Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-05-23
The Wing furnishes strong argument

The Wing furnishes strong argument
in defence of Gen. Mahone's vote on the
Confederate-Bo resolution in the
Senate the other day. To impartial
minds and to those who are anxious for
peace between the sections the views of
fered by our contemporary will be &C.
cepted as wise and Valley Vir-
ginidn.
This from another Confederate soldier,
Sai. Yost, who having made his own
1oaco wi the powers that be and taken
"a r 90 undar t6gOvernment, ~ now joins
Mahone in favor,SGa continuance Of
the vindictive war ieeisisa sation which ex.
cludes from the service of then Sun.ly
in the Army and Navy the veteran
diers of the South who, in 1851, in obe-
dience to the laws of their States, re.
signed their commissions, and gave up
their hopes of preferment and all the
brilliant prospects before them to cast
their fortunes with q righteous but un.
promising cause.
And how tame and unsatisfactory is
their excuse for opposing the reinstate-
ment of these officers, or the appoint
ment of other Confederates to places in
these services. 1t would stir up section-
al animosities again, they say, were the
rebels of that war appointed in the
Army. 1t would excite anew all the
treachery and treason, and they would
be in constant dread (such is the sug.
gestiOn) lest these men should betray
the armies and fleets of the country to
the enemy! This is the very worst and
most puerile bosh that we have ever
seen offered in excuse for a bad action.
Why not say you support the bloody
shirt Radicals and Guiteau>Stalwarts of
the North in this measure, not because
you believe it is right, but from the ne
cessity of mOnopolizing the few crumbs
that fall from their richly-laden tables?
Do you not know that all that is neces-
sary for any Confederate to secure an Of
flee either in the military or civil SER
vice of the country is for him to betray
his people by joining that party? Why,
Washington who make their living Off
the Republican psrty by abusing their
own people and States. Away with such
recreants! They are unworthy sons Of
the South, and if they ever were in the
Confederate service they have forfeited
by their after treason all the honors they
gained in the great but unfortunate
cause.
Still, this is new and strange view of
the matter, and one that was never
thought of before. It remained for Ma"
hone to discover that the restoration of
the old army and navy officers would
revive sectional hatred. We had al
ways thought and heard it argued that
this would be one of the greatest peace
offerings the North could tender the
South, and that its acceptance by us
would do more to restore good feeling
between the late warning sections and
to reunite our people than anything else
that could happen.
Oh no! The passage of the resolution
repeating the statute would not have re-
vived sectionalism or been the signal for
unfurling the bloody flag again, General;
but on the contrary, if properly carried
out so as to give the South that equal
representation in the Army and the
Navy it has in the Senate and House of
Representatives, there could be no ques-
ton of the happy results that would all
most Immediately flow from it.-Rich-
n2Ou0 State,