Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-30

and menaced the peace, even the life of the
nation
The supporters Of states rights and Of negro
slavery, though in a numerical minority. main
tained control Of the political affairs Of the
country during this long period by reason Of
tnelr more determined and more united con-
tention against an opposition which was at first
dlsunited, disorganized. but which grew year
by year and decade by decade stronger in pop
ular sentiment and stronger in numbers till, in
1850, II crystallized into political party which
carried the country and elected Abraham Lin
coin President of the United States, and which
also elected a Congress that would support his
incoming administration The friends of
state sovereignty-and southern slavery-fan-
cied they saw in this remarkable political
revolution the death Of all future power for
them under the government and the probable
death Of their several theories and institutions.
Had they patiently and philosophically waited
the development Of the new political party and
administration there can be little doubt that
the history Of this nation would have been en-
Grely different from what has been enact ted dur
ing the past thirty years.
The people Of one state, more impetuous
more ambitious, more intolerant than wise
rushed into their favored whirlpool Of secession
by a convention composed of the most radical,
most hot-headed citizens, passing an ordinance
declaring the state absolved from its compact
With and allegiance to the Union The people
Of other states followed in rapid succession
until eleven states had committed themselves to
THIS MAD REVOLUTION.
Had they been content with peaceabIe seces-
sion and committed no overt act there are none
wise enough to say what would have been the
result
'.Whom the gods would destroy they first
make mad" The demon of rebellion and de-
struetion seized upon those people and with
mad haste rushed them on to- their destruction.
those people were so fully imbued with the
doctrine of state rights, under the silent
thorlty OF the Constitution, that to them seces-
sion was In no way treason, but only the exer-
else OF constitutional rights The government
of the United States could take but one view of
the situation, and when the forts, arsenals and
other property of the government were seized
upon and armed forces mArshaled to enforce
and maintain the seizure, these acts became
rank treason and open rebellion, and the war
OF 1861 and 1865 was inaugurated. Such war
was never known. God grant may never be
known again.
The great loyal heart Of the nation throbbed
as by one impulse. From every city and town
and hamlet, from workshops and farms the
best men of the nation rallied at the call for
defenders Of the nations honor and the M
tion's life.
when Greek Joined Greek then was the tug
OF war y For four years American met Ameri-
can in a hundred battles. Brave, dauntless.
determined, desperate 1t may be, but fighting
for what they believed right and patriotic on
the one side; heroic, firm, gallant, loyal defend
ers of the country on the other. No brave
Union soldier has ever been found to deny that
he always met foeman worthy of his steel.
II will be q century till the pen of historians
can tell the whole story Of that struggle. 1t is
idle In an hour toeven attempt to draw the out
line IL began with the clash of arms, it was
only to end when TO fight was to die. For four
years Congress leglslated in vain to enact laws
that should stay the clash Of war.
NO COMPROMISE.
Scholars and statesmen and diplomats tor
tured their intellects in vain to divine a COM
promise which should appease the demon of
war. As the war Of battle echoed and re-echoed
over a hundred fields and brave soldiers Of the
north and brave soldiers of the south went
down by thousands and by hundreds of thou
sands to stay the wrath of that iMplacable
demon, the people of the country, whether
loyal or otherwise, standing with uplifted
hands and with bated breath, raised to heaven
the despairing cry, How long, oh, Lord, how
lOngr'
The whole civilized world locked on appalled,,
no more daring to propose terms Of arbitra-
ton or to offer interposition than feeble man
dare raise his puny hand to stay the wrath of
heavens thunderbolts.
WAR, ONLY WAR, COULD SETTLE THE QUESTION.
From beginning to end the insurgents grew
weaker, the army of the United States stronger
and more determined, till there came q day
when war could GO no further. When the thick
mists Of that memorable morning that had
scttleQ IKE q pail upon the cOntenQlng forces,
rose over Appomattox and disclosed the con-
federate army of northern Virginia. commanded
by Gen. Lee, confronted by the overwhelming
Union army under Gen. GRAM, close upon his
rear. the invincible Sheridan with victorious
host on the flank, and the intrepid Custer, with
his thousands of dashing cavalrymen, right in
front, no mortal mind can imagine or human
pen portray the despair of that worn and weary
and battered rebel army. Tradition says at
that moment a mounted aid dashed up to Gen
Lee and handed him a slip torn from a pocket
note book on which was written. in the we'll
known hand Of one Of the bravest of the rebel
generals, this appeal: General Lee, for Gods
sake and for humanity sake, surrender your
army
Retreat or advance or escape was impossible;
surrender or humiliation inevitable. Gen
Lee bowed his head to the inevitable, and that
stuPendous war was ended.
\ MAGSANIMoUs VICTOR.
The terms of surrender offered that con-
quered army were the most magnanimous ever
offered q vanquished foe. Those SCARED and
war-worn veterans mounted their own horses
or, footsore, wended their way peacefully to
their southern homes, and that gallant army
of northern Virginia melted away Like the mists
over Appomattox-
The victorious Union army made but one
demonstration Of gloriication over the tri-
umph and that was on the way to their homes
in the north and west. They made that tri-
umphal march through the streets Of Washing
ton-that historical grand revie of June, 1865.
Even then there was on the faces of that Union
host no glamor Of rejoicing over a fallen foe.
II was rather the look Of peace and fond long
ing for their homes and loved ones left behind.
To talk so much OF war pains the heart and
ofends the sensitive ear, but the whole history
Of the world Is one continued story of war and
the rebellion of 1861 and 1866 was not of I'M
mitigated evil In that first year the people of
the United States numbered 81 600 900 souls;
today, notwithstanding the death of more than
1000 able-bodied men killed. died Of dis
ease or wounds incurred In battle. the country
numbers sixty-two millions Of people
doubled in the incomparably short period Of
thirty years.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTH.
In resources in enterprise, in Intelligence, in
wealth, in national honor the growth has been
far greater and more astonishing. In those
states which seeded and inaugurated the re-
bellion the results are more astounding than
elsewhere. Then cotton was proclaimed king
and the traffic in that and N slaves was
mainly the source OF state and individual
revenue. Today those states ara trayersed in
all directions by railroads and by electric
wires and dotted all over by mines, in which
Is heard the clink Of the pick of the miner. and
with hundreds and thousands OF factories and
Il a g.