Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-06-02
The white Flag VS.. the Bloody Shirt.


Boutwell, is Of the radical party, aud from the
following extracts 0! their respective addresses
90 Decoration day as laiy 40 estimate Gao be
made Of the feelings OF The tTo parties as can
wei lie ublaUci:
Nr. ii. W. Wattcrsoa. editor 81 the Louis
villa Courier Journal. said
The war is over II is .9r Us 10 bury its pas
stems with is dead; 10 bury them bcncath u
mraumcut raised by the American people to
American nlacEoad, ani tie American system,
~ order that "thH nation shall! under God
have new birth Of freedom. and that The gov
crrmcnt Of The people by the people and Tor
the people ,ha!! not perish from the earth.
There is 10 enc 81 us, wore he the Que cloth CT
Tic other come he from the granite hills OF
New E1sland cr the orange groves OF the Mis-
s,ssirpi Valley, who has not IN Interest for
him self and for his children in the preservation
ard perpctuaron of cur republican system. 1t
i. reciprocal rs we'll ~ joint interest; and,
relating 10 The greatest of human affairs, it
ought to be sacred inrcrcs!. The most Obsti-
gate Of partsaps the most uutrarecd Of pro.
viccial3 cannot cilacc or obscure, still less dis
pute, the story Of hcro!sm 10 war, Of nodera-
tiCn 10 peace, which. written in letters Of living
lsht, will blaze forever upon our patInnal tab.
lets. The occasion that briggs Us here has this
sicn;liGarce---it is Illustrative; IL t.s u that we
have come 10 understand that there could be
no I.s;iog rrace nor real repubcaniSm while
any lreaman's right was abridged or any palr
OTIS grave unhoaorcd. Tie freedom Of! each
and every State, Of each ard ever citizen, is at
length assured; and thcrc !rmails 10 ioagcr so
mu h rs l prclcXt Why the gt1Iy Ct The past,
mn! hci by The graves # al WHO fell ia the bat
tie, should not be the comnon property Of the
whole people, The o!i cuda ideas CT treason
do Lot belong to cur Institutes or our epoch.
Their ithucrce 10 public affairs, as far as they
have Influenced public affairs, has been hostile
to cur nstona! unity aud peace Oar future is
10 DC secured By genuine CONCESSIONS, for ours
was a war Of mistakes, not OF dlSgraces.
History teaches Us that wars are more or less
The sub 1cts Of mlSc0nci ptlOn ami mlSGhancc.
l. is rare, Indeed, ii ever, when Ill the right i:
on one side aud all the wrong on the other. liz
our case, and ! take leave TO speak for both
| sides, We have much to dep!orc-nolhng tc
make us ashamed. A>surcGiy the world ha:
rever seen terms 50 liberal extended TO soldier:
| beaten in civil brnll, CT Known such abstinence
! from sangulnary rcvcngcs durloS the progress:
! Of the strife. Ii Il necessary to remind no ono
| Of the conduct OF Grant aud Sherman 10 tho
moment Of their lrlumphS. The cortltcts o.
This present hour cannot shat out from the
EcarIs Of grateful men tic spectacle Of that dis
mai day, whcn, rlsiLg above the passions 0!
! victory and the ruins 0t c0rquesta, the chiefs O
| tho armies Cf the North remembered not mere
! iy that they we're soldiers aud men OF honor
| but that they were Americans. 1t was our LEI
who paid the honor5 Of war 10 your kearney
| When the body of hlorgau was borne to its las
resting place soldiers Of the Union, assemb lel
| hy chance on the public square in Nashville
| stood, soldier like, uncovered as their fallen ad
v,rs2ry passed Whcn Mcpherson Tell thrill
Of sorrow went along the whole Confederate
line. | believe today that the assassination 0
Abraham Lincoln is lamcntCd in the Soutl
hardly less than in the North.
That which is wanting 10 US is less Of self
love and mere Of love for our country; deeper
sincercl devotion 10 the principles OF civil lib
crty Which are bound up 10 the system uudcl
which we live: self sacrificing spirit where TIT
hCnor ct the nation is at stake. 10 scctlonallSu
and paryiSm We owe our undoing. We shal
owe Cur restoration to NatioualIsm, aad tt
Nari00alism alone. The mau who was Con
treadlog the floor OF Faueuil Hall that be is a
!
cnsiru OF the Republic must be not only sym
bol Of proleclioD. bat the source and resourc
vi popular enthusiasm Above all, the cabil
of the poor map, whatever his color, race o
opinions, aust be 4 Tree mans castle. 10 TIT
North, constitutional traditions must revive; IL
the Sud d, the old Inspirations Of tho Union.
The South more especially the young man
! hood Vi the South, ycarDs iar national iel!1w
shil. 1t stretches out lis arms to the Nalloua
Government bcseechngly; it cnrcats the Norti
uut To build unOn national spirit which shat
in word or thought prescribe it or those VIII
ere to Co,12 after l.. The present generation
Of Southern mca is iu 10 wise responsible TO
the acls Vi The last. 1t has 90 aatecedents cX
| cer! those which illustrated its sincerity and IL
vaor gu he battle ielI It's fidelity TO its be
ie$, rs fidelity to It's leaders, IT'S fidelity 10 it
| SELF These are but SO !Gany hostages to tht
nai1n At :rec Instead Of slipmaiZng ii, TIT
| vcior IN !hc zig lit should throw over he Soutl
tho nIy Of the rcpEbic; should place 10 from
! u 1t !l2 embienatG eagles OF the State; sh0uii
| fold II round from the dark aud the hight witt
| ic l.l:uluct Ct fraternity, tcndcrcst OF It's Grip
pied cIlIrriOg. III the young mon OF The South
TIE country u.ust look tnr The resurrection OF
! tic South. They Should carry 20 dead weight:
| elmer ~ thrlr nCars Or on their backs. lht
;70rh d physical liberation, Which Is happily
ended, il 10 be followed by greater, a grandcl
| work--Ihe work Of moral emancipation. 4
spacious craftsmanship, even more than gen
! crOus u!a.uanlmty, points to this as the hope
| Of TIC milltc man aad the black maD; the rca
res, ora;loo Of Inc Union; the true solution 0
| the problems OF life and labor raised up by thu
mighty vciSaiudca OF the last fifteen years.
War or 10 war, We are ail cOuntTymca, icI-
! low citizens; and it is no mawEiSh sentiment or
idle rhapsody which seeks to bring us nearer to-
gcthcr. The day Of the seclGnast is over; the
day Of he nationalist has come 1t has come,
aud i: will grow brighter and brighter, dotting
the land. not with battle Fields, but with schoo
houses, in which our children instructed better
than ourselves, will learn to discern the shallow
arts Of the sci! ,scckins dclnsgoguc, who would
thrive b. playing upon mems ignorance and
passion. We have cacn within the last few
weeks how little generosity in the fountains
Of our political existence has warmed the hearts
Of men and elevated the tone Of public affairs.
This tells US simply but truly that party lines
are not and ought not to be lines Of battle, sep