St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-02
INGALLS, MEAN SPIRIT
Shown Up in Two Memorial Day
Incidents.

5nOWn " ID HI TWO MCIiOFldA LAY
Incidents.
To the Editor OF the Globe.
/ incloSe two extracts from the morn
: ing papers of Saturday, one from Sena-
: tor Ingalls, speech at Gettysburg on
Friday, and the other a dispatch from
Winchester, Va, appearing in the same
column. A reading of the two will
show how inconsistent and how out of
place the spirit shown by Mr.. ingalls,
was. The extract reads:
Now in view OF the occurrences of the
last.tWo days in the extinct capital of the eX-
tinct Confederacy, wish to say few words.
have no desire on this sacred occasion to
revert to any subject that is inconsistent
with the solemnity of the hour, but unless
the ideas for which our dead died were right
they have died in vain. But the only regret
that seems 10 be felt by our adyersaries is
that in the rebellion they failed to succeed.
Robert E. Lee was undoubtedly one of the
greatest soldiers of the age, lofty of charac-
ter, pure of life. with lineage dating back to
the morning of patriotism in this hemi-
sphere. He was" without fear and without re-
proach" Had Lee adhered to the sentiments
expressed shortly before the rebellion he
would to-day have been the foremost citizen
of this republic. He was offered the COM
mand of our armies. For twenty five years
his sword had been under the flag of the re-
public. He had been educated at her eX-
pense, and had taken the oath to support her
his oath. put aside his sword and took the
leadership of the most causeless re-
billion since the devil rebelled against
heaven; and yet in perjury and in
violation of faith and honor, on the day
for twenty-five years made sacred, those who
profess to have accepted the results OF the
war in good faith, selecting this occasion in
all the other anniversaries of the 800 days or
the year, with every augmentation of inso-
lence, point to the South that this is an ex-
ample after which they should copy-a Con-
federate flag is placed in the hand Of Wush-
ington. What wonder if the dead should cry
out against this sacrilege.
The dispatch reads:
WINCHESTER, Va, May 3O.-The local G. A.
r. post accompanied by the Winchester
national cemetery to-day. and, after appro-
pirate ceremonies, decorated with flowers
the graves of the Union dead
1t has for number of years been Gus
tomary for many of the people of Win
chester and the surrounding country to
attend the Union cemetery at that place
on Memorial day and decorate with
flowers the graves of the Union dead.
The Winchester light infantry referred
to in the dispatch has in Its ranks many
veterans of the Confederate army, and
Is COllillduutU NY Odpt. UOoCpu IL IN III
ton. a brave soldier, who served through
the entire four years in a gray uniform.
There are no people in the South OF
North who suffered more from the raw
ages of the war than the people of Win
chester, and there are few of them who
have not father, brother or husband
sleeping their last sleep within few
rods of the national cemetery. On the
9Th of June they will decorate the
graves of their dead; OH Friday,
with the same hands, and with
a true sorrow, they decora-
ted the graves of brave soldiers
who had been their enemies. Surely
Mr.. ingalls, might restrain the express
sion of his bitter hatred of the people
of the South. 1t seems that it is only
those who fought clear of the danger
IWho keep up this bitterness. Those
who fought. and carry the scars received
| ION the battlefield, have chivairy and
generosity enough to allow the people
of the South to honor their dead and
cherish their memory, without raising
Ethe hue and cry of rebellion" Mr..
ingalls, speaks of duty of citizens to the
country. He seems to overlook the fact
Isthat he is a senator of the United States,
under oath to do all in his power to pro-
CInote the welfare OF the North and South
alike, and that every expression of Bit
ter sectional feeling that is published
through the country tends to stir up
hard feeling between the sections and
retard the progress of the country as
whole. 4. JR.
ST. Paul. June l.