Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-06-08
THENORTHERN PRESS
FURTHER OPINIONS REGARDING THE
STATUE AND THE FLAGS.
eosse Grand Tributes and Criticisms Of Our
Noble Lcadcr-The q. A. H. and
the Flag.
lpuLr~DozED NxwsrArER.

The Rochester Democrat of Tuesday made
very graceful and gushing allus'on TO inc
Confederate flags at the unveiling OF the
Lee monument In Richmond. IL said,
among other things. at IL eminently Mt
ting that the flag under which General Lee
sought and with which his name must ever
be associated should float in the breeze,
which will be freichted with cheers gwen
In his honor aud he who can interpret us
presence as q mark OF disloyalty must be
ringularly narrow in his views or impiaca-
BILE in his resentment. IL IS not az mourners
for o lost cause that the southern men
have erected the statue. but IN recognition
of General Lee'sprivate and public virtues
and in loving remembrance OF rs RalIaut U
soldier as ever graspeda sword. The war Is
ended and tho issue is dead. but the boys
In blue do not need to be told how TENDER
ly loved commanders arc remembered, and
they. above all others. will best appreciate
the trae significance OF the Coniederate
flag at the unveiIing Of the bronze horse
man. Let the. flag be unfurled and the
gray uniforms be worn. They are relics Of
The past, resurrected only In response TO
the sentiments Of the day."
Thee sentiments. though somewhat sem
tiinen;ally expressed. seemed TO the IF
press entirely proper. We quite agreed
with the statement that whoever could in
terpret the presence Of the flags as
mark of disloyalty must be singulariy mar
row in his views or implacable in his re-
sentiment" II appears, however, that some
Union veterans in Rochester did object so
strongly that the business Office and the
editorial stat Of the Democrat got together
yesterday and evolved this remarkable re-
traction:
For the benefit Of orr Grand Army
friends who feel acerieved by an allusion
in these columns TO the presence of the
rebel fac in the pageantrv connected with
the unyeiling of the Lee statue. perhaps II
is lust rs well 10 repeat even moro explicitly
that the publishers of the Democrat and
Chronicle, one of whom is Grand Army
man, and the editor, whose sad recollec-
tions OF the civil war inspire nothing but
aversion for the infamous banner OF dis
LOYALTY. heartily condemn any attempt TO
perpetuate the existence of that emblem
or TO make il an object of display. 1t
should be buried from the sight OF man
forever.
1.-The Democrat and Chronicle has An I'M
broken record of loyalty 10 the old flag
and II seems almost superfluous TO add
that its devotion to the interests of the
men who wore the blue and its hostility to
every action which aims 10 revive the re-
bellious spirit Of the South or to olorify its
shameful past were never greater than
they are to-day. The reference to the
rebel flag at Richmond was unfortunate IN
conveying the impression that it did. but
In order that there may be no further mis-
understanding we wish to state in the most
emphatic terms that this paper cordially
believes in the sentiments of the Brooklyn
Grand Army Of the Republic post which
declares that there is room for one flag
only in this country and that flag is Old
Glory the Stars and Stripes"
II is difficult TO say which article is the
more notewOrthv-the fairness and gene
rosity Of the first or the amusing crawfsh-
ing Of the second. The paper is simply
amusing which within three DAYS can re-
concile these statements: let the flag be
unfurled" and at should be buried from
the sight Of man forever" II is an exhi-
bition of weakness seldom seen in any self
respecting newspaper. The Rochester
Union. after quoting articles on this sub
from the Buffalo Express and the Brooklyn
Times, says: Upon reading these and
other sensible expressions of the Republi-
can press the Democrat will doubtless he
able TO realize its own weakness in allow
ing itself TO be bulldozed and backed down
by the newlv-appointed Republican post
master and his half-dozen kindred spirits"
This is DecOration-dav. The Union sol
diers will meet throughout the land 10 pay
tribute TO the memory of those who fell in
defence of our common country. They
made n brave fight and acquitted them |
selves like men. Their herOism Will never
be forgotten nor will their glory ever be
dimmed in the memory Of q grateful coun- |
try. But in the South thew met a brave !
foe. and the brave soldier will ever be gen.
eTous to a foeman worthy Of his steel. Ut |
terances of hate and bigotry can have but |
one effect. They arouse old antagOnisms
and inspire sectional feeling. Such feeling
is not generous. wise. or patriotic.
A new South has grown mp since 1865 4;
prosperity has been developed IN
a wonderful degree northern capital and
northern men have everywhere formed an
industrial union with southern money and |
southern brains. The problem of section |
alism is slowly solving itself. and attempts |
TO arouse northern bigotry and southern |
hate are not inspired by patriotism. The |
Confederate flag at the monument of Cen |
eral Lee fOretold no future strife. but only |
gave evidence of tho respect which the |
South enteriains for its great General.
When tllySes S. Grant said to the tat |
tered and disarmed legions of Lee. go |
home and be good citizens; let us have |
peace" he showed himself a patriot. The |
defenders of the Union will ever bear in |
mind the wise exhortation of their great |
nor will they soon forget the |
scenes on Mt. McGregor when be extended |
from his death-hed the hand of friendship |
10 many of his old-time southern foes.
sHEPARp's WAR ON THE SOUTH.
ALBANY Argus, Democrat
The redoubtable "Colonel" Shepard has |
enlisted for the new war, which he has |
evolved out of the depths of his inner con-
sciousness. His attack upon the memory |
of that noble, gallant soldier, General |
Robert +. Lee, was as fierce as that of |
General Butler on the ladies of New Or |
Ill e.
measures TO put down the new rebellion, |
limiting his call to the modest figure of |
million men. For some days past this |
specimen of mental obliquitv |
has made the pages Of his newspaper |
iurid with war dispatches apd war edi- !
torials. Ii Is very much to be regretted |
that some Of the southern journals attached |
any serious significance 10 Colonel" |
rawlings. Every intelligent per-
son in the North merely laughs at them. |
one of those mysterious dispen-
sations of Providence which defy expla-
nation this crack-brained sOn-in-law of
William III. Vanderbilt ventuled into the
field Of journalism. All newspapers of |
sense have treated him as fertile |
source of merriment, and some wicked |
ones have actually encouraged him
in his insane vagaries. We assure the /
southern people that Colonel" Shepard is
perfectly harmless. Should the country |
ever require his services against foreign |.
foe he viii promptly respond by furnish
ing substitute out OF his father-in-law's /
money. Fortunately for the community, |
ia case the Colonel" should become 4
dangerous TO the passers-by on Park Row, /
the Legislature has provided for the State
care OF the insane. Instead of being con-
signed TO a county institution where he
might not receive proper attention
- Colonel" Shepard can be comfortably
supplied with padded cell. in which he
can indite all the war dispatches his dis
Aased mind NAV dictate.
NOT BLEsfIsH IL HIS CHARACTER.
New York saturday Bepew.i
The festival set down for next Thursday
II Richmond deserves more than passing
notice. Every State in the South will be
with Virginia, not in perpetuating the
memory OF their great leader, for that is Sc
cured, but IN marking before the world
heir love and yeneration for the man who
by his virtues won the admiration of the
nations, and who, when adversely overlook
him, emphasized il by his nobility.
We wish We cOuldf feel that the northern
States would unite as heartily in the spirit
Df the occasion a will the South We wish
Il because II would evidence tho existence
Of generosity that would be none too
great, and because it would at least indi-
cate that time had already dasfrova1 Oar !