The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-06-14
WHAT OLD JEFF WOULD SEE.

1t has been over forty years ago since
the old boys of today were singing with
a chorus: well hang jeff Davis to
Sour Apple Tree" There has been a
big change in this country since then.
Old JEFF wasn't hung on sour apple
tree or any other tree but he went
down to his grave as a marked man for
his treason. The South is making
great effort to keep old Jeif's memory
sacred, but it won't avail.
jeff Davis espoused bad cause. An
enlightened people will never venerate
a man because of the sacrifices he made
for human slavery.
Old Jeffs birthday occurs next Mon
day and big effort is being made in the
south to celebrate it. The occasion will
no doubt bring together an enthusiastic
lot of old confederate stand-patters
who never forget anything and never
learn anything.
The old South has passed away. The
curse of slavery that Davis fought to
establish is being wiped out. The men
who accepted the new conditions and
entered into the new spirit of progress,
are entitled to great credit and are
honored and respected both in the
North and in the South.
Commenting on this subject Leslie's
Weekly says: 0
"The South, isolated and depressed a
quarter OF century ago, is now the
center OF the country's activities. His
own state OF Mississippi, which, as re-
Gently as 1889, the year of Mr.. Davis
death, seemed to be stunned by outside
capital and settlers, is now one of the
most prosperous communities in the
country. The social changes which
have come since the closing years of the
life OF the Confederacy's old president
are even greater than are the physical
dlvergences. When, in 1876, bill was
before congress to remove the political
disabilities of everybody who had been
IN the Confederate service on the civil
or military side, James G. Blaine moved
an exception in the case of Jefferson
Davis, and it was carried. Under the
lead Of Zacharia Chandler a similar
exception was incorporated in the bill
OF 1879 to pension veterans of the Mexi-
can war.
10 the end of his days Jefferson Davis
was singled out by the North for politi-
cal and social ostracism. But in the
lapse OF time, by congressional enact
ment or by the improved feeling all
over the country, all vestiges Of the
spirit OF the war and reconstruction
days have vanished, The legal barrier
against officers of the army or navy
who resigned i'll 1S61-65 and served sub
sequently in the Confederacy have long
since been removed, and two prominent
representatives. of this class, Fitzhugh
Lee and Joseph Wheeler, wore major
generals stripes in the United States
army during the Spanish conflict of 1898.
Sons and grandsons of eminent civil and
military chiefs of the Confederacy are
today in the civil or military service of
the United States. On every Southern
and Northern Memorial day of recent
years veterans who wore the blue
fraternize with wearers of the gray.
Gen. Frederick d. Grant, the COM
mander of the United armies, proposes
that the one hundreth anniversary of
the birth of Robert E. Lee, which comes
next January, be observed throughout
the country, and his suggestion has
brought out favorable responses from
many of the newspapers all over the
north"