The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-04
GORDON IN CHICAGO.
The Southern Orator EIectrifies a Northern
Audience With His Eloquence

/ The southern Orator EIectrifies a Northern
Audience With His Eloquence
CHICAGO, Nov. 30.-Cheering and shout.
ing to be remembered for a long time
shook Central music hall tonight. Nearly
three thousand typical people of a north
ern city were applauding a famous Con-
| federate general who, carried away by the
spirit OF the moment, was grasping in his
hand the stars and stripes and in burning
words apostrophizing the flag he fought on
many bloody field.
Gen. J. B. Gordon, governor OF the state
OF Georgia, was the speaker. The assemb-
lage had gathered in the interest of a
monument to the Confederate dead in
Chicago, and the Golfers of the box Office
were full. On the stage were a score Of
the most prominent professional and bust
ness men OF Chicago. and presiding as
chairman was the mayor of this city. The
familiar strains of Dixie" greeted the
southern leader as he first entered
the hall, and when the great
audience caught sight OF his erect,
soldierly figure and -mustached,
deep-scarred, noble-looking cOnntenance,
/
was among his friends Another storm of
applause began when Mayor Cregier in
troduced Gen. Gordon as ''the governor of
a sister state to Illinois, one of the United
States. and may it be united through all
time with all the states constituting this
great Union. The statesman and the sol
der
The outbursts of cheering here cut short
whatever followed OF introduction, but all
was suddenly hushed as Gen. Gordon, in
a voice tremulous with emotion, began:
| thank you with all the sincerity of my ma
ture tor this generous reception. What more
appropriate moment than now could there be
to anayze some of the effects of the late civil
war and how il has blinded our hearts. From
the incidents of the past let us come as one
now and consider the welfare of this peerless
republic.
War, though often caamitous, is not always
evil. Justifiable war. however grievous for the
present may work Tor the people q might of
popular good and national glory. Even a war
waged against rebelious subiucts may be such.
The revolution OF 1916 is a living example. The
resistance by our fathers was just reward-a
rebellion true, concerted deliberate rebellion
but it was a paradox of histOry-a rebel
lion Tor defense; defense against the
demands against personal liberty. Our
war OF 1861 was the only war where it
might be safely claimed on both sides to be war
| OF uelcDSt-lOr the Norm, n defense OF the IN
tegrity of the republic; to the South, defense
OF the rights OF the states, of home, of prop
| erty, guaranteed rights, and therefore guaran-
| teed freedom. II is immaterial to inquire
! which was right The war, and all the actors
| in IT, will vet be tried before the impartial
Judge of all, in the impartial forum of all.
| When the final verdict is given. no more con-
| secrated purposes, no more exalted ideas can
be shown than those on both sides in the great
contest
rfrt1s sc
| the dark blue of the North and the somber
| gray OF the South, transferred the colored race
| from useless barbarism to the best clad, best
| fed, most contented class in the civilized
world.
| The speaker paid a fervent tribute to the
| fidelity of the negroes during the war to
the protection OF life and property and
| claimed that it proved cOnclusively the
| kindly treatment the negro had been re-
ceiving. He said that since the war, in
some instances. misguided philanthropy
| and political influences have in some way
antagOnized the two races, but in the end
| Christendom will applaud the treatment
| OF the negro by the white since the war
The negro problem, he continued, should
| be lett to the two people, most interested.
| and the negro problem, IL there were such
a problem would be settled 10 the benefit
OF both. Agitation. he said, begets appre-
| hension; apprehension turns TO distrust
and distrust to alienation, the fOrerunner
| of strife
The effect on the future character of
this republic, said Gov. Gordon, would de-
pend ON the made of the history of the
| conflict. TO build the self-respect of our
youth, we must teach the boy
that in his veins flows the blood of
| heroes. To destroy the bows manhood.
write no history OF the war, build no mon
uments to dead heroes. In the not re-
mote future the North NAV need whatever
OF patriotism there is in the South, Just as
the South would need the North Already
the country was graphing with the social
istic spirit that has doomed other nations.
and even threatened this fair city. Could
they avert evil by building walls OF preiu-
dice? Perish such thoughts Perish all
doubt and distrustl
Long live American manhood Long live
| American self-respect, the spirit of Justice. the
| union OF these cO-equal states defended by the
| manhood OF the entire American people Long
| float this banner, the proudest emblem of law
| and honor and freedom ever in the world; en-
| blematic of complete harmony as that OF the
| spheres, guiding our sister republics of France
and Brazil, and all the peoples of the earth in
| learning how to be free.
The effect of the earnest words was cleo
trical. 1t was several minutes before the
cheering subsidized, and the audience dis
! persed singing America" Gov. Gordon
was then escorted to reception at the
Iroquois club. The Inequalities there
were a continuation of a series that began
early in the morning, when Gen. Gordon
was met twenty miles out by a company
headed by Gen. George Crook, U. S. A.