The Forrest City times., 1891-12-11
Palmer's Last Insult.
Memphis Appeal-Avalanche.

Memphis Appeal-Avalanche.
 The war was ended Tn 1865. It left heritage of million graves North and South. It left to thousauds of ragged Confederates and boys in blue the stir ring memories of the battlefield. The south was stricken desolate. There was vacant place in every household. Poverty and ruin ruled the great plan tatiOns and the cities of the south. The south was conquered province. de- spoiled of her wealth, crippled in strength, ahd without hope of the fu- ture. The issue of the bloody contest was accepted sullenly at first, but com pletely. The Southern soldiers adapted themselves to their new environment, and as the years passed by they became as loyal to the old flag as the people of any section of the country. But they could not forget that there was another flag, old and ragged and despoiled, winch for foIn years they had followed through such perils as the world has seldom seen. That flag was memory, a ghost of the terrible days that have passed into history. On decoration days and at the reunions of the old soldiers, it has been the custom to bring out the worn and weary looking stars and bars in memory of the olden time. This did no man harm; it provoked no feeling of hostility toward the stars and stripes. As time, with healing touch, passed by and old wounds were cured and animosities removed, the blue and gray blended on decoration day and at the great battle-felds. If the man who wore the blue and the man who wore the gray could afford to shake hands and walk arm in arm over the battle fields where they had once greeted each other with shot and shell and deadly bayonet charge, why should there be any wrong ill y0nder tattered flag, now but relic of history, hang ing beneath the bright new stars and stripes? Can these inaDimate sym bols hate and destroy when the hands are claspedin forgive ness? Only few weeks ago the com mander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an unknown warrior by the name of John Palnier, delivered an address in which he wratlfully de clared that ex-federal soldiers ought not to fraternize with Southern vet eraIs If tle Confederate flag Was dis played at the reunions. Palmer has HOW supplemented that speech with an offensive allusi"n. for which no S1utlerner can ever forgive him. At banquet in Brooklyn, the proceedinGs of which are reported in the New York Herald, Palmer said, But in doing honor to the people of the South they should net confront us with that damned stinking old rag of treason" Can anyone imagine Ulysses S. Grant. or plIl Sheridan. or Sherman, or Thomas. CT any ot the genuine SOL diers on the federal side so far for getting himself as to utter such words ;.s thrser Do soldiers talk this Way of the flag that fiHttered over d lost cause? Do gentlemen ever desccnd to such cowardlv and unpardonable insults as these?. Palmer says he was a soldier, and has four years record. On what field of honor did this cheyalier learn the principles of courtesy, and if, indeed, he WAS a soldier. whence comes this new type of va!or? There is only one inference possible. and that Is that Palmer has taken advantage of his position IS commander -in-chief of the grand army of the republic to advert se the fact that he is alive. We do not imagine that there are many Southern sol dirrs who can recall the exploits of General John Palmer in the war; but tiie name will be familiar from this tim. on-l'almer will be synonym of Ancient l'istnl, tie Shahspearean
 braggart whose bravery was that of i the month alone. The people of the south can forgive the man who thinks 1t uIIwise, or even wrong. to display the Confederate flag at public g,th r. ilgs. but they will never forgive the man who spat upon their sentiment and their memories as Palmer did when hc cursed the stars and bars.