The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-02-20
Maunanimity.

Mr.. Baine's buncombe is not misunder-
stood for genuine ferocity in Earof e.
People can see oven from that distance
that it was piece of acting gotten up ior
effect and having nothing sincere about IL
except it's spirit of spite and hate. such as
was the speech, however, it has not adoee
much to Mr.. Blaine's European reputation
as a gent 'emen. The London StaHdard, of
a recent date, comments as follows on LIS
anti amnesty speech:
Mr. Blaine was still not satisfied. he moved
that the vote be recunsidered, and delivered d
speech in which he inveighed in the bitteres'
Language against Mr.. Jefferson Davis, renew.
ing against bin all the disproved charges OF
cruelty in Confederate prisons. Under any
circumstances this denunciation OF an aosenS
man when the bill for pardoning him hau
been lost, would be unbecoufing in the leader
of party. But when the real nature OF Tue
charges is romemb ered it becomes worse.
That the Northcrn soldiers confined in tne
South suffered hardships we do not doubt In
deed, considering the privations the Conleue-
ratios themselves had to endurel IL conlo hoU
have been otherwise. But the allegation tna1
there was actual, deliberate cruelty prac'
tised by the Confederate Government rests on
no better fou udstion than thesimilar accusation
made against the Prussian generals after
Sedan.
Meanness ia like the filth which in fer
mentations always Uses to the top. Mt.
Blaine might rave as much he thought III ;
the Inherent meanness of his motive coplu
not be kept from frothing up to the surface
of his speech. In fact, the faster pot boi!s,
the more freely its scum rises. True patriot
ism is virtue, and there is a kinship amop
all the virtues. The indignation Of an
offended love of country would never take
the shape of venomous rancor against even
the enemies of that country. Its presence
would be marked by al exalted dignity
more akin to charity OF, at least, forbear
ance. There is a grandeur about true
patriotism which can never be separated
from magnanimity.
Abiding to the claim put forward by
many that democracies are magnanimous,
the Standard says:
II this were true Mr.. Jefferson Davis would
not be pursued by the virulent hatred OF
Northern Republicans. Surely sufficient time
has now elapsed to let bygones be bygones,
civil war came to an end. In that interval the
victorious North ought to have been able to
cast into oblivion its bitter memories. and "a
do justice to the heroism, the constancy, and
leaders Whatever some may think of the OBJ
ject the ex President of the Confederacy hao
IN view, no body can deny that he proved him
self great man, and we should have though
that after eleven years Americana might rec
ognise the fact, sufficiently at least to restore
him to his civil rights.
With such verdict in his favor at tn
hands of disinterested spectators, Mr.. Da
Wis may calmly endure the virulence @
bigetry like Blaine's. AS for that gen
tleman, he will probably find that, beside
securing to himself immortality in history
the hound that yelped so conrageously owe
PROSTATE lion, he has failed even of hi
immediate object and, instead, earned tn
scorn of his contemporaries.