The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-09
TRUE THOMAS.
The Eminent Historian and Novelist
Defends His Accuracy.

,s go. .
Ue'e"us Hs Acc"'Hc!'
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN--Str: The
attack Of Mr.. Roesiter Johnson on my
book THE Clansman" raises the aues-
ton OF It's historical accuracy and the
honesty OF its author. am free to con-
fess that "The Birth of a Nation" is In
every way bigger and more catholic than
my novel or p,ay on which IL is founded.
II IL SO much broader that when | saw
the finished Aim I Immediately sug-
gested TO Griffith the changing OF the
title I Aid this NOT because the book
waa In anv sonso ,p,ccurate hut because
,,s arg,,nc,t u,a. more naSrou and mill i.
,a,t ara .,ood ,or ,ea. than the Aim
ana
r''a A.. A.. ,s,.,o,tor
e s'n'o'''on' ','". '"o ..,,
, o,' ~. ,,., TO n
III. i,u" ,,".,i 20 IT, prosi-
sAr. v"n'pasn iaIsevou az. 80,
ueii',a' eiec'ioh year vi Iooo. W.T. '''''
son ~ pa'hetica'ly ren'ln'seen'
lhe recohs'ructior Jaws WERE p asse
lot one reason ohi!' u sNo ,ne
majority OF Congress an INDEFINITE lease
or power through negro votes Ihat
these laws were disgrace TO the ma :
ton Is proved to-day by the fact that
the supreme court or the united S'ates
has declared them null and void.
The assertion that the South at
tempted to enact laws which would re-
turn the negro to slavery is another
cheap campaign canard OF 1863 when
Mr.. johnson repeats from memory
challenge him to give the names OF the
States which passed such laws and name
the laws. He has not named one TO
back such n vicious assertion. The laws
relating TO vagrancy and apprentices
were all copied from the statute BOOKS
OF New York. Massachusetts and other
Northern States in absolute good faith In
an effort by the southern people to ad-
Just themselves TO the new order
i deny the silly assertion That nave
In any way made travesty OF the char
acter OF Thaddeus stevens. on me
other hand I have softened and human
lied him. ] dare Mr.. Rossiter johnson
to publish to-day Mr.. Stevenss bill TO
coniiscate the property OF the white peo-
pie of the South and give II to the
negroes This vile measure. known as
House bill No. 30 was introduced by
Mr. Stevens two years after the surren-
der OF Lee at moment whom the
South was suffering for bread. II any
man of to-day doubts my view OF Mr..
Stevens's character let him read this
bill. And II they doubt his purpose to
pass 1t let thsm read his fierce, VIM
dctive and brutal attsck on con-
quered and helpless people in the speech
he made pressing IL to a vote. only his
death saved the fallen South from this
last cruel act of vengeance
If | have good word for poor de-
luded John Wilkes Booth | told the
truth. and | challenge Mr.. Rossiter
Johnson TO quote the sentence to which
he refers and deny II I repeat that the
hanging OF Mrs Surratt was a disgrace
TO the nation. Her execution was fnur-
der. and IL was done on the perjured
testimony OF scoundrels who were after
ward imprisoned as felons. | challenge
him to deny this.
The assertion that picture North
erners a. poltroons full OF all malice and
vindictiyeness" Is untrue. challenge
him to make good this assertion with
single page OF The Clansman" to sup
port II.
The one sentence he pretends to quote
from my book is not i'm IT,
lie accuses me OF historical inaccuracy
In my novel and yet fails TO put his
hand on single sentence to prove his
assertion.
Mr. Johnson says that Southern white
women were in no danger during the
reconstruction period This is n fair
sample of his knowledge OF history.
rcfer him tn the sworn testimony
OF the ten enormous volumes OF the
Government reports on the Ku klux
Khan conspiracy. In the volume on
North Carolina IN the testimony from
my county he will find recorded under
oath the incident on which the tragedy
In THE clansman' ~ founded. II
was this incident which caused my