Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-05-23

B. B. French, az Washington, Grand Mastef
of knights TempiAr of the United States, has
issued the following elrcnlar, undef dateof the
18th ult., to the fraternity: "
To all true and Patriotie 7tmplorS:-B Brother.
~ LoSs, Peace, Honor:--An Rwfni fratricidai
conflict seems to be impending He alone who
rules hedestinies ofnatops can prevent It, He
works through human instrumental. l impiore
every Templar Knight on the Continent OF
America, after humbly seeking strength and a'd
from on High, to exert all the means at his COM
mand to avert the dread calamity, which, to
human vision, seems inevitable sas
Let each Templar to whom this may come
remember how often we have stood at each 9th.
er's side and raised our voices in prayer for the
prosperity Of common country and common
cause. Let all call to mind how the knights OF
Virginia, mingling in fraternal brotherhood with
those Of Massachusetts, pledged themselves 10
each other on Bunker Hill only o few years ago,
and when, another year had passed away the
same noble bands stood together in the city OF
Richmond. ia the State Of Virginia, the birth
lplace Of Washington, and with mutual VOWS
bound their souls in an everlasting covenant 7!
Let them remember these things, and, with
hearts on fire with love for each other and for
their countrymen, 60 forth among those country
men and implore the arbitrament OF peace, IN
stead Of thafof the sword Y .t.&
ask no one to surrender principle that has
become dear to his heart; but ask every one
to labor and to pray that such counsels may take
place between the contending parties, who have
for so many years acted with common impulse,
as to restore harmony and kind feeling, and TO
avoid the curse of having iraternal blood crying
to Heaven from theground,and bringing down
its maledictions on our children's chiidren
through all future time! Labor and pray that
hostilitles may be suspended until the. mild
councils of peace can be appealed to, and that
the appeal may not be in vain.
I Casting aside every political feeling, every
political aspiration, aud asking every Templai
to do the same, let us, as one man, unite In one
grand effort to prevent the shedding OF frater-
nal blood, and to inaugurate here that blessed
result which our Lord and Master initiated,
"Peace on earth and good will to men" a ts.
Templars! You count in ithisland by tens OF
thousands. Each one has his influence in the
circle about him. Never, no never was there
an opportunity to exert that influence In q more
holy cause, or to more sublime purpose. For
, ward, then, to the rescue of your country iron
fratricidal war!, But, If war must come-whict
dread calamity may God, in His Infinite mercy
. avert-then call on every Knight Templar u
perform that sacred duty which 80 well becomes
our Order, Of binding up the wounds Of the az
i ficted, and comforting those who mourn. -
To the foregoing, E. H. Gill, the Gran
,, Master of Virginia, responds as follows:
M. E. Sir knight: Your circular 'ofthe 1871
inst, relative to the lawful tratrcidal confiic
which seer to be impending ''between the citi'
gems Of the North and the South, has been re
ceived; and as the people of the South ar
merely acting on the defensive in this conflict
those Of the North, regardless of that "Bro
thesly Love, Peace and Honor" alluded to i
your circular, have trampled upon their consti
tutional rights, and being now about to invad
their coil, their homes and their fresdes, an,
: desecrate their altars, am at a loss to under
. stand why you should send such circular to tn
, Knights Templar of Virginia.
II Residing as you do at Washington, you can
, not be ignorant of the fact that Virginia ha
n exhausted every honorable means to avert thi
, conflict ''Casting aside every political feeling
every political aspiration" she has plead to pre-
vent the ''shedding of fraternal blood" she ha
plead for ''peace on earth and good will to men,
: and she has plead that her constitutional right
> and those Of her sister States Of the Sout
should not be trampled upon. But her pleading
. have been disregarded, and, conscious of th
: Justice of her cause, she now appeals to th
= = "God of Battles,', confident that Heaven wi
a smile approving1y upon her efforts in resistiD
: unto death this Cain. like and marauding attac
!. of the vandals of the North; and thank Go
= that the Knights 'Templar Of Virginia unan
\ mously participate in this feeling Of resistanc
70 and are prepared to Welcome their Invade
"with blood stained hands to hospitable graves
designated by no ''sprig Of evergreen"
For the reasons stated, now, as the Grand Ma
ter Of the Grand Encampraent OF Knights TEN
lar Of the State of Virginia, give you notice tn
u that body is no longer under the jurisdiction
8, the Grand Encampment Of the United State
n and willSno gerregard or obey any orders I
. edicts emanating from 1t or its officers.