La Junta tribune., 1910-05-28

but the men who wish to place that
statue In the Hall OF Fame and
thus bring up and perpetuate the
memories of that struggle, are the
ones that are waving the "bloody
shirt"
Some time ago the legislature Of
Oklahoma which was settled largely
by southern people, refused to admit
union veterans into the Soldiers
Home built by that state for confed-
crate veterans. and about the same
time the people of Dallas. Texas. per-
mitted the statue of Abraham Lin
coin TO be summarily kicked out OF
their high school building into the
street. Who. now, is waving the
bloody shirt" Let 1t be remem-
bered that this act OF vandalism was
perpetrated in state of which Gen
eral Phil Sheridan once said, that
II he owned Texas and He'll, he would
a more desirable place of residence.
The legislature of Oklahoma adopt
ed constitution in which they at
tempted to regulate everything under
the sun. In it, | am informed, they
attempted to regulate the procession
of the eQuinoxes, the paralaXes of
the stars and the whole solar system,
and | know of my own knowledge
that they passed a law requiring that
the sheets on all the beds in the
hotels and roOming houses OF that
state should not be less than nine
/ feet long. and legislature that will
do such thing is capable of doing
any fool thing.
When President Roosevelt had fin
ished reading their constitution. he
declared that his opinion OF that
document was not lit for publication
And II was President Taft, think.
who referred TO that legislature as a
"menagerie OF natural curiosities." ="
God help people who have no more
sense than to elect such men to Of
flee TO make laws for them. Those
are the kind of lawmakers that bring
| self-government into ridicule and con-
tempt.
remark In the next place that the
civil war made the south rich and
prosperous. 1t was the best thing
that ever happened TO the slave
states. 1t introduced free labor, north.
ern capital and enterprise into those
states. Some years before the civil
war Eli Whitney. Yankee school
teacher from Massachusetts, went
south into the cotton states to teach
school and. while teaching a small
district school. he invented the cot
ton gin and gave It to the south and
his invention added more than one
hundred millions of dollars to the
wealth OF the south.
Then In 1861 the boys In blue IN
vaded the slave states and freed the
slaves and this act OF patriotism
ahu'u Auah tuouSdHu NV
hundred and sixty-two millions OF dol
lars 10 the wealth OF the south. and
yet some people In that slavery
cursed country are not satisfied.
God cannot satisfy some people
DO you ask for proof OF my state
ment7 Here II is In black and white
These figures have been furnished
me by the librarian OF the Denver
Public Library.
and personal property in the fifteen
slave states and the District OF Co
lumbia according TO the United States
census OF 1860. WAS In round numbers
five thousand four hundred millions
Of dollars. and the assessed valuation
In the same states at the present
time is more than ten thousand mil.
lions OF dollars. making clear gain
OF four thousand, five hundred and
sixty.two millions OF dollars In the
for,y.fiye years since the close OF
the civil war. the increase being near.
ly as much s the entire property
valuation OF all the slave states when
tho war began. In other words. these
figures show that the late slave
states have Increased In wealth. near.
ly as much In the forty.fivc years
since slavery WAS abolished as they
did during the two hundred years
previous under that blight Of human
slavery. No wonder then. that the
wSest and best men In the south
today are pleased that the civil war
ended Just ~ Il did.
From this vast sum Of money
four thousand. five hundred and sig.
ty.two millions Of dollars-the south