The Bossier banner., 1909-02-18
Mrs. Alison Champions the South and
Befriends Heroes of the Lost Cause

Oes of the Lost Cause
American War Little Joe Wheeler.
No, no, Miss Boyson, we cannot permit
you or any one else to heap honors on
Gen. Robert E. Lee, deserved as they
are, and ignore altogether the names Of
other daring, intrepid leaders.
A. S. Johnston, ]. E. Johnston, James
Longstreet, Beauregard, John B. Cor
don, Stephen D. Lee and others too
numerous to mention, many of whom
were graduates of West Point, though
belonging with Lee to the Sonth, "prac-
tically dead Intellectually"
"Lee took command of "a few (mark |
the few, the only compliment paid to the
South by the LADY, .'raw, unframed
troops" Yet those "few raw, unframed
troops" commanded by "inferior gen.
erals" held over 1OO, 900 ell-disciplined
troops, commanded by competent, in
tellectual West Point graduates, at bay
for four years, causing great loss to the
Northern Army. Who would have inn
agined that 'few raw, unframed
troops" would have killed and wounded
more men in Grants Virginia campaign
than were in the whole of Lees Army?
How thankful we are to Miss Boyson
for the assertion "few;" the only asser-
tion about the South that has an essence
of truth.
Miss Boyson has put SO false an esti-
mate upon the South that we, the United
Daughters of the Confederacy of the
Louisiana Division, prefer that she shall
not handle SO dear subject as Robert E.
Lee, for others reading the many cor
rections of her calumnies of the South
may readily conclude ''false in one, false
in ALL" Hereafter only those who are
cognizant of the existing conditions OF
the South, from the first permanent
English settlement down to the present
day Especially must they be conversant
with the conditions of the South during
and after the war) will be permitted to
enter the contest. We want plain, un-
vanished truths, not the eulogy of one
man to the detriment of others.
We prefer Lee to be handled by those
who not only appreciate the man, but
the section from which he came. Why,
Lee would scorn to accept tribute to
himself to the detriment of others who
were his peers, save that he had the
fortune to outrank them.
The lady says of Lee, "He stands as
champion for fairness rather than pref
udice," therefore could he speak there
would be no need for the United Daugh-
ters of the Confederate Veterans or Sons
of Veterans to gainsay what Miss Boy
son has written as "The Present Esti-
mate of the South.'' He would handle
the subject with such skill the lady
would never attempt to handle subject
about which she has shown such de-
plorable ignorance. My, my! where has
she been iving?- Who were her in
structors? What histories has she read?
From which teacher in the Columbia
I.At; tatf did she receive her instruction? :?
less child she has proven to the organl-
zation that gave her a chance to "climb
the tree of knowledge SO that she might
structify."
| Now. as to the committee who, as Mrs.
Newman Randolph says, "placed lit
erary merit and structural quality above
the truth of history" I can only see it
in one light. Two of that committee, ii
Il am not mistaken, are lineal descend
ants of those "densely ignorant people
of the South" The third is from the
, enlightened New York. The first two
, having emerged from the benighteo
!, ages of the South, still retain the chiv-
airy of "ye olden days." which scorneo
to suppose lady could be guilty OF dis
seminating falsehoods for publication
so foreign was all such to the ladies O
the "benighted South" SO, Judging
! Miss Boyson by this standard, the!
: merely scanned the essay, and if the!
J, discovered the falsehoods therein, th'
! inherent chivalry of their Southern an
cestors forbade them disputing tn
statement of lady. What excuse to
!, the gentleman of New York? Oh, well
being a resident of New York, city Q
:. rush and progress, President OF col
lepe. | doubt if i'll the busy routine
: his life he has ever had time to reallz
= that he was one OF committee, or, II h
= did. he solaced himself by sending tel
= = egram, "Decide to suit yourselves; yo
" are in the majority; what is the preser
:. estimate of the South to me?" So,
= excuse one decision the rush Of work,
- enlighten the world in the behalf
science. lack of time to investiga
- "small matters"
The decision of the other two | te
! unable to excuse. Could they have SET
~ what have seen; could they have bet
:. where l have been; could they ha
- horn what we of the Southland we
- called on to bear; could they ha
? watched the struggle from 1861 to LIT
and for many years after, when tn
. read the cold and cruel words contain
I in that essay they would have cried Q
!: in protest at the attempt to tarnish
! fair name of one of the most glor1o
! countries that ever "rose or reigned