The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-21

in regard to Republican Administrations
One of the earliest and most sedulouslv
circulated of these reports to the effect that
Secretary Stanton had set the example of sur
rendering rebel battle-fags to the South. This
statement was made in the wspapers the
streets of Washington and in the corridors of
the Capitol. and | was frequently warned that
the revelation would back At me like
boomerang The Secretary in his reply, uses
language that seems plainly intended to sustain
that impression, but the accompanying schedules
snow that there never a word OF truth IN
the inslnuation, and no captured flag or banner
was ever surrendered 10 the South by Mr.. Stan
ton or any of his Republican successors dis
like to characterize Mr.. Endicorts feeble play
upon words in this connection the records given
show, and only show, that under Mr.. stanton
and later Secretaries a number of flags OF loyal
troops captured by the rebels and recaptured
by Union forces, were restored to the loyal
troops who bore them, and that a number or
confederate battle flags were gwen to the mill
tsry official representatives OF the ioyai
troops who captured them, or were loaned for
display at some military fair other patriotic
OCCASION The reiterated reports that Secretary
Stanton inaueurated the return OF bat6e-fags
to the South proved by the documents sent
the House by Mr. Endicott to hava been
despicable ISLANDERS upon the memory of PreSi-
dent Lincolns great minister. Another
curious fact is that the I'd of this month
the New York Times published what 1t
claimed To be authentic outline OF the reply
of Secretary Endicotb which. it said. would
contain the admission that a number or hags
have been returned to individuals during this
d0mlDlStrAtlO1, ana Inat some WeT6 rebuEutu III
accordance with the Presidents order before its
revocation The report thus outlined was not
sent in, but. after three weeks more of dsiay,
the Secre airy guardedly says that none of the
flags have passrd out of the custody of the de-
partment during this administration Just how
far the custody OF the department may be con-
strued to stretch geographically south of Ma
son and Dixons line l am unable to say The
Secretary's plea that his predecessors had not
construed the law applying to trophies capt
ured from rebel forces 10 not sustained by any
citation but is neeatived by the fact that his
predecessors did collect the flags captured from
the rebels and cause them to be displayed IN one
of the public halls of the War Department But
the climax of this effort special pleading IS
reached when Secretary Endicotr self-compla-
Gently up the matter by saying that
large number OF captured flags have been dis
posed of by Republican administrations, but
that not one had been given up by the patriots
DOW in power. He does not remark that no Re-
publican administration ever suggested the idea
of surrenderng one of these trophies to hands
that had borne the N against the Union. but that
President Cleveland and Secretary Endicott de-
lberatey proposed to surrender more than five
hundred of these precious embiems of loyal
valor to the Confederate States recognized in
the Presidents order and that they were only
prevented by such an outburst of popular indg
nation as has not been witnessed in the loyal
North since the political associates OF President
Cleveland and bis Secretary of War opened fire
upon the National flag at Fort Sumter