The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-03
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY.

1t is q good sign of the times that the
Memorial day addresses this year do not
seem to be freighted with much "blue and
the gray" gush. There was no hatred Of
the Southern man when tho war closed |;
there was only intense dislike of q rebel
lion prosecuted for the perpetuation Of
human slavery, and hatred of the cruelty,
oppression and tyranny inseparable
from such a system of iniquity; We
did not hate the Southern man,
we only hated his political ideas.
The situation remains today unchanged:
we have no dislike for the Southern man,
but we continue to denounce the nullifi-
cation of law, and the hereditary cruelty
and tyranny that have survived its parent,
ship today to speak words of solemn
warning against notification, past or
present. then President Jackson was a
partisan rather than patriot; then Web
ster spoke as a partisan when he replied
to Hayne; then Lincoln spoke as par
tisan at Gettysburg.
1t is not wantonly reviving "the hatreds
of the war" to inquire today whether sys-
tematic notification of laws that are the
sanctified spoils of the struggle is Lin
coins lauded government of the people,
for the people or by the people," Gettys-
burg to patriotic lover of the Union is
something more than one Of 'fame's eter-
nal camping grounds" it is better than q
mere bivouac of the dead; it is one of free
dom's eternal battle-ields where the colors
of liberty under law are never furIed.
The legitimate application of the lesson Of
the awful cost and sacrifice of the'war to-
day is to point out that the dividend on
our investment in the war for the Union
will never be wholly ours until the laws
that war legislated are supreme above the
present prevailing notification at the
South. Without such speech: without
such lessons. without such present appli-
cation of the existing situation. of what
value or consequence is speech on such an
occasion rs Memorial day.
The political eunuchs Of our day de-
scribe all grave and impressiveIy patriotic
words on Memorial day. 'the voice of
a partisan pronouncing political ha-
rangue," which is the language of those
who do not know or do not care anything
about the history of their country. In our
Judgment he is q wise and benefcent
thinker who always puts the idea of right
boldly against the idea of wrong, for
while there can be peace easily and eter-
nally with men who fought heroicslly for
error, there can he no peace With Il wrong
cause in this world or the next What
was worth fighting about for four years is
worth talking about--not vindictively, not
boastinyly. but reverently; only in this
way are children educated TO emulate
patriotic sires.
The South since IL lost It's slave. has be-
come somewhat of a sharp Yankee. and
while the Southern woman. as q rule has
never quite got over her bitterness. the
that it didn't pay to fight on the start, and
that il certainly don's pay for either side
10 bite their thumbs at each other to the
third and fourth generation. The North
that stood by the Union believes in prin-
ciples, not men, and 80 we do not hold
any personal hates, however much we
may be hostile 10 pernicious public
policies. We had rather trade than fight
we never fight unless We find it impossible
TO secure the peace, order and safety neces-
sary to the life of trade in any other way.
We are not disposed TO boycott any sec.
tion in politics ar business so long rs il
is willing to keep the peace that is neces-
sary to the life and safety OF business be-
tween the sections.
Under free institutions, while we cherish
the rights of all, We are paralyzed by no