The Van Buren press., 1877-05-22

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well do, think, without violence to any
sentiment of your souls.
Our knowledge teaches US that the
true American volunteer soldier does not
enter the ranks for pelf or gain, but that
he is impelled to do so, from conscien-
tious convictions Of duty and right. Your
charities, would on an occasion like this,
cover what might be conceived to be his
misguided Judgment of right, and you
would alone, by the work of your hands,
testify of his faith and courage. Little
earthen mounds, like these, cover the
bodies, and hide the uniforms of our fallen
dead, all over this broad land, and there
is nothing to designate their devotion to
one side or the other 1t is only known
they were soldiers.
Whilst the Government cannot, and
will not, by chiseled marble, or the ex-
penditure Of single dollar, mark the
resting place of the heroic dead of our
section of the Union, we will, as long as
time lasts, by ual-recurring eommem-
orations and memories, transmitted to
our children, preserve a true estimate Of
their deeds Of daring and valor, although
they fought in a lost cause. This, we,
the survivors can do, without initiating
our duties as citizens of a common eoun.
try. When we surrendered our arms, it
was not expected we should surrender
our manhood, and the love of fallen
comrades, surely. We, of the South,
claim that our submission was as exalted
as our resistance had been heroic and
daring, and of this our Northern breth-
rem in arms can bear testimony. We can
and do frankly testify of their courage,
on many hotly contested backgrounds,
and, by reason of it, hate them less and
love them more.
Many persons and politicians, howev-
er, in the North, after the battle was
over, and victory won, between whom
and danger there was alwaysa broad line
of safety, rushed forward, and proposed
to fight the battle over again, with
tongue and pen, not satisfied with the set
tlement by the sword. Thank heaven
this battle is also over and the South is
,o@o fa,. 1any on1
struggle, during which the States of the
South were patiently submissive, these
wordy warriors have exhausted them
selves by repeated outbursts of indigna-
ton and labor in waving their bloody
banner, and are now PROSTATE under the
eensure Of the enlightened public mind,
while the States are free. The lover of
Constitutional Liberty, and the citizen
who favors independence, good govern
ment, justice to all, and injury to none,
and all that is implied by local self-gov-
ernment, North or South, may, this day,
,o3osov .,,o ss"nao,Ai vi aso oo",ia~s.
The malcontents against the Constitu-
ton and its guarantees, are now dead.
from overwork, and their lives and la
bors detested, alike, by the true and tried
soldiery of both armies. | would not be
understood as charging the delay in rec
onciliation and restoration to one side,
alone, but l really think it chiefly attri-
butable to an unwarrantcd want of con-
fidence in us by the Northern people.
The victors, certainly, ought to have
been more ready to adopt measures of
reconciliation than we, who were van
quished, since it is supposed they were
in better frame of mind.
The rehabilitation of all the States of
the South in the robes of local self gov
ernment, inspires the patriotic hope of
reunion of the sentiments Of the people
of the several States of the Union, in a
constitutional sense which hitherto and
until lately we could not indulge. And
what is most remarkable of all, is, that
this hope is inspired and can be INDUCED
at a time when and by the action of a
man who, is esteemed to be by large
majority of the people, enjoying the
honors and emouments of the Chief
Magistracy, by the most stupendous
fraud ever practieed in the history of this
nation. Public sentiment as expressed
at the ballot box, although not given its
full constitutional weight, must have had
a controlling influence in bringing about
this grand consummation. We are led
so to believe, and rejoice at, as we be-
licve the near approach of the time in
the history Of this Government, when
the manly, outspoken sentiment of the
people, expressed at the ballot box, will
drive from official stations all who have
participated in, or winked at, election
frauds, anywhere or at anytime, and
place in power, men only, who are de-
voted to the Constitution and the unfad-
ing principles of Freedom and Equality,
so essential to good government under il
or any other charter of human rights.