The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-19
~ Who're ocd hath temple tho Devil
Will have a chapel. ,...
a Northern View Of Secession.

3l4i orr esteemed contemporary, the Brook.
II I,,,, Union. In commenting on an editorial
- th,s naper anent President Rooscvefts
Memorial Day speech in Portsmouth lft's'
I. saws: "our contemporary tThe Tines s.
Dispatch) makes On error too common
n the South in saying that the North ~ IN
/. IN red war against the South,
The Times Dispatch confesses that nat y y
IS SO bewildered by the holiness OF TINS rs
Il denial Of what was supposed to be pc ~
Il - tho best established facts OF history
gthat IL despairs of finding any common
Fround of accepted fact upon which both
the brooklyn Union and The Time S:.l Us
patch can stand. ss4 *
The claim Of our contemporary that IT
u VAS the United States government, ana
NOT the North, that waged the war IS
I "a distinction without a difference. me
b argument that the seeded States con-
& 3tributed over 100000 men, not counting
|3the black troops, to the Union army may
tibe partially, at least, offset by the North
fern mon. who we're more than Southern
sy1npathizers and copper heads, who act
s},allv remained in or came to the south
u ana took up arms in her defense defense
But that has nothing to do with
q the case, one way or the other The
& south seeded by States, and the States
I in their sovereignty, had the right to 70
s secede. Tho Unions reference to the
confederates as insurgents is as in-
I accurate as It IS offensive. $..
4 The Union recites the States Of the
\ South that contributed soldiers to the
3 Union army, but leaves out Virginia from
the list, and it is an interesting and
striking fact that. after the excelsior from
her side of West Virginia. the United
States never organized any body of soil
oilers from Virginia to take up arms
against the old mother State. And this.
too. though after the occupation OF Alex
andria, in May 1861. and OF Norfolk. In
May, 1852, a large part OF Virginia was
constantly within the Federal lines. It
Is to the everlasting glory OF Virginia
that her people were all on one side, and,
as to her at least, the argument that,
because Southern men enlisted in the
Union army. the North did no, wage war
upon the South. breaks down.
1t Is hopeless task to argue with
people who ignore the history OF the
United States and the formation OF Its
Constitution. It IS comforting. however,
10 those who .I6ts ths% truth to know
that, little by little. the truth is per-
colating into the minds OF Northern peo-
pie. and one by one their thoughtful men
are conceding the indisputable fact that,
II the right OF secession had been denied
at the time thai the Constitution was
adopted and acceded to by the several
States. II never would have been adopted,
and Virginia, at least. would have re-
manned sovereign and independent State
to herself And 1t may now be safely
said that. as far as the people OF Vr-
ginia are concerned. all the evils that
Patrick Henry predicted were more than
realized. and that her statesmen, in 1888.
committed some OF the most lamentable
mistakes that ever were made when
appeared. indissolubly to people SO differ
Sent in their political antecedents, thAr
habits OF life. their business pursuits and
their economic interests.
From the standpoint OF Yirginen
even meagerly yersed In the history Of
his State, the war wnged By the North
upon the South was as plain an Instance
OF war for territory and market an
any invasion OF Alexander or Napoleon
or the war Of England upon China to
extend the opium trade. The love OF
Il Union. and tho love of money were
synonymous terms. matter Of plain
4 business calculation, in which constitu-
tional rights were snmmarlly ignored.
& This Is the view Of a States rights Vlr-
gilman. and. however unpleasant II may
sound now TO Northern ears, We believe
THAT II Will be the sober verdict OF his
tory.