The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1891-06-06

cfdteu cOFoneL OF SORROW. and we have tht
image OF the Confederate soldier which h,
has % craven upon the tablets OF history t,
tell our story for us, and we are content
"A soldier. who yields to none in his devo
tion TO the Union. nor in his recognition o.
he prowess and the skill Of those VIII,
fought to save 1t, is in no danger of mi5inter
probation by the brave men whom he con
tronted on the field. II he escllew all atfec.
tMI, tst1on ana hypocracy when he speaks Of his
gers they have seen together. II the time i.
coming when the portraits vi Lee and Grant
shall shall hang g side by side IN the houses "f W,
hail its Al yent with delight can not haste,
1t by repression or deceit nor can the cur.
rents OF fraternity be made to flow faster b,
choking the fountains If unrcsrrvs. rt.
preston.
THE SOUTHERN SOLDIER AS 4 C11Ix.A l..
1t has been said ;ha in % Kc,n1hIi,. lik,
soldier Il citizen. Living under such 4 >,y~-
! TEN. IL is proper to consider thp ciyi in ,t,-
ncction with the military qualities Of th;~,.
VINO are the STATE : Dependence In peace and
war alike: Mis>isSippi, having sent virtually
al her VII itc. male. ;,duI, mpuIation.n Tie
/ Held. was dependent for her rehabilitation in
peace, upon the men wi,' lad been her
soldiers IN war. and if We will bur glance at
ry. while the events Of l>Gl to ISIS have been
lycedinS into the pas. il will appear tll:,
the record Of the southern soldiers service
TO the State, As II citizen in peace. is Il worthy
In that time tho state and
her people have known many
shifting fortunes. Stn'i. >aG std sick
ening. disgraccfui tt those who wt,', thpir
authors. some Whtiitspnr and hopeful, cred
liable to tllOs" who wrought them cat
There was harshnr>s ny The >it1ur~ no,
Wholly unexpected, soni, lrnitnry which tine
vanHuished appreciated and much unjust
There We're wrongs which have been right ed
trials that have ended. humiliation which
honor and courage have -urNNcd--thtre WA,
darkness followed by the light Of day.
In that time 0,r great chief. whose tt.tnl
day was titiy chosen 10" ihr>'. ceremonies.
was east into prison without warrant. tnrumr
forth: without p' ga for pardon, undislnnyed,
great history reud b. al tic nati,t,,s If th"
earth and to live and die s'rarer tn his p,.o-
pie than in the DAY OF his greatest
power.
another removed by fur''r to nuke way for
an intruder. backed up by military puwcr.-
later we saw the same intruder embrace the
privilege of varatlng the SAME office in ad-
vance Of Il Judgment II im,Wachnpnt uid
since then We have >cen successive illru,n-
bcnts. of the peoples choice, I'LL tha, Of
flee e ably faithfully ami ;crcpthhly:
we have seen our Senators u I'd Rrprt~u-
tativcs. duly chosen and accredited. turned
away from the capitol uo Washington as nn-
worthy to participate in national le~i>istioi,
but for In either house. there have been
none to question their righrfuI status us
challenge their official equality.
We have seen the Strtaln of public ,j,l4tirr
so polluted that great judges left the bench
and d1Sdained to exercise the powers IF Il
court iii Suborlination to- the beheSts uf
military commander and for decade and
half we have seen thu, bench adorned hy
the eaua! Is Of those who left it in d.gu~l. dis
pensinR justice tssssly, with d tr,nunu even
hand.
We have seen our laws dictated by Il spirit
Of plunder and oppression and passed by
ignorant strangers and prelender>: We SEE.
them now the product uf Intelligence and
honest purpose. bearing equally upon the
rich and poor and fostering every worthy
interest In the State.
At 4; time when the passions Of war had
not subsided and there was bitterness in
the hearts OF those in one section toward
their countrymen in the other; ut time
when the South was no reader than the
North for the lessons Of forgiveness and fra
ternity which had to be taught and learned
before there could be any real peace or
we saw great Mssis>ippian move out in
advance OF his own people. Il pioneer in a
dangerous field. and sound the first note OF
pacitication which in time brought the North
and South together. We heard him tell our
e>tranged and distrustful brethren that the
South prOstrate exhausted. drained of her |
life blood: but still honorable and true. ac-
ccpts the bitter award OF the bloody arbitra-
ment without reservation" and we saw men
turn and listen to bis plea for peace. good
Will and Justice. We have seen the influence
of that plca widen and extend from the day
when 1t was offered. have seen 1t reinforced |
by the efforts OF patriots North and South !
until lately we saw sectionalism openly con-
demned by the United States Senate in the
rejection Of II harmful measure aimed di-
rectly against the Southern States. The
prime mover In this great work Of rcstora-
finN nd cancellation fhIb1rh nj un an
dent SOuthernOr and once {. >ecesSionist and
a Southern soldier. was called to the cabinet
of IL Northern president and sits to-day in
honor in that great court where the Federal
IS finally construed. a living
witness that the success Of Southern states
mAnship involves no abandonment OF prin-
ciple Or independence.
1t iS a far reach in our States history back
to lsu5 but these few incidents. selected here
and there. tell Of our transition from evil
days to these. The period covers len years
Of oppression, spoilation. contempt 2''f the
laws humiliation and poverty-atl bravely
OF manhood or self respect followed by six
teen years Of new hopes and reviving buSi-
ness. order gradually restored. the laws OBJ
served. blooming fields and the blessings OF
education liberallydispens until now. no
State in the Union. outside the South.
shows such signs Of relative improvement as
ours.
In all this you see the hand of the SOUTH
ern soldier as citizen in peace. and the rcs
)lutiOn. the conservatism and uncOnQu ucrH-
bic spirit Of which he Is the type
Those who fell upon the battle field or died
from diseuse or the seventies nf Northern
prisons left an unrivalled record OF duty
lone for State. for honor and for home. but
n the providence Of God they were spared
The tria Is and the woes which tell the story
" the high achievement Of those they left
behind. II they could reach us from the
grave they would tell us that the survivors
lived to encounter much that was worse
han an honorable death. aud that the
glory OF this people lies IN the stern
virtue. the courage to endure the self-rc-
,pecting dignity and the inlorn pride nf
which signalizrd their conduct.
after that mockery " peace came
which for n time was worse than war. The
inNl test. the cruel crucial test. came not
when our brave men had arms In their hands
md were using them In their bloody work.
md our anxious women were praying for the
victory which they never doubted would ul-
;tmately come. but in the dismal reconstruct
ion period which began when the conflict OF
lrn,s had ended. and brought us the rule OF
,ayonet and with it usurpaton and Op-
PRESTON. Then the iron heel Of power was set
lpOn the necks OF the defenscless aliens,
'ule over us and to plumber us. to degrade
he land. Ignorance vcnality and brutality
we're installed In the states high places and
on its laws and upon every right
to its people: and the climax OF
'rime was completed when our new rulers
lrned the ignorant and deluded negroes
With dangerous powers and set them In au-
hOrity in the State rhrourJ the ncrpSSi-