The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-05-30
Derorufiig Grnres.

The Executive Committee of that of .
Gcious and intermeddIing organization .
known as the Grand Army Of the Re .
pubic. met in solemn concIave last
week in Washington and issued the
following high-sounding manifesto:
Whereas, \ notice has been published in I
vit:I% donations of flowers for tLc purpose
of decorating The graves: and
lTLcrr"s, Such contemplated proceeding
is calculated TO create disorder and lead 10
q branch of the peace therefore
IssafrrE. That the members OF the i.Nec- F.
utiEy Committee Of the Grand Army OF TIC
Republic do hereby give notice thdt, Nay
- being set apart by t9o Grand Army "i
thc Republic rs a memorial G2I' ana the
grounds 1t Arlington beng opened on jhat
s,.cc:aI ,lav by order of thc QualtcTnastcr-
General Of The Army 10 the Grand Army of
the Republic for the purpose Of streWing
flowers upon and decorating the graves of
the deceased JHiou soldiers, amy attempt
l,y friends of the rebel dead 10 stTcw flowers
on their grave VIII be regarded rs an inter
ference with the programme OF the day, and
will Eot be tolerated.
This is the very embodiment Of hate,
and is calcuIated, Is not purposeiy in
tended. to fan into fresh flame the
smothercd ana expiring embers Of the
late civil war. II ever genuine peace
and reconciliation is to be brought
about between the North and South, it
is perfectly manifest that the Grand
A7nv OF the Republic is not the agency
through which that desirable Tt7uitWilI
be accomplished. The plea th&t the
decoration Of the graves OF rebel sol
Giers would lead % disorder and =
breach Of the peace, is ftr-fetchcd and
purYiIe Who would create the one or
iHcite 90 the other? Certainly not the
dead rebels, who are pOwcrIcss for any
such demonstrations, but more likely
the members Of the Grand Army of the
Republic themselves, who attempted
something Of the same kind at the
cemct,y on Arlington Heights, on
similar occasion, one year ago. But
aside from aIl this, who constituted
this Executive Committee q Judge in
Israel on this question! The authori-
tv which it sets up is sclt-assumcd and
without warrant-a mere naked and in
soIent usurpation. The national Gem
ctcrics are under the SPECIAL control
and supervision Of the Quartermastcf
General, and that officer states that
they have not been placed under the
sole charge Of TIE Grand Army Of the
Republic on Decoration day, but that
all organized professions or parties
desiring to take part in the ceremonies
will be admitted This Is a very mild
way'of iutimating to the aforesaid EN-
ccutivc Committee that Its Interference
in the matter is UncaIled for and with
out authority. If the right Of the
friends Of dead soldiers, whether they
wore the 6iuc or the gJ'rH to strcw
fresh flowers over thcirgr@ves on Decor
alton day is to hc intcrfered with II the
arbitrary dictation of the Grand Ar
my OF the Republic, then that praise
worthyand commcudahlecu custom would
be more honored in the breach than in
the observance, and ought to be dis
continued.
What q marked contrast there is be
tween the uncharitabJc ind himoted
conduct Of this Executive Committee
and the forgiYirg and Christian scmti-
mcuts Of the late Chief Justice Chase,
who. when holding the Circuit Court
in Charleston, on Decoration day ii
1859 and being invited 70 be present,
sent the following manly and patriotic
reply.
NJ dutics in the Circuit Court viii pre-
/ vent nc from being present. aS | should
( Ike. ON the occasion Of the decoration Of
/ the graves Of The Federal dead, but Iaval
myself Of the opportunity to express the
/ hope that the time is not far distant when
/ the North and the South, having forever
. bI!icd and forgotten the unhappy di!}cTcu-