The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1868-05-13
The Truth Of History.

AsJaA PapGA, eAe pNnLef oI tne GOutn,t
! ''In, politics we shall be Independent. We
belong to no party Mere partizans we shall
Enevef be, but, holding ourselves afoof FROM
|party and prejudces we shall take the liberty
to discuss all; public questions, public meas
ures and public nsn-lnot in their relations TO
party, but in their relation with principle and
the welfare of society sFBy birth and senti-
ment We are Of the South aDearer than all 4
Other interests of this world, to US. arsgthoss
LOT our oYn land. Over these interests We {
shall watch. Firmly and faithfully We shall
defend them, and more so now than ever when
those interests are irisuch sore need Of brave
Iadetenee and true defenders. Belieyings as We
! do, that the South had right reason and prin-s
|-eple, on her side In the late war we feel that
We should not let the tradition and memories
aud slorfes ct the struggle pass int oblivion.
We must keep them alive and aglow-sxssl
must pass them down-we must make our
tchildren proud of them. There is NOT ardsY ,,
/ nor a deed Of the struggle Of which NE msJ
/ feel ashamed We owe it to the past to pro-
tserye the storyof Dur struggle, aud the future
will not forgive five fail to accord it.. And
bin recording it we must not use words Of apol. !,
ogv, as though we doubted of, the righteous
ness Of our cause, but plainly and fearlessi5. i.
true to ourselves. to our cause to our country sa
true to the dust of the dead at our feet-4trasss
to the spirits Of those who were trus to U.S.
true to the living in their terrible 1oss--true
to the future which is coming down to ask Of
US tbs yindication Of our course and the story
Of our past-we must declare, and still declare
and never cease declaring, inwords as brave asas
our warriors were, that in the dread struggle ?
in which our Flag went down with not stain
OF dlshonor on the virgin purity Of its folds,
Justice stood 6n the side OF the men TO wore
the Grey And Justice has not changed sides l
because we have been defeated. iUnconquered
aud unconquerable, Justice is. still with the.
conquered. The success of our cause has been
lost-not its right; for failure can never make
right wrong, nor can sucsess transform the
lniqIityaof wrong intothe sacredness of right
Brute force goeg down into battle fields not
to test the rightfulness of causes, but to try
the strength Of combatants. The success of
the sword is argument In favor of the
cause for which it has been uhsheathed. The
surrender Of the sword is no argument against
the cause which drew it from the scabbard.
Shot and shell do not reason-they slaughtei
and Slaughter be it more or less is only
slaughter-t is no argument for or against
the rights of those who kill or are killed
Bullets may mangle fesh-spill blood-slays
men-but they can never reach the vital prin-
ciples for which We contend These prinoi-'
Piles are beyond the range Of muskets and can
non. Battle fields may be the burial place Of
men-never of right Above the smoke and
storm and shock of battles, unaffected by vic
tory or defeat, calm and immovabls, Justice
sits on her eternal throne and her in eyes right
is right forey er-wrong is eternaly wrong
and :rampled- right is grander than trirmpha
ant wrong From the decision given agsfnat,
and these decisions we carry up to the high
tribunal Of Justice for reversal This, and
this alone, was settled by battls-that We were
the weaker party. We had less brute force
on our side, and we were obliged to yield to
the superior strength Of our assailants The
armies and Government Of the Confederaey
were but the mortal flesh and blood Of an ind
mortal cause: .assijt3 Gs. lsasA % 5t99''Ii
They are gene-it is living. Nor steel, nor
lead could touch its like or take it away. It
is living in the loves of the Southern hearts
it is living in TIE memories Of the Southern
dead-it Il living in the stories which South
ern mothers are telling to their little childres
it is living in the sorrows and tears of wid-
ows and orphans. And we shall keep it slivs
'Ehe right of our cause did not fall with Rich.
moud- 1t exists to day as clearly as il did
whom the first boom of cur guns sounded
across the Carolina waters, and when the Pal
metto flag, mid the ringing of bells, and the
rapture of gladdeled hearts and the sounding
of cheers which the shores sent over the sss.
waved in TRUMP hover Sumpter. And on that
| April day when Lee gave up his sword bright
ard unblemished as when he first girded it on
he yielded merely, only the policy Of fur
ther resistance INFO a right, aud sanctifed it
as a duty. Right began our struggle, and
! right justified and ennobled ii; right animated
our soldiers, right made them strong to suffer-
strong to endure; tight made them bravo to
dare, and braEeat of'all to die; right marched
with them, step By step, into every CORY field;
/ right flashed in the sheen OF their swords, and
thundered in the boom of their caunons III
every fray; right wreathed glory around thsir
banners wherever their banners we're borne;
right consecrated tlieirsvictories and consoled
them in their defeats right lit in their hearts
/ the flames oes Tat heroism which blazed out
into deathless deeds; right neryed them 70
1 every sacrifice they made, to every hardship
! they endured; right lit! beacon-fires Of glory
4 on the plains Of Manassas, on the light. Of
Fredericksburg, in the swamps Of the Chica-
hominy, in the trenches Of Richmond, on the
mountains Of Tennessee, ip tbs Battle places
Of Kentucky, OF ths soil q Georgia, on the
/ sea Of South Carolina in the wiIds beyond
Mississippi and now right, stands amidrous
ruins and graves, and pointing to the gloriea
Of our cause and wssfing in hope for the teg-
ribe retribution e the future, lifts towards
i the heavens the nianacled hand, which, thers
at least have never pleaded in vain, and SOL
emnly protest against the expressions Of vie
torious wrong; and we, for one, join nov AID
always in the protest. There are nsh' who
bend their principles before the bayonet.--
There are men who desert the affairs oesa
Lost Cause, round which they ONCE stood with
the blood in their hearts PAINTING tor libation,
and who kneels to oHar homage at the affairs
OF successful wrong. There are meu who
trample under foot the very standard thaS
once foated proudly over them. There ara
men base enough to lift their hands againsi