Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-07-10
OUGHT WE TO ApoLocIzE2

LXtTdcC from Uen. JOnn "A. Logan
Fourth of July Grafton at Aledo, Ills,
at the unwilling of the Soldiers Mon
ument, erected by the people of Mer-
Ger county:
But, my friends, in less than fifteen
years from the event at AppOmattoX,
we are again confronted with an ene-
my, although clad in different gar
ment, bears the the Old-time face and
whispering i'm our ears, "These men
have died i'm vain!" Estates rights
died, but the youngest brother has
been born, and wish to raise voice
of warning to any man loyal to his
country, whOmay hear me, and charge
him not to be deceived by the name
of this brother, who has been chris
tened "home rule" for after all the
sacrifices of blood and treasure thro'
which our country has passed, in pre-
servation of it's national integrity,
and its national life, we are confronted
with the fact that we have conquered
a peace, but have failed to CONSUME
mate conviction of error upon the
part of the erring. We have taught
the rebelliOus boy to fear, but have
failed to make him love his parents.
A nation depends upon the affections
of the people. Do the rebellious sub
jects SO love the country that the line
which our gallant soldiers endeavored
to wash out with their own blood has
become invisible? No! 1t is as plainly
drawn to-day by people who have
educated themselves into the feelings
of separate and distinct nationality,
as it was when, under the flimsy pre-
text of forming southern republic,
there appeared the bold outlines of a
southern empire. The new dogma
Of "hOme rule" is fast wiping out the
results which our friends, whose
names we venerate to-day, gave their
lives to secure. The union remains
intact, but the doctrine of equal rights
before the law is melting away in
many states, like the dew before the
morning sun. Equal rights there
belong only to those who waged a
terrible and bloody war against this
government, however it may be de-
MED, or however speciously the en-
deavor may be made to cover it up.
Practically there exists in these states
but one set of men who are allowed
to exercise any political rights. Does
this point to national safety? My
friends, venture the assertion that
in the history of the world among all
the people who have taken up arms
in rebellion against governments
and have suffered defeat i'm theil
plans, there cannot be found one
instance in which the magnanimity
of our government toward its traitors
is paralleled. Go over the records OF
the centuries which have flown upon
the wings of time to the realms of the
past, and say if it has not universally
been deemed necessary to the lives OF
nations that the takers of the sword
should perish by the sword. All his.
tory confirms the wisdom of punish.
ment, and all experience confirms the
mercy of rigid example. But what
have we seen in our own case? Have
we reduced the rebellious states to the
condition of conquered provinces and
held them in territorial depend
ence until their loyalty to the nation
was assured? Have we executed the
leaders of the rebellion and banished
those lesser culprits who stood in the
light of accessories? Not at all. We
fastened at once to welcome them
back to all the privileges of citizen
ship under a nation which they reviled.
More than this, we passed the control
of their own states over to them, and
with it the charge Of the nations
wards, which had been rescued from
bondage to freedom. We put he
innocent children in bed with the
wolf, who was wearing the grand
mothers nightcap. More than this,
we invited our erring friends to seats
in our national council, to make laws
for the country they despised. Upon
every breeze was heard the words
'.conciliation," forgiveness" and to
such an extent did our magnanimity
go that the people have been on the
verge of declaring at the ballot box
that the men who had been poWerless
to destroy were the most potent to
save, and that control of the govern
ment should be passed over to their
hands; Cancellation" by giving our
destroyers power has gone on the
rampage; forgiveness out-Herods
Herod, and apologies are as thick as