The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-27

I JUsJIF UBsII55 ;
so. The failure Of cause does not necessarily
| prove that IL was an unjust one, nor can the
! denial Of the truth establish a fal5ehood. When
| the torture wrunga recantation of the truth
from Calico. did the earth cease to revolve on
| its axis? Did the river which swept the ashes
of Huss to the sea bury in its waves forever the
| truths he had proclaimed? When our divine
master persisted on the cross, did the doctrines
| for which he died die with hmI
If, then, we believe that we were justif1e in
| defending our rights by arms, let us assert and
| maintain our faith. If we were wrong in our
contest. then the declaration of independence
OF lf76 was grave mistake. and the revolution
| 10 which it led was a crime-W aShinGton should
| be denounced as traitor and Benedict Arnold
! canonized as a patriot II Washington was a
patriot, Lee cannot have been a rebel; III the
| enunciation Of the grand truths in the declara-
ton Of independence made Jefferson immortal,
| the observance OF them could not have made
| Davis traitor.
| But this Is neither the time nor the place to
| discuss these grave questions, which are touched
| on only as Illustrations. II we have an abiding
| conviction that our cause was just, have we
| right. in the name Of our dead, who gave their
! lives In defense OF. the south-in the name OF
our Children who are TO live In the land of their
| fathers-to deny the principles for which we
| fought?
| We acknowledge that the stern, irrevocable
verdict of wa. has been rendered against us;
| We recognize the supremacy Of the constitution
! as amended; We claim to be honest and loyal
! citizens; and we are bound in honor the stain
| less honor or southern soldiers, by law more
| binding than any on the statute books, to OBJ
serve inviolate the terms OF our parole.
But, while recognizing all these obligations,
we are not called upon to abjure the Sett led con-
victions of lifetime; to turn our backs on all
| the honorable, glorious memories and traditions
| of the past. and to cover ourselves with shame
by defamiGg the memory of our patriotic dead.
| We have lost much; let us maintain, a. least,
our self-respect and preserve cur honor.
| am aware that In certain quarters 1t is the
fashion now to tell our people That these are all
| dead issues, and that they should be forgotten
| as we press on In that new and glorious era
which is dawDing on the reconstructed south;
that we must turn from all which gave us
peace, happiness prosperity. dignity and glory
| in the past that we must cease to honor the
| memory OF the men who died for us, while we
should place on the pedestals Of our deposed
patriots the apostates of the south; that we
| must confess that we were wrong; in a word,
! that we must forget and forgive! Its easy and
convenient for the victor or the spoiler to quote
Tom P Rc aSs upon 70 because ns' of IT'S IT'S
divine origin, put In its application TO
| us of the south one important element of this
| injunction which came from him who spoke as
| never man spake is omitted. What the
| words in which Christ promulgated to his fol-
| lowers that sublime precept which enjoins for
| giveness to those who have wronged us? eff
| thy brother JrespasS against thee reDuke him,
and if he repents forgive him." GOD forbid
| that should ever counsel a refusal OF forgive
| ness to trespassing brethren who repent, but
| there is no command. no warrant in scripture
which enjolns forgiveness to trespassing breth-
| rem before repentance and fruits meet for re-
pent9nce are manifested!
| Weare told. too, that wa must forget as well
| as forgive. All my friends, this is the hardest
| task that could be imposed on u.s. tor 1
| know not where that Lethecan stream can be
| found on earth whose waters could bring to us
| that sweet, oblivious antdote which can give to
us blessed fOrgetfulneSs of our sulfering5, our
| sorrows and our wrongs. What are We to for
| get? We must forget that we are the sons Of men
| who gave their blood to establish the liberty of
America; that we have contributed our full
| hare to the glory, the genius, the fame and the
| prosperity o. the republic founded by our faith
| ers; that weiwsre the equals OF the proudest In
| that republic, and that we, who were free-born
| men, were made by the conquerers the bonds
men Of slaves"
| II sorrow and humiliation could teach us to
| forget all these things, can we ever forget as
| we look upon the graves OF our kindred, that
CORY sea OF blood which has deluged our land.
| Can the mother forget her darling boy, who
| fills now, perhaps, some unknown grave? Can
| the father forget his son. struck down by his
| side in the prime of manly strength and youth.
| full beauty? Can the wife forget the husband
| who was the stay and the Joy of her life? Yet
| all these sad and sacred memories must be- for
| gotten If we prove false to our faith and turn
| our backs on all which made our past glorious.
