The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-12-12
Senator Sumner.

hSIAebgSs hDlllIlSL'
Senator Sumner on the first day of
the present session Of Congress intro
duced into the Senate bill, the princi-
pei provision of which is to "strike from
the United States flags and Army Reg
listers all record of battles fought with
fellow citizens" IF by this measure Mr.
Sumner intended that the record Of bat
ties fonght during the rebellion by the
regimental organizations of regiments
now in service should be stricken from
the regimental flags, we agree with him.
II he intended to make a general sweep
and strike the record of battles fought
by regiments long since mustered out of
service from the flag borne by them,
and now deposited in state archives, then
we have no sympathy whatever with tho
movement.
So far as the regiments now in sorvc,
are concerned, there is but little sympa.
thy between the inscriptions on the reg
mental flags they bear and the men who
make up the rank and file of their pres
ent force, except that it may be few
officers and soldiers who have noe ye
asked for retirement by reason of wound
received in the line of duty, or years of
continuous service. These men yet serv-
ing with old rchimeDtal organization
have a right to lock with pride, patriotic
pride on the inscriptions retained on their
regimental flags still bourn by their or
ganization.
But these officers and soldiers are now
becoming so scarce in the reeimental or
ganizations as now constituted, that with
propriety the old flags may now be fold
ed up and laid away as mere memorials
Of past strife between fellow country
men, with the hope that the like may
uever again occur and the plain United
States flag substituted in their place. -
Again. so far as large mrjority of the
rank and file of the present regimental
organizations are concerned they have no
right to be carrying about with them
flags with the inscription Shiloh Get
tysburg," Stone River IT., when it is a
fact that many of them, officers and SOL
diars were little more than mere suck
lings when the thunder of the artillery
and the rattle of musketry on those fields
shook the earth, and carried to many
a home north and south, east and
west sorrow that time has not, and never
will remove.
The old officers and soldiers yet in
those organizations will make no objec-
tion to the provisions of Mr.. Sumner 5
bill from the fact that all their noble
deeds will by them be remembered, un-
til life's latest hour, and that history has
perpetuated what he and his fellow coun-
trymen have done and suffered to pre-
serve in tact the Government Of our
fathers. But there is another point
from which the whole matter should be
viewed. And il our Judgment it is this;
we are one nation of people, dwelling
together in this particular quarter Oh
section of the earth. Now there is nc
longer any North, or South, East ol
West, but all one people. We have has
"oOn" big fight as people over a ones
ton that was sectional, pending tina
question, sectionalism dM as all mus
admit have a controlling influence in th'
affairs of the nation But the parties
most interested so far as the question
of loss and gain were concerned submit
ed to the arbtrament Of the sword aut
the award was against them, and the on
and the only great question, "shali s!a
very be continued or abolished" wa
settled negatively, not only SO settled
but as result of our sword arbitration
it is further determined that the iorme
slave and his brethern by blood, shall be
and now are citizens of our great Hepul
lie, with all the rights and immunitie
of citizens together with all the duti'
Of citizenship. This is right, emphat
cally right, God, nature and humanit
says it is right. But now that all thu
the Law of God, nature or humanit
says is right has been secured fOreye
shall we further perpetuate the evidenc
of our former strife on flags born by me
who never were in that great strugg
who took no part in it?
We say no.
Then again the polictical parties a
rayed against each other in our late pre-
idential canvass We'd with each other
eloquence both from stump and pap(
on amnesty, and official fofsettulness
A. ,,o;o.bt1 oopAict thsn UhV not stril