The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-04-23

quehces III as good faith as they would
have accepted victory. [Applause. They
are bound to obey the laws and support the
constitution to fulfill to the letter every
duty ofcitizenship, and answer freely every
call ofpatriotic obligation. But they are
not bound to defile the ashes of their dead,
or to submit in silence to injustice or his
honor. They may have been wrong. That
is fair matter of opinion, and posterity
will judge them. They may have been un-
wise. There is no absolute criterion on
earth of what is wise, and none of us have
reason to think, like the friends of holy
Job, that we are the people. and that wis
dom shall die with us. / Applause.
But the men of the South are entitled to
stand before mankind as people who, be-
lleying they were right and acting with
what wisdom they knew, set hope and ex-
istence on the die. They have a right to
resent and denounce imputations on their
purposes and motives. When they read in
political journals and discourses, or hear
from the halls of legislation or the bench
of justice, that for eight millions e-born
men to separate themselves from popular
government Of which they formed part,
and set up and be governed by another
which they preferred, was wicked rebel
lion"-an effort to overthrow society ard
turn back the current ofcivilization-they
have right to say that the time has come
when educated people should be ashamed
OF such things. [Applause.l They are the
roth OF the angry waters, and should have
passed away with the storm. Until they
cease to snlly the stream, the serenity of
peace and brotherhood can never be re-
Hccted, like Heaven, from its bosom.
THE OLD STORY.
Such devices and phrases are not new
They are as old as fooishness and foul Ian
guage. have before me copy which
Mr.. Parton has furnished, from a tory
Extra" of 1777, chrouicling the retreat of
Washington across the Harlem river, and
denouncing the cause in which he was ell
listed as "the most wicked, daring and I'M
natural rebellion that ever dsgraced the
annals of history" The ingenuity and elo-
luence OF ouI own day, with all the mod
I'm improvements. have not been able, l
believe, to add single epithet to this
pleasing expression ofbygonc loyalty. And
pet, ten years after il WAC written, ur at all
events after the revolution was over, | am
sure that all reasonable tories, and certain
y all sensible Englishmen, would have
agreed to laugh at it and forget it. APP
olause. We are ourselves about to demon
trate, by u centennial commemoration, how
'ntirely nature has recovered from the
hook which that "rebellon" was supposed
o have given her. True, it was successful,
md that unquestiopabiy makes some diff
erence-but only with time-servers. We
re dealing now with moralsts, and they
viii never, suppose, suggest that wicked
less ceases to be wicked because the horn
II the ungodly happens to be exalted. If
1rant had surrendered to Lee they would
till have died in the conviction that seces-
ion was heresy; that the ways of Proyi-
lence were inscrutable, if not unconstitu-
ional, according to Story's Commenta-
ies,) and that truth and reason are not
questions of numbers, artillery or ammuni-
ion. [Applause.l
REBELS, REBELS, REBELS
] max thpsn- nhs"rvatinna hero in No
pirit of unkindness or contention. You
would resent, and with justice, the intru-
ION OF past or present controversial issues
lpon an occasion dedicated only to rever-
mt and gentle memories of the dead. But
feel, in common with all to whom those
arc dear, that silence concerning
UGH things as | have mentioned is no
onger consistent with proper selfrespect.
30 long as the bitterness of party can be
,rottabiy stirred by wornout catchwords of
he war, we must Of course expect to hear
hem from the lips of those to whom profit
compensation for shame. But we have
right to appeal from these to the men
Who lead opinion, because they are worthy
md entitled to lead it. [Applausel We
AVE right to throw upon them the re-
which belongs to their inhu-
nee, their intelligcnce-nay, their taste,
heir breeding and their manners. And for
aging this respectfully, but earnestly and
rankly, know of no better occasion than
he present, when we are honoriug one
Sho, though ''rebel' of "rebels," if there
we're any such, was, by common consent,
he soul CT honor, and than whom no man
wing dares to say that he or his are purer
II better. [Applause,l And when / re,
member how his generous and unseliish
ature would have scorncd to place upon
lower level than his own the purposes
nd motives OF the humblest of the soldiers
Who gave all to the same cause and the
anne country-liviDg or dying, in defeat
II victory, halfnaked III the field, half
on the march and in the camp,
'ut heroes always feel as i'll did his
bidding in this earnest protest against fur
her maligning their good name.
AN UNPUBLISHED LETTER.
And here am permitted, by the kind |
ess OF friend, to read some extracts from |
letter Of the illustrious soldier, which
las never seen the light before, and which
will show through what sad struggles CT |
10Th heart and mind he passed to what he |
cit to be his duty. | doubt not-nay, | |
many gallant gentleman who |
ought beside him, and many another IN |
he opposing host, grieyed, with as deep d |
riet as Lee, TO draw his sword. The let
or that speak Of bears the date of Janu-
ny 10Th, 1861, and Was written from Fort |
Jason, near San Antonio, in Texas. 1t |
vas addressed to young lady, relative |
Il his, for whom he had great affection,
nd the passages Of which / speak were |
written as message to her father. Allud- |
ng to the homes of two families offriends |
e said
VI think OF the occupants of both very
itch, and hope some Gay to see them again. |
may have the opportunity soon, for if |
he Union is dissolved l shall return to
Iirginla to share the fortune ofmy people.
'ut before so great calamity beialls the
ountry hope all honorable means of
the constitution and the equal
lights OF the people will be first exhaust
d. Tell your father lie must not allow
laryland to be tackled on to South Caro-
ina before the just demands of the South
ave been fairly presented to the North
nd rejected. Then, if the rights guaran-
eed by the constitution are denied us, and
he citizens Of one portion of the country
re granted privileges not extended to the
ther, we can, with clear conscience,
eparate. l am for maintaining all our