief--as a man
whose distinguishing characteristic
is hatred OF Theodore Roosevelt.
All Of these ideas. as most popular
ideas. are no more than half true. but
they serve 10 bring Us TO a fact not
hitherto mentioned and perhaps not
noticed. These two men resemble no
one else in the world so much as they
do each other,
The two men themselves have nev-
er discovered their resemblance. and
the suggestion may not be welcome to
either. yet the resemblance Is there.
and Is difficult TO escape under anal
ysis.
The two men are both strong men.
both impulsive. both altogether indie
pendent Of the ways and ideas OF 9th
ers. Zach does his own thinking
Each is courageous each robust. vir
lie. full OF red-blooded animal vigor.
Each is inst this side OF eccentricity
in the unbridled characteristics Of his
Individuality Each il outspoken.
ready TO declare an opinion when once
It is formed Each is sturdy. insistent.
stubborn. II you like. in regard to an
opinion once formed and expressed.
Each is a man of the intensest convic-
tion and determination
Comparison Of Two Characters.
Physically these two men are much
alike in build and stature. each being
strong. sturdy. tlick-necked. rlddy-
faced. straight Of eve They are both
horseman. both fighting men. both
students. They are both kindly. gen
erOus. frank. hospitahle. They are
both grand lovers and splendid haters
Each man has a good d-sized family.
each has a sweet and gentle home
life. Each Is loved and hated of many
each Is much misunderstood Lastly.
each had a hand in our justly cele-
brated war with Spain. and each at
tanned political preferment after his
participation in that justly ceiebrat-
ed war
Thrown together in any position OF
possible rivalry. Roosevelt and Var
daman would be rivals II Is in their
stars. In the same regiment they
would be rivals for the colonelcy. In
the chase they would be rivals for the
first spear Natural leaders naturally
contend. and naturally dislike a .di-
vided authority But. after a contest
of campaign OF any sort in which
each has had a chance TO show his
own mettle-thrown together on any
proper personal basis-these two men
would. in all likelihood. become fast
friends. in a friendship which could
not be shaken. Rivalry apart. each
would see something in the other that
he would like. not recognizing him
self, There are not two bigger. wider
hearted Americans in all the country
Which would follow the flag the far
ther or defend II the more stoutiy.
would always be a question. Each
has risked his life for the flag
At this point resemblances cease
The two men came out OF different
conditions. Theodore Roosevelt was
born in the middle of the ladder Of
success. and had not far to go. even
but the Roosevelt luck. of which the
world has shown no precise parallel.
All his steps have counted-he has
seen to 1t that they did count. The
printed page has been a great friend
OF his. and has given him a national
reputation.
With Vardaman the opposite Of this
Is true. He has had bad luck all his life
In personal matters. When Roosevelt
was getting ready for the legislature.
vardaman was working in the fields
of Mississippi-and learning in prac-
tical fashion, by the way. what Roose-
welt has never learned in any but
theoretical fashion-the actual char
acter OF the American negro.
vardaman a Newspaper Man.
Vardaman was a newspaper man.
but the printed page, in general. has
never helped him For every step
forward in his life he has slipped back
half a pace, only to come back again
and again. steadfastly. in spite Of
handicaps OF fortune. His ancestors
were many of them preachers. half n
century ago, whole century ago.
in the State Of Kentucky and other
parts VI Iht klodAh >
father met with business reverses
early in the sons life. and the latter
was Obliged to shift for himself
Later in his life he met with a few
reverses on his own account. He
went into his Office as governor ow-
ing debts which he is paying OF
even now. Life has been a contin-
uous fight with him. He has. in
deed. led the strenuous life OF which
Theodore Roosevelt writes. and
knows what actual combat with the
world may signify. The world for
him has always been strenuous. and
he has taken for granted that il is so
for others-whIch is pretty nearly the
truth, after ALL
It is easy to see that. all his life,
James K vardaman has had oppor-
tunity to study and learn the Ameri-
can negro. and that this opportunity
Theodore Roosevelt has never had
Is il any wonder that two men
constituted just as these two are
should disagree upon this particular
subject Their disagreement is a
matter of national knowledge: and.
as stated above. IL has been the cause
Of notoriety not wholly just to the
Southerner.
The truth Is that vardaman OF Mis-
sissippi knows more on his chosen
theme than do his Northern detract-
ors. The immense ignorance of the
entire North on the race question
an ignorance which begins at the
White House and runs from Maine
to Oregon-is something unspeaka-
bic. We say that in the South they
are still fighting. the war. Really, It
Is we In the North who continue the
fight. 1t is we in the North who in
sist we know all there is to be known
about the negro question. We might
easily learn otherwise did we care to
investigate. but the North has never
yet begun to study the question.
Northern men who move to the
South. or who frequently visit the
South. in a very short time stand
shoulder TO shoulder with Southern
men on the race question. 1t is an
immense, an impossible folly to think