Time may teach us to forgive, but 1t can never
| make us forget
| But let us not indulge in vain regret or I'M
| manly recrmination, for to do thus would be in
| consistent with our renewed allegiance TO tue
| restored union. Whatever faith has been kept
| with US, and II has not been an untarnished
| one, no blot must be allowed to rest on our
| 'scutcheon. No charge Of Punic faith must
| stain our record. II we can leave nothing else
| to our children, let us. at least, bequeath to
| them fair fame and an unbemshed honor
| But while we accept all the consequences and
| results legitimately following our defeat, we
| claim the right to justify our cause, TO vindi
| cate our motives, and to honor our dead.
| To do this Is not only our right, bat our sa-
| cred duty We owe it to ourselves to our chill
| dren. to those who died for us, that we should
| cling with mistaken fidelity to those principles
| which we believe to be true. BY no other
| means under heaven can we maintain our own
respect or gain that OF mankind. BY no other
| means can escape the doom which awaits
| the people who sacrifice principle for subserYi-
| ent expedlency, who abandon their ancient Writ
| ues to adopt the vices of their conquerors and
| who are content to barter freedom for gilded
| servitude. To the state which sells her birth
| right no day Of redemption can ever DAWN
| - "She shall be bought
| And sold. and be an appanage to those
| Who shall despise her She shall stoop to be
| A province for an empire. Petty town
| In lieu of capiJal-with slaves for senates
Beggars for mobiles, panders for people;
Thy SONS are in the lowest scale Of being,
ayes turned over 20 the vanquished by the
| victors,
Despsed by towards for their greater coward
If we hope to escape this fate which surely
comes to every people who prove unworthy Of
| liberty, We must show ours elveS worthy OF the
blessings of that freedom for which we pray II
our faith In the justice Of cause was SC
strong that we risked life and all that makes
I
we should strive to justify ourselves in the
eyes of the world. viii history vindicate us if
we condemn ourselves? But II we cling stead
tasty to the faith taught by our forefathers
| If we prove worthy OF that faith, we shall not
have fought in vain, for though we can nc
longer defend our cause with our swords we
can justify it before tbs great tribunal of his
tory, and posterity will do us justice. MANY,
faint hearted, have fallen by the wayside
| apostates to the cause of which they were never
| worthy, but, thank God many are left who have
not and never will bow the knee 70 Baal
| Chief amongst thae-fathful among tae faith
| less-are the women OF the south Such
| women can never rear renegades AS long as
they are spared to nstil into the hearts OF their
children the sublime lessons OF devoted
| patriotism, OF which they are themselves the
highest exemplars, we need never despair
They were the real martyrs or the war, as they
are its saddest victims. But by a mercitul dis
sation for nearly every sorrow. and this blessed
law will give to them many and rich mercies
for the griefs they have borne. The tender
care with which they soothed the sufferings OF
our wounded and i'll soldiers is remembered in
many a grateful heart, from which daily
prayers ascend t. the throne of grace invoking
on them every blessing which merciful God
can bestow.
And may we not hope that those who died fol
u.s. whose memory is so sacredly guarded, and
! whose dust is 20 revereutly honored by thoSe
noble women look down with approving love
on the pious work Of their loving handsi The
consciousness of duty nobly performed to the
! living and to the dead will bring to them peace
If not happiness. Many of Them alas through
| out all the borders OF our stricken land, like
hal for hair .k,t auds g