Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-06-05
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T Confederate Memorial Day !
+ Address. ]
delivered by Hon. Leigh R6binson1
at Charles Town. W. Va, May I
31st. 1913.
Observation-Disclosures

o15gs 1910
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| [By the courtesy of the author, we
are able to present to our readers the
Confederate Memorial Address of 1913,
1t will be published in weekly Install
ments until completed.-Editor.]
.
l will avail myself of the opportunity
afforded by your invitation, to give my
convictions. as to the grandeur of 9
cause. for which so many laid down
their lives, their fortunes, all save sac
red honor. The story Of our arms is
safe. Military schools abroad impart
to their pupils the valiant passion of
our comrades and their illustrious capt.
aims. Northern soldiers are willing to
concede the prowess which gives point
to their own; quite willing to have vet
Grams Of the South march in procession
to glorify triumph over them. We are
not called on to defend the unassailed
still less the unassailable.
But the claim is that the South, how
ever heroicaIly, none the less Quixotic-
ally fought for an evil cause, labelled
the perpetuation Of human slavery.
The South was false to the rights Of
man. All her valor. all her sacrifice
was CHASTITY error. They who SO speak
think all too lightly of cause, hallow-
ed by such sacrifice. In these annual
memorials is felt the refutation. There
are things too high, too deep, too ap-
pealing to the genuine grace of SYM
| pathy, for memory to be other than q
shrine. Better proof could not be-of-
fered Of the truth of that cause, than
the truth to it before our eyes. Abor-
tive heroism, which not only does not,
but should not succeed, is not defiant
of adversely. Not on punctured blad-
ders is borne the swimmer on the
mighty deep. Faith in utter illusions
is not survivor of utter dbfeat. Fight
for right. brave fight for undouhted
right is grandeur. For this the heart
of history beats.
What then is the great right of mar?
j / answer His one inalienable right is
his right to justice It is because this
is the vital air of freedom, that free
dom is so difficult, sorare, so transitory.
Free government is not a spectacular
strenuosity, but in the true sense of a
fine word is trust The freeman is
one who fights with frmness against
that which would debase him, So it is
of social union. A state ceases to be
4 free, when it ceases from this fight.
It is selecism to speak of that state
as free, which can be described as stcor-
rupt and contented It is as if one
were to say, "a free slave" The
strength of mutual service is the state.
Free government is the voluntary sub
lection of the lawlessness of self to the
sway of law 1t registers the suprem-
acy of law over icentious force. 1t is
a revelation of the conquest Of man 8
lower by his higher nature. In this, as
the highest form of mans spirit, human
government puts on likeness of=the
divine. You would be free Sieyes
cried cut in the French Assembly and
you know not how to be just.
/ Environed as men are today, by the
deadening coil of machine corruption
and control, this may strike an audience
as Iudicrously puerile. "The man who
plays to win, it may be said, "does
not give heed to these fantastic things. "
Nevertheless an adversary has written
a book in which it is admitted, to have
been true of southern leadership prior
to 1861.
! In his book, Twenty Years in Con-
| gress James G. Blaine wrote these
words: The Southern leaders occu-
pied a commanding position. Those
leaders constituted remarkable body
i Of men.HaYing before them the ex-
ample of Jefferson, Of Madison and of
George Mason il, Virginia; of Nathaniel
Macon in North Carolina, they gave
deep study to the science of govern
ment. They were admirably trained as
debaters and they became highly skill
ed in the management of parliamentary
bodies. As rule they were highly edu-
Gated; many of them graduates of
Northern colleges still larger number
taking their degrees at Pennsylvania in
| Kentucky, at Chapel Hill in North
Carolina, and at Mr.. Jefferson's peculiar
but admirable institution in Virginia.
Their secluded modes of life on the
plantation gave them leisure for read
ing and reflection They took pride in
their libraries, pursued the law SO far
as it increased their equipment for a
public career, and devoted themselves
to political affairs with an absorbing
4 ambition. Their domestic relations i'm.
parted manners that were naughty and
sometimes offensive; they were quick
to take affront, and they not infrequent-
! ly brought needless personal disputation
into the discussion of public questions;
but they were almost without except
ion men of high integrity, and they
were especially and jealousy careful. Of
the public money. Toogoften ruinously
lavish in their personal expenditures,
they believed in an economical govern
ment, and throughout the long period
!. of their domination, they guarded the
Treasury with rigid and unceasing Wig
lance against every attempt at extrava-
j gance, and against every form of cor
rLptlon. -
Confined next week.
! VM cnne parfnrm Iast Duty