Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-14

s'THE ARGUMENT OF EPITHET,"
Under this caption the Bonner of yester-
day attempts TO moralize, but when its srti-
Gle is examined 1t appears that all of its
moral and all Of its argument is contained
in its caption. 1t begins not by proof, not
By argument, but tie beginning, ending and
indeed the whole article is a mere twisting
and turning Of epithets. What reader Of
the Bonner is there that does not know
that epithet, and eplthet alone, has been its
argument from It's last article in favor of
Ex-President johnson, wherein it calls the
UNION AND AMERICAN ''the Nashville or
gan Of the original SecessioDists," back to
the time when 1t spoke Of the UNION AND
AMERICAN as the organ Of Andrew
johnson, and Of him as the greatest
demagogue that ever strained
a pair of brandy coated lungs in bis own
cause" The UNION AND AMERICAN has
not attempted to reopen the questions which
were the topics Of discussion in 1S60-6l.
1t has attempted to evade and avoid them.
1t has advocated Mr.. Greeley most cordially
from the moment of bis nomination at
Cincinnati. 1t has pointed to his course in
refusing to attempt defence of himself by
branding with infamy those Southern
statesmen and soldiers who differed with
him on the questions incident to the war.
When the Banner has attempted to fix a
stigma upon those who In
1860 and 1881 favored the
course of the South, as "conspirtors
agains: the life of the government, traitors
to the Constitution, precipitators Of peaceful
citizens into the horrors Of bloody war;"
then the UNION AND AMERICAN has
emphstically protested against the epithets
of the Bonner; then the UNION AND AMER
IcAN has insisted that though the cause
was 'lnst" there was honor and patriotism
In the struggle; then the UNION AND AMER
ICAN has appealed to the readers Of the
Banner, ia honor and reverence of the mem.
cries Of Lee, StonewaI Jackson, Sydney
johnson and their associates to utter no
word that would brand them as traitors In
all the hereafter Of history; then the UNION
AND AMERICAN has quoted from the in
spi-ed pages Of genuine, heroic, patriotic
poetry and declared Of those who
fell in defence Of the Southern cause
that they were not "dolts" nor the ''dupes"
of leaders, but that
On Fame's eternal camping ground,
Their silent tents respread;
And glory guards with solemn round,
The biyOuac Of the dead
The UNION AND AMERICAN has at
tempted to show the wickedness Of the
Banners policy in this matter, by referring
10 the infants who had been cbristened
Robert f. Lee and SLonewall Jackson, and
who, if the Banners argument of epithet"
be correct, had as well for the purposes Of
history be rebaptized and named Benedict
Arnold. What son Of our revolutionary
fathers would have been named George
Washington or Nathaniel Greene, If the
cause in which they fought had been
branded with treason" There were hot
heads 10 the Convention of 1916, but the
cause IN which Washington fought was
won. The cause in which Lee struggled
was lost.
With the South and with the North;
with people as with individuals,
Honor and shame from no condition rise;
Act well your part, there all the honor lies.