The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-12-10
BLUE AND GRAY.
Reasons Why They shOald Not Nix at the Chicago
Worlds Falr.

EDIroR NATIONAL TREUsE: note in the
columns OF the Northern press n very consider
able amount Of discussion as 10 tho commiu-
Cling of tho Blue and the Gray at the Worlds
Fair, and il inclines me TO narrate for the bene-
III OF the readers OF The NATIONAL IRlRCNE
little personal experience.
have no desire 20 detract from the merits Of
the Confederate soldier. he was a brave foo
man. aud fought valiantly. But. 20 quote Gen.
Beauresard in a letter TO the Maryland Line
some wears since: The God Of Battles de-
cided" tibet their cause was wrong; and lie
adds, I'VE have yielded like men TO the de-
/ cision."
The evidence which comes before the eyes
| Of an old soldier living IN the farther South IS
that the latter statement is not wholly true.
/ There are brave OK COnfederates in the South
/ like Mai J. +. Hanson, OF Macon Col. Garnctt
/ Andrews. Of Chattanooga, aud others, who un-
] he5itatingly assert that in their maturer years
they can see how terribly wrong the rebellion
was. aud that they arc glad - the war ended as
! il did"
But there are others. and fear their num-
| Der does not decrease, WHO dream Of the gIories
! Of the might have beAn." who claim that the
! South was right, bat they "were overwhelmed
by foreign mercenaries.7 aud who are in full
sympathy with that idiot Of the Georgia Lcgis-
lature who, only the past Summer, introduced
/ bill which should mako il n crime subject TO
school in Georgia to permit book TO be used
where the word " rebellion " designated the
late war between the States.
Ifthe ex-soldiers OF the dead COnfederacy arc
so DESTROYS of fraternizng and comminglng,
the place 10 begin that operation is at home.
| There are Union soldiers in every part OF the
South who came here 90 make their future
home. They have made almost without ex-
ccption. good citizens, and in their desire to
| make life pleasant for themselves aud families,
| they have invariably held ont the olive branch
| of peace, and in many instances have held 1t
out too far.
Good. fellowship has existed between tho old
soldiers OF both sides az individuals, but in this
/ cOmmiugling and iTaterniZiug business tine
overtures have always come from tho Union
soldier, and have never, 10 my knowledge been
fully and freely met.
In this Department OF Georgia there is u
| National Cemetery where within short dis
lance, several thousand dead Coniederates lie.
On the first occasion when Grand Army
Post observed Memorial Day at this National
Cemetery, after decorating the graves Of their
own dead, they went IN a body TO the COnfed-
crate Cemetery and decorated the graves there.
Does history record where a body of ex-Con-
federatcs ever did this on their Memorial Day 2
have never heard oft. Year after year this
Grand Army Post has extended invitations II
ex- Confederate survivors 10 join with them in
two or three Oh four have ever accepted the in
vitati0n. They have invited them To Camp
| fires with tho same result, and OH several Occa-
sons an invitation was given 10 the most
prominent ex-Conicderate Of them all, a prom
iuuut State official. and accepted by him, only
10 have an excuse in the shape Of a smoothly
w0Tded letter 0f regrets sent at tho last mo-
/ mcnt
Another instance IN another city Of this
State. Shortly after a GAR. Post had been
formed Camp Of Confederate survivors was
organized. A little later a statue was un-
Va led mot Grady's). aud all the various sOce'
ties were invited TO participate. The comrades
Of the GAR thought IL good time 10 ex-
tend the hand Of fellowship to the Confeder'
ates, and invited them 10 u collation. after the
parade. II was a most enjoyable affair for the
Confederate priyatcs who accepted. While the
Camp was largely composed OF ex-COnfrderate
officers, but one of these was present. The pri
Yates declared that these meetings were SO de
lghtful that they must be held often, yet L
this day, more than three years later. the Con,
fsderatc Survivors Camp has never, by resOlu
tion or in any other way, Acknowledged th'
courtesy then extended.
so long as this spirit is manifested in thu
South, what absurd nonsense IL is TO talk auC
} cry for determination aud eOmmingiiug at the
Worlds Fair. IL IS all meant FOR political bun
combe and az such should be trOdden upon.
The representatives Of the Confederate sen
tInent as compared to the representatives o
Union sentiment are All hundred, yes, 500. q
one Of the white citizens in tho South Her
determination means magnanimty; 10 mean
common love OF a common country and flag
, Ia Chicago in 1893 it viii mean humbug an,
: stuff For one, d" I'm agin IT." Yours ia T., {
J aud L-ALBERT Z. sHoLEs, Augusta, Ga.