The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-29
BURY THE BLOODY SHIRT.

long since accepted the arbitrament of war.
have gone their several ways, content to enjoy
the fruits Of hardea victory. Those Of
the South, or some of Them have become
reconciled, and some of them realize that it is
better as it is-better that the South did not
succeed and the Confederacy not estab-
lished Some of them are manly enough to
turn their backs upon the past, their eyes to
the future, and to swear unfaltering fealty to
one flag and the Union it represents. The
bloody shirt should be buried. Sectional
prejudice and bitterness should disappear, and
no portion Of the Union should be unpatriotic
enough to array itself against any other portion.
The bloody shirt and all the attendant recrim-
nations should be laid away forever 1t
should have been buried deep at Appomattox,
when tn last great sacrifice had been made
for the Union. 1t should have been buried
there while the Nation was yet in tears over
it's beloved dead. 1t should have been buried
before the bull whip cut the flesh of ex-slaves
in Louisiana because they dared exercise the
rights conferred upon them. It should
| have been buried before the Georgia
! cred shirters" and South Carolina ''white
! liners" went on their nightly raids, and left
trail of blood and spread terror everywhere
among the defenseless, timid blacks. 1t
| Cborld howe haop b,,rio1 hofnra tho Chisholm,
massacre when father and daughter were shot
because the one dared exercise his right as
freeman. 1t should have been buried before
the slaughter of Republicans at Coushatta and
at Ellenton. It should have been buried be-
fore Prent Matthews was assassinated for
presuming to vote in open election after
being warned not to Go so. 1t should have
been buried before his slayer was elected sher-
if in honor Of his services in behalf of the
South. It should have been buried before
the Democratic ex-rebels of Virginia MUIR
dcred a score or more of colored men at Dan
vile, and threatened further violence in event
| the State was not carried in common with the
|
buried before the post-bellum solid South was
murderously conceived and most murderously
secured. It should have been buried long
before Jeff Davis rallied to abuse the Nations
unexampled magnanimity. It should have
Senate chamber and eulogized Davis as a pa
triot, and, like a pirate, abused the
member who dared criticise the ex-leader If
the Rebellion. 1t should have been buried
before the national flag was ostentatiously
| lowered to half-mast in honor of the memory
of one of the most contemplate Williams that
ever escaped hanging. It should have been
buried before the appointment to foreign
ministry of a man with the the sentiment in
his heart and on his lips that the war for the
| Union was a gross and bloody violation of
public rights. 1t should have been buried be-
fore party came into power that has no IA
vors for the South except for men who were
the sworn enemies Of the Union during the
war;
The Republican party can truthfully say
that it is not and never has been responsible
for the bloody shirt, nor for waving it. There
would have been no bloody shirt but for the
Democratic Re bellion. There has not been a
minute during the past twenty years that it
was not ready and anxious to let all the past
be forgotten forever, and the bloody shirt has
never come to the front except when carried
there by others. 1t was first hoisted at Charles
| ton, when the attack was made on Sumter.
and after that it was borne aloft all over the
| South. 1t was stricken down finally
at Appomattox, and the hope was that it
was done with forever. The Republican par
| ty had fought for an undivided Union, the
| South for sectionalism. The war was an issue
between these two ideas. The former tri-
umphed, and the North had reason to hope
that the South would in time come to appre-
ciate the marvellous magnanmity of the Ma
ton, and to realize the blessings of an undi-
vided country. But this has not been so, and
sedtious and unpatriotic sentiments have
been uttered and applauded everywhere
Worse than this: the only men abused in the
South have been such as have renewed I'M
qualified allegiance to the Union. 1t has been
deemed disgraceful to give up the belief that
the 'principlss" for which the South fought
We're immortal. 1t is so to-day, and the men
honored in the South and in behalf of the
South are such as still proclaim the imperish-
able qualities of the principles that precipi-
tated rebellion and suggested the dissolution
Of the Union. 1t is the studious reaffirmation
of these sentiments, and the glorifcation of
the cause" of secession and those who opened