The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-07-17
pailp argus.
GEN. BLAIR AND THE Loso SAAS'n
lFPAIR.

n. p,.;, blended some OF the
s;..;.,. # tho calf Army by saying that
Leo and Jsct.on were foemen worthy OF the"
~, ..J that the names Of these Southern
oooo,.ls would one day be as much on the
~. of Americans as those of Sherman ana
Farraput This was held to be the discus
sion Of political question and out OF order
Some of the super loyal re.unionsis were
personally aPgrieved, and felt themselves
dishonored By the allusion. Such eonlIi'ionS
If bad feeling as we're thrown up oy "en'
Blair's specch,do not come from nooIe'mag
nanimous minds or patriotic hearts, as some
wonld have us believe but from self.conce't'
;lGberslity, bigotry and conscious lack OF
the qualities attributed 10 their late foemen'
No brave, patriotic soldier who had, in an
unsel6sh spirit, confronted and overcome
an enemy 10 honorable warfare, would DC
offended TO hear attributed to him manly
qualities and soldiery bearing. Adm'ral
Farragut did not sympsthize with the now
tina, was raised against Gen. Blair, and evil
IDENTIFY only ruled him out OF order to silence
the disorder and appease the wrath Of those
who we're so jealous of their little fame as
ia be unwilling for that of superior men TO
be mentioned Magnanimity and generosity
are qualities so inherent in and peculiar to
great natures that selfish, bigo!ed, mediocre
men cannot even affect them. II was this
latter class that raised the little Long Branch
teapo. gale, and it has reached only then
ilk throughout the country.
Among the respectable journals whic
were prompt (by correspondents we hope
to assail Gen. Blair, and to echo the outbnrs
of ill.feelng and prejudice which disturbed
the Long Branch reunion, we're the New
York Tribune and the Times. or these two
papers Gen. B. has thought fit to take some
notice, and has published in the New York
V5rH card from which we subioin an ex-
tract
The New York Tribune and the Times do me
great Injustice IN their nOtlce OF tue Reunion Vi
the officers Of the Army of the Gulf, at Long
Branch, New Jersey. They assert that | insult
ed the association to whose banquet / was inyit-
ed by the alusion made TO the leaders Of the
Confederate army. / did not intend TO wound
the feelings of those who had honored me with
al invitation to participate in their festivitiesj
on the contrary, it was a compliment to our army
60 speak well Of those over whom our army had
triumphed, as "foemen worthy OF our steel -
My intention and meaning could only have been
perverted by men who had been taught by such he.
roes as Hutler, to relish different kind OF sicot
was urged to attend this meeting and ban
quet and declined to do 90 until further refus-
Al would have appeared ohurhsh. was appointed
To respond to one Of the regular toasts, and re-
fused to do 30, My reluctance TO attend or speaS
a. the banquet grew out of the apprehension tina
those army reunions were being used AS radica
stalking horses. The result justified the suspc
ion had entertained, as an expression whic
cannot be tortured in anything but complirnC
TO our gallent soldiers was eagerly seized by
portion of those present and made the occasion
of gross and indecent insult TO an invited guest