The Van Buren press., 1875-08-24
Jefferson Davis Not to Come to Illinois.
tst. Louis Republican lGthl

The Radicals of Rockford and Winnie
bago county have decided that Jefferson
Davis shall not deliver the address at the
coming fair, which he WAS invited and
consented to do, unless he is prepared to
risk the chances Of rough treatment by a
mob. "The Grand Army of the Repub-
lie " held meeting in Rockford few
days since, and passed a series of wrath
ful resolutions of which the following
preliminary section il sufficient sample !:
Whereas we look upon it as an insult
to the loyal citizens of Winncbago coun-
ty to invite the arbitrator, jeff. Davis,
to address the relatives and surviving
friends of $4,000 men murdered at An
dersonville alone by his orders. y
The Rockford Gazette, encouraged and
inspired by the Grand Army screed, pub
| fishes an editorial TRADE whose tone may
be inferred from this extract;
"To bring jeff Davis here is to insult
every soldier who wore the army blue
during those -four years OF bloody war,
to harrow the feelings of every widow
and mother whose husband or son was
starved to death at Andersonville, shot
at the dead line or on the numerous bat
tie fields of the South, and all for the sake
of adding $500 or $500 to the Golfers of
an agricultural society. Z"
special telegram to the Chicago Trib
uae says that "a number of the smaller
towns in Winnebago county are up in
arms, and resolutions Of the most threat
ening character are being passed. " All
of which indicates most Enthusiastically
that if the gentleman whom the Whine
bago County Agricultural society re-
quested to act as its orator at the ap
preaching session, and who has an
nounced his Willingness to perform the
service, should venture to tresspass upon
the hospitality of the city of Rockford
and the County of Winnebago, he will be
received with considerably less courtesy
than was rendered him some forty odd
years ago by the sayages who then in
habited that region. Judging from the
expressions fopinions quoted, he would
be very fortunate to escape with no
more emphatic welcome than a shower
of ancient eggs and a drapery Of tar and
feathers.
Mr.. Davis, cf course, will wisely de-
cline to he tho guest Of the city Of Rock
ford and Winnebago county on such con-
d,ioms. and the engineers of this very
dirty business may have the proud salts
faction Of knowing that their efforts to
disgrace themselves aud the community
% which they belong, have been crwoncd
with ABUNDANT success.
We had hoped and believed that the
people Of what has heretofore been con
sidered one Of the most intelligent por-
tons of Illinois, would be willing to imi-
tate the example Of Lexington, Concord
and Boston-at least to the extent of
treating the president Of the late conred-
cracy with that tcommon rolitcness which
,t-.-2-.-- -a----... oVsi.,ty If ra-...s,
however, that we were grieyously mis-
taken. Patriotism and loyalty have
reached a so much higher pitch in Rock
ford and Wnnebago than in Massachu-
sets, that they have developed into a
species Of political Yahooism which
would have delighted the soul of Dean
Swift. These civilized and Christanized
patriots and loyalists deliberately mark
out line of conduct such as might be
expected to find favor among the Flat.
head Indians or the South African Hot.
tentots They propose to repay the gen
crous kindness which the Southern pco.
pie have shown to every prominent
Northern man who has visited the South
since the war, with Il display of brutal in
civlIlty which nothing can palliate, much
less excuse. They propose to express
their intense desire for restoration of
friendly relations between the two sec
tons of common country, by treating
representative citizen Of the South in q
manner which every Southern man, wo.
man and child will he forced to regard as
carefully designed personal insult,
We presume the Rockford and Winnie
bago patriots and loyalists think they
have hurt Mr., Davis very badly, and
yindicatcd their own principles most Clio
riously. They have simply reused a
strong sympathy for the victim OF this
gross and undescrved outrage and set
themselves up as a mark for the hearty
contempt of all respectable people. We
congratulate them upon the brilliant
achievement, and trust they will enjoy its
Legitimate fruits.
| Reunion of Cabell's Brigade