The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-05
SHALL UNION SOLDIERS APOLOGIZE

The Proposition to Have a Meeting of For
giveness at CIeveland's Inauguration.
General Reub. williams, in Warsaw Times.
If such proposition should be seriously enter
tanned by the officers of the Grand Army of the
Republic, and fully copcurred in it ought to
have the effect to break up that organization
and doubtless would do So-by the withdrawal
of eight tenths of all the members belonging to
it Why has not this proposition been made
years agol No foe has ever been more magnani-
mously and generously treated in the history of
the world, than have been the followers of the
lost cause. and we repeat-why has the PROPOSE
ton made above been deferred to a time when a
solid South, and fraction thousand ma
jority CLEANED from the North, places at the
head of the government representative
of the very party that fought for four
long, weary years to destroy the government
and divide the Union3 Why was it not made
when Grant, Hayes or Garfed-men who repre-
scented the victors-were to be inauguratedl
Why for the reason that ever since the close of
the war, the attempt has been steadily and per
sistently made to have the North apologize in
some way for subdung the rebellion. and now
when they have obtained their first victory-and
in doing so they have literally stolen five Repub-
lican StateS-they make proposition to bury
the Ratchet" they guaranteeing to protect the
negro if the North will bury the bloody
Shirt The soldiers who fought to preserve the
Union have no apologies to make;
they feel that they performed their duty, and
after the victory was won they treated
their late foes so humaney that, in effect, the
''hatchet was buried" the day that Lee surren-
dcred at Appomattox. Feeling thus and know
ing that the party to assume power and after
March contained every single traitor that
fought to destroy the Union of our forefathers
during the war of the rebellion, it is not at all
strange that they think the Inauguration day of
a Democratic President is above all the
one the least propitious for meet
ing of the survivors of the late
war south of the Ohio river and we confidently
predict that if such attempt is made on the
part of those at the head of the Grand Army of
the Republic it will have the effect to de-
stroy the order eight-tenths Of all its members
opposed to the claimed to be elected
President; voted against him ami honestly la
bored to encompass his defeat 1t would not be
strange then. if they would spurn the PROPOSE
ton to celebrate their own defeat in the manner
proposed. and it is p piece of cheek coming from
the solid South, now once more in 1.-THE sad
die" that almost amounts to an affront. and I'M
der the circumstances should be considered.
If meeting between the surviving soldiers is
desired, let it be held by all means, but we re-
peat that the Inauguration of Democratic
President is not the day for such a pur
pose especially so when it can be clearly
shown that he would not be President
at all were full vote and fair count per-
mitted by the very men asking the surviv-
ing Union soldiers to apologize for the part they
took during the war No. the South should be
compelled to protect the negro by the strong
arm of the government, and the United States
should see that elections south of the Ohio river
should be held fairly. and the count as &C
curately ascertained rs 1t Is in the North, and
this question will never down until this is
done. In the meantime we hope the national
do nothing that will cause withdrawal of its
members from the order as acceptance of the
proposition in their official capacity would surely,
and Of right, ought TO do