The Hickman courier., 1877-06-08
Our People, No,,n and south.

FROM the Hon. Henry Wstterson speech
NJ Nashville
The war is over 1t Is for US 10
bury Its passions with its dead; to bury
them beneath monument raised py
the American people to American
manhood aud the American system III
ofder that "the nation shail, undef
God, have new birth 81 freedom
ana that the Government of the peo
pie, shall not perish from the earth.
mere Is no Que Of Us, wore he the
one cloth or the oth.r, come he from
the granite hills Of New England or
the orange groves Of the Mississippi
valley, who has not an interest Tor
himself aud for his children IN the
preservation aud plrpetuatlon OF our
republican system. II is recIprocaI
as well as Julut interest; and, relating
TO the greatest Of bulnan affairs,
ought to be a sacred interest he
most obstinate OF partisans, the most
un'ra7e'ied Of proviuciaIs, cannot ct
lace or obscure, stil less dispute, the
story OF herUism in war OF moderation
IN peace, which written in letters OF
ii'lng light, will blaze forever upon
our national tablets The occasion
that brings US here has this signlh
cance: It Is Illustrative; il tells Us that
we nave come to understand that there
could be no lasting peace nor real re
publlcanIsm while anv freeman right
was abridged or any patriots grave
unhonored. The freedom OF each aud
every State, of each and every citizen
Is at length assured: aud there remains
DO longer so much as u preIeXt why
The glory of the past, marked by the
graves of all who fell IN the battle,
should not be the common property Of
the whole people The old feudal
ideas OF treason Do not belong TO our
institutes or our epoch. Their iuHu
cuce in pabiie afars, as far as they
have Influenced public affairs, has been
hostile 20 our national unity aud peace
Our future is to be secured by geuer-
Gus concessions for ours was war Of
mistakes, not OF disgraces.
There was au organic question lett
fatally open by the authors of our
Constitution There was a property
Interest madly enfaug'ed with the
moral nature Of lhe time There was
10 tribunal having power TO determine
the issue. It Is perhaps hide to say
that had the people ioreseen all the
consequences they would not have re-
sorted 10 arms, but recent experience
shows US that rhey would have made
supreme sacrifices Tor the sake of peace
History teache, us that wars are more
or less the subjects Of mi-concpption
aud mischance Itis rare. indeed. ii
ever, when all the right is one sileaud
all tie wrong on the other. Ia our
case, and | take leave to speak for
both sides, We have much to deplore.
nothing to make as ashamed. As
surediy, the world has never seen
terms 80 liberal extended 10 soldiers
beaten 10 civil broil, or known such
abstinence from sunguIuary revenges
during the strife. 1t is necessary 20
remind no one Of the conduct of Grant
and sherman in the moment Of their
triumph. The conflicts of this present
hour cannot shut out from the hearts
OF grateful mcn tue spectacle of that
dismal day. wlen,l rising above the
passions OF victory and the ruins Of
the .hieis OF the armies Of
the North remembered not merely that
they were Americans. II was our
Lee who paid the honors of war to
your heauev. When the body OF