The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-09-18
Soldiers Read This.

We take the following from. a1speech
made by Mr.. SHORTER of Alabama at Chi>
cage a few days since. He was speaking
of the charge made by northern Radicals
that the South was still disloyal ard rebel
lious, to refute this charge he said:
Did not a northern man, unknown to
fame, soon after the war closed, take IN his
hands the Gag of stars and stripes, and,
starting from the city of Nicksburg march
on through Mississippi, Alabama, and
Georgia, the Caroiinas, and through Vir..
ginia TO the capitol of the nation And
was he insulted anywhere? I'.No' J Was
he not received with open arms by the
whole people, and welcomed with plaudits
In every city,? Did not the ladies Of Mont
gomery, the capitol of my own State, go on
horseback by thousands to greet him on the
road to the city, and wreath him with
flowers? (cheers But when Sergt.
Bates reached your capitol with that flag,
and went upon the door steps and asked the
Radical Congress to let him. show the folds
of the fag from the capital of the nation,
they refused to do it. And yet the orators
for Grant and Colfax tell you We are rebel
lious and disloyal. Shame. a..yqe s.
= Again they say we'are disloyal still, re-
bellious still and this is the excuse they
give the people of the Northfe taxing
you, with $l,2OO,OOO, 900 collected since
the war closed They say We are still re-
bellious. still disloyal. because the ladies
of the South a.e accustomed, in the spring
of the year, to take a day on which they
decorate with flowers the graves of the con
fede-ate dead. [Aprlause-] Has it. be.
come crime in the eyes OF the radical
&c +h,k r.,
women, should love and yenerate the mem
cries of their sons and brothcrs, their
husbands and fathers, who fell In the des
fence of what now proves to have been the
wrong cause, but what they at least be-
ieved tu have been, the right one? Are
the Radicals afraid that our gallant dead
will arise again and unfurl the banner of
rebellion. Can they not let the bones of
the dead soldier rest in peace !? Would
| they pluck from his grave the flowers plans
ted there by the hand of a. ;tion. s -
'One of the most affecting and suggest
i've scenes that l have witnessed since the
close of the war, occurred last year in the
| cemetery OF my town Ia Alabama. 1t was
in the evening of the day set apart by our
ladies for decorating the soldiers graves.
About sunset, accompanied BY friends, !
drove to the cemetery to see what was to
he seen. We came to that part of the
ground set apart especially to the burial OF
soldiers. Every grave {and there was a
large number of theml had been freshly
xreathed with beautiful flowers, 10 the
midst of these graves and side by side with
them, [ noticed head board marked with
the name of a Federal soldier who had been
wounded in battle, captured, and had aft
erwads died and been buried there. Had
my far country women cherished that
| spirit of resentment charged upon them
they would have manifested it upon that
occasion by neelecting the grave Of that
stranger, who, in life lad been their NOR
4 tai foe, and waged war upon them. But
his grave had received the same care and
attention that been bestowed upon those by
which il was surrounded. A beautiful
garland of flowers upon this newly made
mound WAS the silent though eloquent reiu-
tation of the charge against the fair ones
whose hands had plucked the flowers.
/ [Cheers and applause. g &5iH -
Il gaze upon that silent sign, | realize
for the frst time the deep import of that
saying. ''Io err is human, to forgive dl-
vine''a 1t so happens thai. on the very day
and very hour when these good Samsra-
tans'l we're engaged in the discharge ol
these holy Offices, leading member Of
the Radical party in the Congress Of the
United States upon the foor Of the house
of Representatives, cried out, ''Con6scats
them, confscate them" How much bet
ter, fellow citizens, would it have been fol
! us, how much more beconaipg the grea
Americsn people, if the Radical party hat
| been governed by the ssnc noble, seneYon:
impulse thxt led those womcnof the Sousl
to do honor to the grave of that Federa
soldier! Honor, fellow citizens Of Chica
go. forever honor the graves Of the hevoi'
dead. tprolonged cheersI Cover then
with the sweetest Aovers of spring. NJ
Southern man will object. Rather let u
who have survived this unfortunate conflict
joining har.ds adorn the graves ct on
fallen brave. and, under the shadow Of th
old flag forgivi1g and Forgetting old stIifes
pray that henceforth the angel Of peac
shall spread her white wing. over oil on
land, prolonged cheers, or ever cree
it upon the ruins of american liberty; bu
that our institutions, the sUnion, and th,
constitution shall stand till tims shsll b
no more. Immense APPLAUSE. sfs slatss