The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-05
A FINE BOOK.
nv nm Alabama Author Who MAS IRE
served Valuable HistOric Data.

Prof. VIM. L. Fleming, native or
Pike County, Ala, graduate or the Aia-
hama Polytechnic Institute at Aupurn,
and now Professor of History in the
University of West Virginia has Done
the country a fine service in publish
ing a book dealing with the political.
military. social. educational and IN
dustrial history Of the South from 1913
to the present time.
"The Reconstruction Period Is the
most interesting yet least developed
field in American history. AS a re-
suit of the increasing interest. no.h
North and South. in the negro problem
and the questions Of national econom-
les related to It, there is very wide
spread demand on the part or students
and thoughtful readers for nm adequate
collection Of historical material which
shall,
First.-Present the original sources,
which give the true contemporary con-
ditions. and allow the reader to make
his own Interpretation Of the facts
Second-Comprehend all phases or
the progress and results of reconstruc-
ton. social and economic. as well as
POLITICAL
Third-Exhbit not only the national
aspects but also the local conditions
of reconstruction. in all the States,
Professor Fleming has, in the course
of several years of search. discovered
many valuable new documents and re-
cords, and in addition to these some
very rare documents whose existence
was known TO scholars. but which were
supposed to be lost. In all cases only
really significant material has been ad-
mitted. and such as would otherwise
be inaccessible to students. ...~.'&
The Ku Klux constitutions and the
rituals OF the White Camelia and other
Southern secret societies contained In
exceedingly rare pamphlets. or private
memoranda. have been considered lost,
but the editor has succeeded In locat-
ing single copies OF these in the pos
| session Of former members Of the va
rious orders. and has secured permits
sion to reproduce them.
The greatest care has been taken.
throughout. to insure an exact verbal
and literal reproduction of each docu-
ment; some of the rarest and most i'm
portant are presented in facsimile.
Among the previously undiscovered
documents was one whose existence was
suspected by only a few Investigators.
"A Southern Proposal for 18th
Amendment TO the Constitution" This
Is reproduced so as to show the word
ing OF the original draft. together with
| all subsequent erasures and suhstitu-
lions.
The private papers of President JChn-
son, hitherto withheld by the family
not only from publication. but even
from use for the purpose of reference.
have only recently come into the pos
session of the Library of Congress.
The editor had access to these, and has
reproduced private letters, memoranda,
etc, including letters from Johnson's
private agents In the South. This is
certainly the most important addition
In recent years to tho source material
of such an important period of our his
| tory; and is especially valuable TO
show conditions In the South in 1865.
In the selection of documents an i'm
partial attitude has been maintained.
Every point of view is illustrated:
Northern, Southern, Unionist. negro.
conservative and radical McPhsrson's
History. now exceedingly rare, which