National Republican., 1879-07-19

memory for history, or it would not so soon
have forgotten that in 1861 the State of
South Carolina violated its engagements TO
the General Government, and that i'll 1865
the General Government had intervened |
with its power and had compelled the State
TO keep its engagements to the Union. We
arc greatly surprised that our cotempo-
raly should cultivate such an abridgment |
of memory or such profound ignorance of
American history.
THE DISPLAY OF THE CONFEDERATE |
FLAG. ... |
The Staunton pdliey YirgiRida takes us to |
task slightly, and n correspondent some- |
what severely, under the unpleasant heading |
of " Misrepresentation" because THE Ma |
TIoNAL REPUBLICAN few days since pub
lished correspondence over the signature
of r." which criticised with some justice
the displaying Of the Confederate flag on
the 4th instant at Harrisonburg, Va. We
will give the Valley Vhginidn the full bene-
fit of its scold rs o matter of simple justice,
and for the further reason that it virtually
admits the more important cause of COM
plant that prompted our correspondent to
refer to the occurrence at all. 1t says:
| We were in Harrisonburg on the occasion
| referred to, and heard of such flag and also
| heard but one sentiment in reference to 1t, and
that was of severe condemnation. We did not
ask and did not learn who raised it, for it
seemed to be a source Of so much annoyance
| 10 n large number of the people who spoke of
it and was regarded as so utterly inappropri-
ate that it did not deserve serious notice.
United States flags foated from every public
place and almost every private residence and
| there was nothing that transpired to indicate
anything else than genuine sentiment of
| Fourth of July patriotism.
The reference TO the portraits of " WASHING.
TON, LEE, and JACKSON" which were sus.
pended before the property of gentleman
who came to Virginia many years ago from
Pennsylvania, had no other significance than
to give expression to the reverence the people
of the South feel for the exalted virtues and
high moral character Of those Christian men
and soldiers. Whatever now may be thought
of the policy of secession-and no rational
thinker Will not condemn 1t as q great blum
der, aye, political crime, with the present
lights before hint will be long time be-
, fore the people of the South will arraign the
motives and question the honesty of LEE aud
JACKSON. Their moral heroism was eminent
ly illustrated in their lives, and while they
may have erred in judgment, as we now think
the entire South did, such bitter and coarse
criticisms as the correspondent of THE REPUB-
LIcAN indulges will receive nothing but the
disdainful contempt of men of all classes and
political persuasions, North and South.
Not satisfied with the correction of the
, assumed erroneous statement of 81" the
Yaley Virginian assails his motives as fol.
lows
We do not know, nor do we caro- to know
who penned the article signed "F" If he is
| M ha tut IA n "a a1.
[ ley, ho gives evidence of very perverted
mind, and an amount of prejudice to be ac
counted for by no rational methods. His dis
torted reason is incapable of dealing fairly
5 with any political fact or issue, and renders
him totally unsuited to the task of just crit
oism. To misrepresent the incidents of tht
D occasion of which he treats, and to assign th'
@ existence of q spirit which was entirely for
q eign to that which prevailed, is a serious re
Election upon the motives which controlled II
: the authorship of the article, and reveals
prejudice incapable of doing the fair thing, lei
: It be associated with whateverit may.
q We leave " F." to vindicate his motives
in his own time and way, as we are only
/. responsible for his statements, having giyel
: currency to them. 1t may not be amiss
, however, in this connection, to say that tn
cause of the criticism of our correspondent
, which may have been too severe, is ad
! mitted. The Confederate flag was unfurle,
y at Harrsonburg on the Fourth of July, am
a the portraits of LEE and STONEwALI
, JACKSON were presented to the public gaz
n on that occasion. This is confessed by tn,
g TaRey Viginian; but it says the display o
IS the flag was disapproyed by many, and tn
n portraits in question: it is contended, weT
IS presented to the public eye ou the privat
grounds of gentleman as matter of TASTE
So long as we now have but one Nationi
flag, none other is allowable on the celC
" bration of our National anniversary, and I
" display the Confederate flag upon that occG
- sion, now that the war is over and that ia
:, has surrendered, ,isan offensive act which n
" loyal American citizen can regard otherwis
than as an insult. There is no doubt tina
i. the gentleman who displayed the portrait
Is of two heroes Of the rebellion along wit
l. that of WAsHINGToN had right to do s
,r on his own premises but the act Is nevel
Or theless subject to criticism on account of il
" bad taste and Offensiyeness on that occasion
y, or If these portraits were displayed daily the
h the case would be different; but to plaC