The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-02-24
Mr.. BEARD RAPs A FLORIDA PRO.
FEssoR


/ Staunton, Va, February 90, 1911
ITO the Editor Ocala Banner:
i In the Independent" a weekly
magazine published in New York, Of
February 9, 1911, there appears an
article "A Semi Centennial View of
secession" by Enoch M. Banks
| This article is an outrage upon
truth and upon decency, and is an in
lsult to every Confederate veteran.
every son of veteran and every
daughter of the Confederacy. a
Jshort biographical sketch heads this
article stating that Mr.. Banks, the
Iauthor is native of Georgia, and at
present the professor of history and
Economics in the Florida University.
Every camp of the Confederate Vet
Grams, every chapter of the Daughters
of the Confederacy, and every camp
Iof the Sons of Veterans in the state
should enter a loud and emphatic pro-
test against the retention of Mr..
Banks, by the board of control, in his
present position.
The primary, if not the sole purpose
of these patriotic organizations is to-
preserve and disseminate the truths
of history as to secession, but if one
who holds the perverted views of Mr.
Banks is to fill the chair of history
and economics in the principal in
stitution of learning in the state, then
these patriotic organizations are
worse than useless in the state of Flor
ida and might as well dissolve. What
| is the use of their continuance and
of our annual memorial services, if
the youth of our state are to be taught
in the university of the state that
their farthers were either fools or
knaves, that "the two large principles"
| ("the institution of slavery and state
/ soveringty") involved in secession
and the civil war" were anachoron-
isms in the 10Th century; that the
northern statesmen of 1860 advocated
a principle of political organization
in harmony with the age in which they
lived and in accord with the teachings
of history" while the southern states
men of 1860 advocated principle out
of harmony with the age and discredit-
ed by the history of Europe during the
lpast thousand years." that abraham
Lincoln was a statesman of the high
est order deserving to be ranked with
such of his European contemporaries
as Cavour and Bismark;" and that
Jefferson Davis was statesman of
a distinctly inferior order in compari-
son, since the cause which he champ
Toned with so much ability, heroism
and devotion runs counter to the true
course of political progress" that
''the north was relatively in the right
and the south relatively in the
wrong" all of which is contended in
this article by Mr. Banks, professor of
history and economies in the Florida
University.
/ The whole article shows an utter
lack of sympathy with and knowledge
of the cause leading to secession and
of the principles involved in the great
struggle for constitutional liberty
made by the southern people from CT
to '65. The whole contention is that
success is the criterion of right
/ The statement in the article that
| it was as much the functions of the
statesmen of 1860 to interpret the
nature of our union in the light of
what it ought to be, as it was the
duty of our fathers in 1887 to act
in harmony with the demands of their
day." is simply another way of pro-
mitigating the Rooseveltian doctrine
that the powers of the federal govern
ment should be enlarged and extend
ed, not by the slow and difficult meth
cd of amendment as prescribed by
the constitution, but by Legislative and
| executive acts and by judicial con-
struction. In other words. this pro-
1SSSOI VI nISlOiy duu CCOAOlulOo III JIG
principal institution of learning in the
state of Florida, advocates anarchy
and perjury by the violation of the
oath required of all public officials 70
preserve, protect and defend the con-
stitution. Thank God. the southern
statesmen of 81 to IS had higher
conception of their moral and consti-
tutional obligations. Is a man hold
ing these perverted views one to teach
history and economics in the Univer-
sity of Florida?
1t is apparently the tendency of
some of the younger professors in our
southern institutions of learning to be-
speak and curry favor with the north
by peryerting and disappearing
the principles and issues involved inj
% r. al