The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-04-27


When Gen. Dix issued the celebrated or
der" If any man attempt to haul down the
America flag, shoot him on the spot 1T was
not contemplated that the same flag might
soon become q subject of contumely by the
congress of the United States. It was not
supposed that the flag under which a mil
lion of Union soldiers, constituents of these
power-proud senators and members of con-
gress, had fought, and for which Hundreds Of
thousands of them have lost their limbs or
incurred Rrievous wounds, IL was not sup
posed that under such circumstances this
flag, borne by Union soldier, would have
been BY an order of congress denied entrance
into the capitol of the United States. But
such is the fact.
Under ordinary circumstances, the rotun-
do of the capitol is free to ell people. AT
the meeting of the thirty-ninth congress,
when the negro-drivers Of the district got up
their demonstration (never yet paid for) to
the loyal members of the thirty ninth con.
oress. and A procession of negroes, escorted
by few renegade white men with music
and banners, came to the capitol, both
bonses took a recess in honor Of the oeca-
sion. to 20 out and meet their Sambo prote-
pes. The free entree of the whole building
was given to the motley crowd who followed
the drum fife on the occasion; but when q
| worthy Union soldier, one who paid his tour
of duty, without either stealing or Sinking !;
after having walked fifteen hundred miles
with the flag upon his shoulder, unarmed,
alone, and without scrip and purse, through
the whole extent of that terrible country
where standing army is requisite TO keep
| the peace, comes to the capital of the nation,
| he and his flag are denied admission into its
| capitol.
itmatters little how it came about. Else
where in our columns will be found descrip.
| ton of Sergeant Bates walk, and how he
| was received in the south. II is of no con
sequence that the negro council of Wash
| ington city denied him the Inequalities Of
the city. All these things are Of small inn
portance; but when he came with his flag
which he had carried with honor and rever'
| enee through fifteen hundred miles OF the
south-when he came to the door OF the
capitol Of the United States, he was refused
admission by hurley chief of capitol police,
| who professed 20 be acting under orders from
the senate. 1t is remarkable that while Ser
geant Bates and his flag, and the rkite mer
with him, were thus estopped from entering
even the rotunda of the capitol, more thar
a hundred negroes. who had followed the
precincts without question.
| Has it then come to this, that white sol
der bearing the flag of his country shall be
eearsely denied admission into the capitol o
his country, when every greasy negro WHIT
has Just escaped from some Virginia plan
tation may enjoy that priveleger
/ It is not expected that the hero of Biz
Bethel or be of Vienna should have mucf
sympathy for a soldier who had really faced
the fiery foe, and from first to last exposed
himself to bullets and bayonets; but it nigh
be supposed that the men who pretend to b
members of congress and senators, and tbs
underlings whom they have clothed with
uniforms and little brief authority, woult
have some sort of consideration for soldieI
and the flag.
The rotunda of the capitol is publ,
place. Anybody, white or black, who il
well behaved, can go there. The building
is under the control of the superintendent o
public buildings and grounds. Sergean
Bates had an order from the superintendent
to go to the dome of the capitol and wsv,
his flag there. When the order was applied
for, the superintendent, in his innocent pa
triotism, said: 81 know no regulation thai
forbids the waving of an American flag
from the dome of the capitol." Yet wher
he came to wave 1t, the bearer of the flag
was denied admission, not only into the
dome, but even into the rotnnda.
Driven from the capitol where negroes
were admitted free, and white Union sol
der, who had alone and unarmed carried
the flag of his country through fifteen hun
dred miles of what is by the radicals counted
a hostile country, Sergeant Bates and hi.
flag found refuge under the unfinished mon
ument intended TO be erected by the peopl,
to George Washington. Here his mission
was finished.
| What a commentary this must furnish Il
the people Of the country. Their flag de
MED admission into the capitol of the nation
because it was carried by Union soldier
who had followed it under Sherman in al
his weary march, and bad carried it agar,
alone through the whole extent of the south
that flag and that soldier and the white mel
accompanying him denied admission int
the capitol of the nation by order OF tn,
senate, while all the yilest negroes VIII,
could be congregsted by a band of musi
| were allowed free let and entrance. 1t j
monstrous to contemplate. The senate
| who gave this order, or the senators WHIT
acceded 70 it, will have occasion to blusl
before the people for what they have done
National butelligencer, April 18th.
Initiating q Candidate ints the Good Temp