The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1868-03-11
PUTTING THINGS OUT or SIGHT.

lhe New Ork Tribune OF late
date, fires hot shot directly into the
magazine of the enemy. 1t gays: He
was ain extremely judicious gentleman
who proposed lately in -Hamp-
shire, in the course ofa Democratic
stump speech, to remove either by
fire, burial, or otherwise, all evidence
of the Rebellion, including our bat
tlehags, the tomb-stones of our dead
soldiers, and all one-legged and one
armed warriors fol the Union who still
survive. This process of reducing
history to oblivion is natural one in
the minds of men who obtained igno-
miny alone during tie great contest.
The popular memory is too long and
TOO active either for their comfort or
convenience, and trophies of patriotism
and of valor can hardly be agreeable
to those who ha no share in winning
them. The faulty, however, of these
sensitive gentlemen does not seem to
comprehend that they are themselves
living mementoes of the war, and that
under their system of sweeping all un-
pleasant reminders out of sight, it
might be necessary to hang them as
well as their more loyal neighbors.
They exert a kind of negative sugges-
tircncss. While they live, everybody
will remember our battles in which
they took no part, our victories over
which they mourncd, and our defeats
over which they rejoicod. 1t will be
time enough to consider their PROPOSE
ton when theyset the example by disap-
pearins from thcworld History, how
ever,docs not depend for its perpctu-
alton altogether upon records or upon
relics, If all the copies of Mr., Bu-
clanan's book should be burned, all
the smoke Of the sacrifice would not
preserve his reputation from its pre-
OBSTINATE faint. Although every monu-
ment to the memory of Mr.. Lincoln
should be pulled down, his murder
would still be "a public grief and fire.
side horror. There is no fumigation
which can remove the smell of blood
from the military prisons of the con-
federcy. There is no sophistry which
can cheat the children of martyred he
roes out Of the legacy of fancestral self
devotion. There is no intention on
the part of this Republic Of forgetting
the names of those who gave their
live TO save it. The memorials which
VIC have raised to them are but the
smallest tokens Of our gratitude. If
the New-Hampshire gentleman is ac-
quaintcd with any process by which
events comprehendiug the destiny of
nations can be swept out of the rec
ollcction of mankind, he will deserve
well of his party if he will but confde
to it his precious secret. Ifhe knows
of any device by which millions of
emancipated seris can be restored to
slavery, he may succeed in destroying
tie noblcst monument of the war. If
he can transmute the base metal Of
treason into the precious gold ofloyal-
ty; if he can prove public virtue to be
but name, and falsity to solemn
oaths venial misdemeanor he will win
immortal honor by reversing that
whole system of morality which at
present enjoys the respect of the hu-
man race.
When the Democratic orators talk
of forgiveness we are ready to listen
to them, for forgiveness is a manly
and a Christian duty; but when they
ask US to forget, they make demand
to which, without tabdicating our man
hood it is impossible to acceed. Is
there anything to be ashamed Of in the
struggles Of the Republic to preserve
itself that the citizens ofthe Republic