Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-03-06

lOOMM ]
The Centennial Celebration.


In late number of your paper we took
occasion to call the attention of your read
ers to the proposed appropriation by our
Legislature of an immense sum of money
from the treasury, for the purpose of erect
ing buildings in the city of Philadelphia
to aid the Yankees in celebrating the 4th
of July, 1876. AS we feel deeply on this
subject you must pardon us for again re-
ferring to it.
There was time, sir, when 1.-The people
of the United States would have respond
ed with enthusiasm to such call, and at
the National Capital would have poured
out libations of mingled JOY and gratitude
at the shrine of national honor, national
greatness and national independence. But
alas "a change has come over the spirit
of their dream"-and such change
When asked n0ao to unlock the treasures of
their hearts and render tributes of tears
and thankfulness to the deity of past idol
airy, they turn solemnly and gaze back in
to the dark vista of the past, with tears it
is true, but they are tears of sorrow, re-
morse, regret and shame. And what fear
full apparition is this looming up from the
troubled waters of the ghostly past, that
strikes such terror to the souls of ruined
millions, and maddens hearts once jubil
ant with national pride and national free
dom2 1t is the ghost of departed great
ness, bearing aloft in its resurrected hand
the history of national wrongs, national
infamy and national hatred, written in the
pure and unpoluted blood of nations
freedom, while the wailing of suffering
millions swells the breezes that waited
peace and JOY to once happy hearts and
happy homes. 1t is the memory of past
wrongs written IN the blood of noble
race. 1t is the spectre of a ruined people
q Constitution destroyed-a Government
seized upon by violence, and perverted
from its proper channels, to erect moni
ed aristocracy-a Government administer
ed for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of section,
and that section inflated with wealth,
wrested by foreign mercenaries from the
other section, whose swords in time past
carved out the nations glory, and whose
giant intellects erected and sustained the
nations greatness. Crimes have been COM
mitted under the folds of the national flag
and in the sacred name of liberty, in com
parison with which the diabolical scenes
of the French revolution pale into virtues,
and the names of Nero and Calligula de-
serve to be canonized and enrolled in the
catalogue of saints.
1t is natural to the human heart to love
the good and pure and true. Behold a
pure and beautiful woman, The most
worshipful creation of the hand Of God.
adorned as she is with grace and beauty.
purity of soul and spirit. We almost feel
like offering to her the homage due the
Infinite Creator. But drag her down from
her throne of purity and virtue-turn all
L 70 a,,I loti "A
infamy, and how soon our love and adora
ton turn to hatred and detestation, and
our soul fills with disgust that any thing
so fair and beautiful should fall so low,
and pervert its end and destiny. Such are
the feelings with which we regard a once
pure and free government, dragged down
from its high estate and wallowed in the
dirt, to serve the villainous purposes Of
sectional hatred, party intrigue and pub
lie and private larceny. God forbid that
we should be called upon to celebrate the
present attitude of our government and
people.
If any misguided or ignorant enthusiast
feels it his duty to join in Yankee jubila-
lions, let him take the history of the past
fifteen years in his hand and ascending
the "Peaks of Otter" or some other lofty
eminence, take a cursory view of the once
beautiful and happy South through such
glass as Grant was wont to view the famed
battle fields, where the torch of his hired
mercenaries marks the sight of her ruined
temples and down trodden fanes-and then
let him raise shout for national glory if
he can. There is no man in the universe,
unless he be recent Maryland convert to
Radicalism, can do it. What else, sir, but
the general feeling of disgust has brought
the observance of the 18th of July into such
disrepute throughout the length and
breadth of our land, until it only serves to
give the school-boy days exercise in the
corntield and the darkey chance to dig
'woms" and ''go fishen 2"
But apart from the above considerations,
We present another view of the subject
The people are called upon to contribute
largely of their poverty-not wealth-to
celebrate this day. Where? In a sec
tional State and sectional city-wholly
in the North. Strip and rob the South of
everything by regular system of vlllalny,
extending through Il space of fifteen years,
and then demand that she shall coin her
hearts blood to be poured into the Golfers
of her robbers and murderers How many
millions have the people of Maryland been
robbed of, under the pretence Of repayment
out of the public treasury, and when the
sacrifice was contaminated and their OBJ
ject obtained, her application for remune-
ration scoffed at and ANONYMOUSLY kicked
out of the halls of Congress- And yet she
must appropriate one hundred thousand
dollars to erect buildings in a Northern
city-while-the darkeys go tishen."
Can you not see, Mr. Editor, the drift
of this Yankee scheme? IT the South re-
fuses, or any part of them, to contribute to
this folly, the cry of disloyalty will be rails
ed and the Northern mind aroused in all
its .virulent hatred of the South to renew
ed support of the Radical party and its
Presidential ticket in '76. Their pros
poets are sadly on the wane just now, and
hence they have seized upon this unfortu-
nate Centennial to build up their waning
power. But as 1 have already trespassed
too much upon your space, l must con
clude what | have yet to say in some flu
ture number of your excellent paper.
Yours most truly, SOUTH.
Divine Service.