The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-11-07
The Lexington Dispatch.
Wednesday, November 2, 1906.
The Confederate Soldier.

The Confederate Soldier.
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
Of the characters which 60 to make
modern history none are more deserv-
ing than the Confederate soldier. He
fills unique place. AS the thinking
world comes to understand him, and
the mission he served, he will tower
high above his contemporaries. The
call to arms in 1861, on the part OF
the South, was not to wage war upon
another nation to destroy the prop
erty of the people of any section of
the United States, but to preserve
and transmit the inalienable rights of
the white man, as formulated and
guaranteed by the Federal Constitu-
tion as it related to states Or to in
dividuals. AS the weight of ignorence,
prejudice and hatred wears away and
truth spreads it's light out more fully
the Confederate soldier will gather
riches and greater honors than the
victorious spoilsmen of any age or
country. When truth shall write the
history of this country, vampires will
not give misleading titles to the Con-
federate soldier. It will then be seen
that instead of his being rebel or a
traitor, he was the staunchest friend to
the principles of our Federal Constitu-
tion, and the divine order of creation
had in the councils of war or in peace.
His fortitude and valor, his superior
genius in defending those principles
for four years on the field of battle,
against an army far greater in num-
bers and better equipped, his having
nothing to do with the enacting of
the fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments to the Constitution Of. the
United States, whereby citizenship
was put on the lowest possible plane.
His patient submission to the indigni-
ties and cruelties to which he, was
subjected by his, victors, his power OF
recuperation and reassertion of the
superiority of the white man. will
furnish abundant and interesting ma
serial for the historian who shall tell
his LIES work fully. From contempt
and pity he will go to renown and
honor more than any. The legisla-
ture of our Southern States, especially
in South Carolina where the victor's
hand rested heavily; has not yet seen
him in his true light. Here he is re-
garded more on account Of his poverty
or physical condition than otherwise.
Shame this. Why this? I will not
attempt here to say, but I will say, if
the men who make up, the legislature
of the Southern States cannot see in
the principles for which the Confed-
crate soldier stood. Something worthy
of remembrance, it might be well to
drop the word pension from their
deliberations and use part, at least, of
that appropriation in making cor
rect record of the Confederate soldier,
and call the appropriation for the
ssneedy'' by some other name. But
digress. The principles for which the
Confederate soldier stood are the best,
and accord with the divine order more
than the order which now prevails.
The Confederate soldier was not will
ing to confer upon the negro duties
and responsibilities for which nature
/ had not nor training could fit them.
Forty-one years have gone by since
the smoke of battle and Shermans
torch lifted itself up and passed away.
These, years have been full of effort to
elevate the negro.
A recent English writer says this:
1'The theory that they are a com
pleted product of evolution does not
stand the test of facts, but it is true
that the evolution is extremely slow.
For a long time they will have to be
treated, not as citizens of arepubiean
state, but as subjects"
The same writer says: 'The truth
is, America ought to abrogate that
part of the Constitution which relates
to the black population, be prepared
to treat it as at presenta distinct race
on lower scale of evolution, and deal
with it in special way" See Liter
ary Digest, Oct. 20, 1906, page $50.
The distinction, I except, but not the
evolution The Confederate soldier
emphasized this distinction.
Joab Edwards.
Beware Of ointments for catacsh