The extent to which the Southern Historical Society is to be held as endorsing everything contained in the papers we publish, is a question so often raised that we allude to it here. Of course the Society, whose members are scattered all through the country, cannot meet to pass upon each paper, and cannot endorse what is published further than as it is done by its Executive Committee. The members of the Committee are accustomed to give very careful consideration to the propriety of each publication, but even they are not to be considered as endorsing everything they publish.
In the mass of Mss. on our shelves, and constantly coming in, there are many statements made by eye-witnesses, or active participants, concerning events of which we have no personal knowledge. Even the official reports of our most distinguished and trustworthy officers contain conflicting statements about events which they view from different stand-points. It is obvious that it would not be proper for the Committee to assume the responsibility of deciding who is right in such cases, and we must, therefore, either publish nothing about which any difference of opinion can arise (and that course would limit us to a very narrow field), or we must publish, impartially and without comment, both sides, being careful to admit nothing which has not a responsible name attached to it. It has seemed to the Committee far better to publish these papers now, while living witnesses can sift them, than that they should be allowed to sleep in our archives, and be produced in years to come, when, perhaps, no competent witness of the events recorded will be alive to attest their accuracy or refute their errors.
