Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-01-01


wish to suggest that all future reunions
shall embrace the representative men OF
both armies-the Federal and Confederate.
Some Of the Speakers, during the late re-
union, urged that the war be forgotten
and one OF the prominent toasts included
Il sentiment whose expression was = The
South-let US be friends" In view OF these
facts, and these desires on the part OF many
of our officers, the suggestion Of a fraternal
meeting of the blue and gray cannot but be
regarded as very opposite, and as one which
will meet the views of q large majority OF
our gallant soldiers.
Grant and Lee Sherman and Johnston
Thomas and Hood Butler and Beaure-
gard-alL seated on the stage OF the opera
house, in couples, would be a thrilling and
most effective tableau. 1t would be the
best possible exempHfcation OF Grants
motto = Let us have peace" AS onefan-
cies each one of these couples rising, hand
GA heart, in response TO the commingled
wells of the antagonists in the late IN
pieasantaess, he becomes sntfused with
emotion over this grand exhibition Of
unity. fraternity, and soldierly regard and
franknesa.
Admitting the representatives of the Oil
Confederate armies to participation IN
these reunions would have the effect to
tone down what may be termed the some
what obstreperous character of the present
gatherings. Bow, when a patriot and
hero, like Logan, mounts the rostrum at
one Of these reunions, he is very liable to
slip over. Logan's desire for slaughter is
Ii atiable. He keeps right on killing
rebels by the thousand, just as he did when
he was at the head III his corps. He will
not let up. 1t Is sill, Kill with him, like
A,io loap
quet the other night he I'D score of for
lorn hopes he charged over ii dozen i'm
pregnablo breastwotks; he slaughtered
whole hecatombs of rebels he spattered
the ceiling and wall, and deluged the floors
and seats with rebel gore.
Now, if Lee OF Johnston had been there,
Logan would have spared his auditory the
horror of SO much killing. His well-kuown
courtesy, his scrnpulous regard fer the
feelings OF others, would have prevented
his turning the Chamber Of Commerce into
slaughter pen. The same effect would
have occurred in the case of other speak
ers. Among several of them, there was
an uncomfortable disposition to pull out
their sabres and to hack few hundred or
thousand rebels into mincemeat
All this would have been avoided had
the audience been half-aud-half and the
galaxy, at the head of the room, of the
same mixed materials. It is so easy to cut
man in pieces when he is O thousand
miles away, that good many pugnacious
heroes cannot resist such an opportunity
to annihilate somebody. One is apt to be
more careful and tritle less valorous and
boastful when his antagonist fronts him,
point to point.
Besides saving vast amount Of blood
shed, the presence Of our late antagonists
would have other beneficial results. Their
presence would have the effect to prevent
the formation Of rings among ex-army Off
GERS with q view Of turning a reunion into
q high-pressuro engine for the purpose of
working the appointments to Office. In
stead Of turning, with a gorgeous compli
ment and profound salaam to the gen
eral, every eight seconds, the speakers, by
the presence of their gallant antagonists,
would be chiyalrio enough to speak Of the
gallantry OF their late opponents, and the
reason why such heroes as themselves and
such heroic men as their antagonists should
live in peace and unity.
We hope to see an early adoption Of our
suggestion. Let tie next reunion be held
in Chicago, and let Lee and Sherman be
invited to jointly preside, and Thomas,
Hood, Johnston, Sheridan, Butterheld,
Slocum and Forest be invited to act as
-presidents.-C Chicago Times.