The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-08-08
l,YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH.

Industrious and tireless have been
certain class of Southern men, who
assumed the responsibility Of edu-
(cating the Nation as regards the
Reconstruction period in the South.
They have sought to make and sus-
tain the impression that the several
state treasures were looted and
drained during the years in which
the Negroes, the progressive South
erners and the Northern Republican
controlled the state governments, a
period of some apprehension and
suffering, we know, but yet a period
which the unbiased historian a hun
dred years hence will unreservedly
pronounce as the richest and most
promising for the south since the
Nation began. 1t has been claimed
that there were rogues in the several
states of the South that stole the
public funds and appropriated them
to their personal use, leaving the sew
eral governments badly crippled and
at the mercy of others who might
have been closest to the vault
Against this infamy we have always
commended. We knew differently.
We know differently now. The fact
that a large portion of Intelligent
America has put faith in these wild
charges but shows how stupid is our
boosted intelligence. We read not
with our eyes but with our pre;u-
dices.
Another book purporting to treat
The Reconstruction Period in the
South has just appeared 1t is a VOL
ume belonging to the History Of the
American Nation, which is being
edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, and
is written by Prof. w. A. Dunning
of Columbia University In many
respects the volume is valuable. That
it is unfair to the reconstructionists
and libellous in the main, so far as
ID treats on the part played by the
Negro during this period, causes no
surprise, for the public pulse of to-
books that either uphold o. sympa-
thize with the crimes of the rebels
both during and after the war, but
books that damn and denounce both
the white and black republicans who
rendered patriotic, and for the most
part, admirably disinterested service
to the cause and perpetuation of the
Union In time that tried mems
souls
We wish, however, to call the at
'tention especially to what Professor
Cunning has to say regarding the
finances of the several states to the
end that it maybe established and
accepted that there was no wholesale
robbery and no such footing and I'm
,scrupulous behavior as have been
advertised for so many years.
Instead of stealing the moneys of
the state, Prof.. Dunning tells us that
the revenues Of the several states
were appropriated by the legislatures
for the promotion and welfare of the
state; for public improvements; for
increasing salaries of the state Off
GERS In order that they might deport
themselves with becoming dignity;
Tor new and uplifting, ii not inspir-
Ing enterprises; and for the general
| Improvement Of the freedman.
That this plan called for a luxurious
spending Of money none denies, nor
J does any one deny that it created
a large and burdensome public debt
and an amazing and stupendous in
crease In taxation. These points are
not debatable. What we desire to
press home is, that the legislatures
instead Of appropriating the public
funds for the use and abuse and cor.
ruptlon Of their members, as has
been claimed, used them for the fur
therance Of civilization of their re-
|spectlye states. That this policy and
plan was shortsighted, so soon after
the war, we may concede; not, how
ever, without insisting upon the &C
ceDtatiOn Of the motive behind what
we may term tAeir financial beha-
viour.
Through a cloud Of errors, often
we may discover star Of truth. Ger.
talnly this admission in Prof. Dun.
f1ng's book almost offsets the mul.
utude Of errors that stalk through
its pages.