The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-01

VINO Keep AllV0 ceCLlOldl feeuQgf
On Thursday and Friday of last week
there were notable celebrations. On Thurs
DAY a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee was
unveiled at Richmond with impressive and
appropriate ceremonies, and Friday was
federal Memorial day.
At Richmond were gathered the leading
men of the south who were prominent in
the civil war, and thousands of other visit
ors from all the southern states. There was
a liberal display Of confederate flags, but
conspicuous everywhere was the flag OF the
union. Col Archer Anderson delivered
an eloquent grafton, in which he
portrayed wildly the virtues of the
great chieftain in honor of whose memory
the ceremonies were held He also spoke in
glowing terms of the valor and virtues of
northern heroes of the civil war, and the
pride which every American citizen felt in
the prosperity and greatness of the union.
There we're no words of bitterness, no ex-
pressions of regret and no complaints.
Indeed, the only thought that was IN the
hearts of that great gathering was TO ap-
propriately honor the memory OF the south's
great hero, Robert E. Lee.
1t is but just to say that nearly the whole
of the northern press regarded the celebra-
ton as it was regarded in the south, and
treated it from tho same standpoint Most
of the northern papers published not only
full accounts of the ceremonies, but also
kind and appropriate editorial notices of
them. A few of the northern papers. how
ever, those which voice the sentiments of
the extremists of the Republican party,
made their notices of the celebration as
offensive as they could. They not only at
tackled the character of Robert E. Lee, but
they strove to create the impression that
the southern people are not loyal to the
union. They referred TO the presence of
confederate flags as an insult to loyal men,
and in other ways endeavored to arouse
feeling of bitterness in the north against the
south.
On Friday, federal Memorial day, there
was great gathering at Gettysburg, and
also at Cleveland, O., where a memorial
monument to President Garfield was dedi-
Gated. At Gettysburg Senator Ingalls, was
the orator, and he seized the opportunity to
refer to the Richmond celebration. Did he
speak in kindly terms of it7 Did he strive
to convey an idea of the real spirit which
prevailed at that celebration7 By no means.
He said some kind words of Gen. Lee, but
he said many more that were unkind. His
kind words were only an introduction TO his
bitter and unjust ones His remarks were
intended to convey the impression that the
Richmond celebration was not conducted by
loyal men, and, therefore, was to be con-
demned.
And yet in all the south there was not an
unkind word or thought with regard to
federal Memorial day. In all southern
papers accounts of Memorial day services
appeared, and there was not an offensive
suggestion from anybody.
Is it not plain who keep alive what little
sectional feeling there is? Are not the dis
turbers of fraternal feeling all in the northa
What do these promoters Of the
old war feeling want? What
would satisfy thema Do they expect the
southern people will turn their backs upon
their heroes-those who did so much and
sacrificed so much for them? Do they want
them to blot out from their own memories
their part in the great civil struggled Do
they want them to keep from their children
all knowledge of their glorious achieve
ments on hard fought battle fields through
four long yearsa
These seem to be the things they want,
but they will never get such concessions.
The south is as loyal to the stars and stripes
as the north. That statement is indisputa-
BILE, and with it the irreconcilable must be
satisfied. The south's memories and heroes
are her own, and she purposes TO express
her feelings with regard to them as seems
to her to be most appropriate.