The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-03-12
STATES CONGRESS ASKED
yo DO JUSTICE TO THE SOUTH.

TO DO JUSTICE TO THE SOUTH.
Way Suggested Whereby the United
States May Compensate This Sec
tioa Of u Reunited Country for the
Cotton Tax Exacted and Collected
Frsm 1858 to 1865.
BY q. N. Buford, of Newberry, S. G.
Tie bill, presented months ago In
Congress by Representative John n
Tillmas Of Arkansas for the appropr5-
alton OF $10O,OO0,0o0 for payment.
present and future to living confeder-
ate Veterans and the widows OF de-
ceased soldiers is based upon ele-
ments which entitle it to favorable
consideration. One Of these is that
the people of the secessian states
have for over fifty years contributed
their share towards payment q S&.-
O00. 900 600 to survivors OF the ln]on
army ;"d navy and the families or
deceased Union soldiers and sailors
inst City times as much as the bill
provides for-and for this contrib
ton those states have received moth
ing in return except through a verg
small number Of pensions scattered
through che South.
The feeling of antagonism to the
Confederate soldiers has long since
ceased to dwell in the hearts OF fair
minded persons in any section OF the
Union; even those who continue to
dispute the right of a state to secede
from the Union recognize the consci-
entiousness Of the secession soldiers.
their devotion to what they thought
a duty and their honorable and hum
ane consideration. Indeed, my obser-
yation, and that of many others, IS
that TIE people OF the north an9
Northwest think much more highly OF
the soldiers of the South who fought
them than of the Southern men who
stayed at home. 1t would not involve
any serious concession, and still less
any abandonment of principle, to re-
store to the class of persons in the
South who are most honored there
and elsewhere portion of their
means heretofore contributed by them
and their people to the pensioning OF
the Union patriots.
There remains no longer in any
properly informed mind doubt of the
loyalty of the Southern people to the
Union At least ninety per cent of the
appropriation asked for would go to
support aged. infirm and very poor
men and women.
Great Britain, after her war of con-
quest against the Beers in South
Africa war, by the way, started by
the Beers and entailing vast expendi-
ture Of money and considerable loss
of lives on the British-demanded no
pecuninary indemnity, but generous
" furnished large means for the re-
hahiliation Of the conquered people.
I do rot mean to hint that the action
sought by the Tillman bill is needed
to conciliate the people of the South.
Their loyalty is not purchasable; for
It already exists in perfection Their
claim stands on other ground. They
have for half a century contributed to
the pensioning of Union soldiers and
their families; and to return to thea!
one hundred of the five thousand mil
lions to which they have contributed
would be as we'll an act of justice as
of magnanimty.
This sum of $1O0,OOo,00o is not
greatly more than was exacted by the
special direct tax on the cotton Of tle
South. There is still room for doubt
or discussion as to the duty of the
general government to restore that
fund. 1t was gathered in by the gov
ernment assessing, first two cents on
every pound Of ginned cotton held by
owners in the seeding states, and
later, smaller sum until in 1853 the
tax was discontinued. The whole
amount thus taken from 1868 to 1868,
both wears inclusive. was s6S,072,3Ss,-
80. The act of congress under which
it was levied was, it is true, held-in
form-constitutional by the Supreme
court being equally divided on appea!
whereby the decree of an inferior tri-
bunal remained unreversed.
This would hardly be held ccnclu-
sive by any student of the constitution
OF tie United States, in the face of the
fact that the tax was levied on sin